Feeling sleepy very sleepy

Dad was VERY tired this weekend. Chemo is having a much bigger effect on his energy level this time. Sorry dad! Get some rest……sleep is a good thing!

Homeward Bound.....

Well, the week at MD Anderson is done.....Dad got his booster shot for immunity and off they went back to DFW! It was a good week and everything went well.

Pump Pump Pump

Pump is hooked up and pumping away. Everyone is in a good mood which is good. They won't be going back into the hospital for appointments until it is time to remove the pump. I guess that is the reason for the good mood?....hmmmmm.

Round 2 - MD Anderson Powers Activate!

Round 2 of chemo treatment begins! Mom and dad got to Houston and checked in with no issues.

They started the treatment later in the day which made for a long night for my dad. He didn’t get done until almost 11pm!

Heparin Flush......Good Times

Popped over for a visit on Saturday afternoon. Dad was in good spirits. Since my sister was sick, my mom was doing all the Heparin flushes. In case you were wondering what it is like (and I know you are), here it is (or was):

Step 1 – mom sterilizes her hands and puts on the gloves (snap…snap) – the gloves are purple….hey, with those rubber glove skills she is qualified to do airport screenings!



Step 2 – this is the hook up – prep the syringe and clean the port….the syringe screws in to the port after the port has been thoroughly been cleaned….hmmmm, not too straight, let’s try that again.



Step 2 ½ - cat jumped on the table and was ejected….d’oh….out you go!



Step 3 – that’s better, now the injection….



Step 4 – smile, it is over!



Step 5 – ummmm, are you forgetting someone outside….HELLO!!!



That's it for today. Next stop - Houston and chemo round 2!

License To Ill.....

Nina got sick this week. Bummer :-( She is going to stay away this week and possibly not go to Houston for the trip to MD Anderson.



Blood counts are good and on track! This is great news. Nina will go back there and get the hard copies tomorrow.



During today’s Heparin flush, dad said he got a cold tingling sensation in his nose…weird.

Week 3 - Monday.....Everybody Drink! That Means You Too Dad!!

Dad wasn’t feeling the best today. Was it the haircut? N'ah. He was very tired because he wasn’t sleeping all that well the night before. Tomorrow, he goes back to get his blood work again.
Nina informs me dad might not be drinking enough water…..DRINK WATER DAD



BTW – a plumber is coming tomorrow to finish up the sink work that I didn’t finish. Ack!! Hey, maybe I can get the plumber to install some watering device to keep dad hydrated….oh wait, that’s called a faucet and he is coming to do that already….nice.

Sundays are for haircuts....

Dad was feeling pretty good – good enough to go on his first outing since starting the treatment….a hair cut. Very exciting I know…try to contain your excitement.



Just kidding, my dad doesn’t have nor has he ever had a mullet! He did get his hair cut though!

Weekends....toilets and sinks oh my......

Yeah, Saturday I went over to do some light maintenance at chez M&D. Today's mission if I so choose to accept it - fix toilet and fix leaky sink.
First stop, fix toilet....things went well. CHECK. Toilet fixed.
Next stop, leaky sink....things not went so well. Bummer. Looks like another episode for This Darn House!

What the heck are all these pipes under here for??? Sheez. Maybe if I just check up here on the top?!

Hmmmm, I wonder if I should have read the instructions? Oh, dad's got them.

Maybe we should have just called Joe the Plumber?! Dad was feeling pretty good today and probably very entertained by my ability to disassemble the sink without putting it back together again! Ha, Nina and Chris warned him.....which is probably why Chris has such a smirk on his face.....

Friday the 13th......

Not much to report on Friday – other than Nina getting her hair cut off. Dad is having a good day and his energy is returning. He ate some snacks – apple sauce and pretzels. The weekend is here. Yeah. We all keep praying for more good weeks to come…even Nina’s cat….

Big Thursday Clean, Flush (and Fold)......

Today was a big day for the CVC! Nina had to change the cap, do the Heparin flush, then do a dressing change. Before they started, they both watched the DVD refresher course they purchased from MD Anderson to help calm the nerves....

Here is some more information: A central venous line catheter has an opening on each end used to deliver fluids and drugs. It is inserted through the skin into a large vein that feeds into a larger vein sitting above the heart. When it is not in use, a plastic cap and a clamp close any part of the line that sits outside which prevents leaking blood. The CVC is tied with sutures (stitches) to the skin to keep it in place. Prevention of infection is of the utmost importance! For this reason, touching the central line is discouraged and anyone that does touch it must sterilize their hands first. The skin exit site must be kept clean and dry. A dressing is used over the exit and should be changed regularly. The CVC line needs to be flushed regularly to prevent it from becoming blocked and prevent blood clots.
Suffice it to say, it must be done in a sterile environment – everything clean and no pets allowed – sorry Sophie and Katy….!!! Nina said everything looked good – no oozing or puffiness.

