Visit With the Oncologist

Mark seemed a bit stronger today. Jeff assisted us in getting to BuxMont Oncology for the office visit with Dr.Kaufman. Although this was the first time to meet him, he was on top of Mark's case & had obviously read the report/recommendation from Dr. Rosenfeld. He noted that his "performance status" is decreasing. He concurred that the Avastin drug is an "opportunity for him to get some response", as many other patients have experienced. So that was administered again today by IV in the port Mark has now. He actually slept through half of the one hour drip. He enjoyed a nice meal at home tonight from Janice Althouse and stayed up to watch some TV. The Home Health Care Aides are doing a wonderful job daily. God continues to direct this journey we're on. Thank you for your prayers.

Managing Some Changes

In the last 2-3 days, Mark was losing strength and needed a lot of assistance. Fortunately this happened when my brother Mike and Mary Lou were here. Mary Lou did the kitchen work and helped in numerous ways and Mike was able to handle Mark's weaknesss when we needed to help him move about. They've had experience with Mary Lou's mother, so showed me how to assist Mark with his mobility. When I called our Palliative Care group to discuss Mark's new needs, Susan Smith, R.N. came within a couple of hours and also sent a Social Worker. So today was a very busy day, meeting with them and deciding what course to pursue. We decided to engage Community Home Services who will send an Aide twice daily, for 2 hours each morning and 2 hours in the early evenings. Susan also felt that a hospital bed would be easier for Mark to get in and out of, and no sooner had she ordered it than it arrived. It is now set up in our guest bedroom, with my bed beside it. Mark is sleeping for the night and I shall do the same soon, as I am tired too. I am so impressed with the speed of making these connections and changes, to say nothing about the sensitive and caring nature of our new medical friends.

Mark's port was successfully put in last week, so he will never have to suffer the poking and probing of his veins again. Then on Friday his IV with Avastin went well. It took 2 hours and will be repeated every 14 days. He will see an oncologist every two weeks before the IV. I was referred to a service there at Grand View Hospital in which a nurse practitioner is assigned to a patient to monitor progress and potential problems between doctor visits. Today Chris Hanson came to our home, did an assessment, and has another appointment with us here in a week. Meanwhile she will have a raised toilet seat and a wheelchair delivered for times when Mark needs assistance. His size makes it difficult for me to handle (sometimes) when he wants to get up or down. We are very pleased with Chris, the NP, and thank Laurel Landis for referring us to her.
Family is so important to us. Jeff was here yesterday and tomorrow my brother and sister-in-law (Mike & Mary Lou) will come for 2 1/2 days. On Saturday Wesley and Viola, our grandchildren, will come with Beth for a visit. Mark may doze off for a while, but that's okay. Kris "Skypes" daily from Thailand. It's almost like she is here too. Most of all we know that God is here with us.
Here's a promise from Isaiah 41:10 that Robin wrote out for us:
Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Upcoming Intravenous Treatments

Today we met with a new oncologist at Bux Mont Oncology Group in Sellersville. Dr Spears went over Mark's history and report from Penn and plans to follow through with that. We then went to the area where he will get the intravenous medication and had his blood drawn today. Mark's veins are increasingly difficult to get blood from, so they feel that he should have a port for the upcoming treatments. Therefore, on Thursday he will get a port implanted at the short stay unit at Grand View. Then on Friday he will have his first treatment at the Outpatient building where the oncologists practice. His treatments will only be on every 14th day. We were told of the possible side effects and what to watch for. We are ready to move forward with this new treatment because of the potential benefits.

Change in Treatment

Today Mark had his scheduled MRI and other tests at Penn and met with his neuro-oncologist. She explained to us that the chemo he's been on for 2 months is not taking care of the tumor, so she recommended a medication approved for brain tumors that shows good promise. Interestingly, I was going to ask her about that medication, Avastin, as I have been researching about it too. She also is suggesting that we get an oncologist locally so that it can be administered bi-weekly(intravenously) without us having to travel to Philadelphia. She and we are looking into Grand View Hospital as a site for that and expect to have an appointment soon with an oncologist who is on staff there. We'll keep you posted on that. Meanwhile, Mark will continue with his Physical Therapist to improve his balance.