Dad is feeling good today. A little pain, but nothing too bad....Onward and upward...

An Anderson MD that is not from MD Anderson.....

Today was dad's first blood test done remotely in the DFW area. The blood test is a weekly requirement to be administered for chemo patients. This blood test checks his electrolyte count (sodium, potassium, chloride, CO2, calcium, phosphorous) and his complete blood count (CBC) - concentration of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets in the blood. These tests help to monitor his treatments – make sure everything is going well. Nina will collect all the test results each week and bring them back to Houston to give to Dr. Hagemeister.

His doctor locally is Dr. Anderson (which is sticking to the whole “Anderson” theme….) and works out of Baylor in Grapevine TX.

It is a nice commute to Grapevine compared to the drive to Houston! They told dad that he will probably feel tired this week and next week start to recover just in time to start the whole process over again :-) He is feeling a bit achy today, so I guess they are right!
Nina flushed the CVC with Heparin again when they got home. After that was done, they went for a walk and watched some TV (Judge Judy….)

Tuesday....boring.....

Not much action today. Dad’s blood work came back OK – nothing bad to report. Everything was as expected for where they should be. Nina came over to do the Heparin flush, make some lunch, feed the dog and even cleaned the kitchen. Nice. She treated herself to the SPA later that day….sorry Judge Judy, no TV today.

Mondays, Mondays, Mondays....

After a nice weekend at home, Monday arrived. Dad's stomach was feeling a bit unsettled and bloated, so Nina suggested some "Tummy Tea" which she has used with success. I wonder if he will take it???

Yeah, he tried it and liked it! Good suggesting Nina. Everyone needs to remind dad to DRINK LOTS OF LIQUIDS!

Nina did another Heparin flush today. After the flush, Nina and Dad took Katy for a walk....

We are so out of here......

Well, they made it to Friday! One week's treatment down, many to come. This is a pic of them waiting for the shuttle back to the hotel.



This picture reminds me of Scorpion from MK - hey cancer, my dad is gonna kick your butt!!!!



Well, that is it for the week in Houston. Back to Dallas!

Did my sister pass???

Today was a good day. My dad, mom, and sister met with the radiologist who changed up his treatment plan a bit. The new plan is for him to do 6 cycles of chemo and 17 days of radiation therapy! His original plan did not include radiation. Now - 17 consecutive funfilled days getting a 30 minute dose of yummy radiation.


This is actually good though because it reduces the amount of time it will take to go through the entire treatment. Now, that is good news!

After meeting with the radiologist, everyone went for lunch and then went off to get the pump removed. Guess that is why my dad is smiling so much in this picture!


After he was disconnected from the pump, he also got to lose the fanny pack…which I am sure was a disappointment. LOL

Today was also the day Nina took her test on the CVC maintenance. This is a very important! I wonder, did she pass????


Of course she did! In front of the nurse, she had to change the CVC cap, flush dad with heparin and change is dressing (no, he doesn't have to wear a dress during treatment...she had to change his bandages). Way to go Nina!! Passed with flying colors.

Tomorrow, he will get a shot to help keep his blood count from dropping next week.

Take some time off.....not really

Everyone took the CVC classes to learn how to care for it (cleaning and maintenance) today. Also, met with the nutritionist later in the day. It was a good day. Dad was pretty tired out by the end of the day. He was feeling a bit nauseous at dinner, so took in an early night’s sleep.

Pump it up!!! Chemo time....

Dad got equiped with a pump today. Here is what it looks like....



Pump comes with a fanny pack too....hello 80s :-)

In case you wondered, here is the place where he gets the goods.

First Medicine Day......

Here are Mom and Dad waiting in the room waiting for his first medicine to be administered; Retuximab. He already had the port put in earlier in the day! He will be hooked up to a drip for 5-6 hours and won’t be done until around 8pm.


He is able to eat and drink any time during the treatment, but he can’t leave because the nurse has to monitor his reactions. This medicine could have some side effects, so they need to closely watch him to ensure his safety.

Here is what the CVC port looks like in Dad's chest. CVC stands for Central Venous Catheter which is a long, thin, flexible tube inserted into a large vein near the heart. Sounds fun, huh? It is so hard to believe this thing has to stay in the chest for months!



Here he is all hooked up going for a leisurely stroll....I think at this point he was ready to hit the road....



Overall, he is doing well for the first day.....