The Next Phase

Hi everyone...we have had a wonderful whirl wind of activity the last few days! Lots of visitors including my brother Ron, sister-in-law Tina and their two munchkins Connor and Emily. It was great to have the little ones around - they really kept us hopping. Jordan is getting ready to leave and go back to Calgary for the school year so he's been busy packing up for the big trek tomorrow. We have a couple of quiet days and then more company arriving on the weekend - it's awesome!

This morning we had our meeting at the cancer clinic with the Radiation Oncologist. After studying Dallas's case the doctors are also recommending chemotherapy. This kind of came at us sideways and took the wind out of our sails but we know that in the long run it is the best decision. Dallas has a very rare form of cancer and because it had spread from the salivary gland to the surrounding lymph nodes, chemotherapy is an added insurance policy. The doctors want to make sure that every possible cancer cell that could be hiding is zapped. Dallas is also part of a research project which is a good thing. This doesn't mean that they're going to be doing anything experimental as part of his treatment, it just means that they will follow him for many years to come - another good thing.

We will have some planning appointments over the next couple of weeks and then treatment will begin mid-September. The doctors want to make sure that Dallas has fully recovered from his surgery before they start the radiation and chemo. We don't know what the chemo regimen will be like yet but it will probably be done in conjunction with the radiation - I will have a very tired hubby on my hands for awhile. Dallas is looking great, feeling strong and preparing for the fight. Thanks so much for your support...we'll keep you posted as things progress. Love, Patty

Moving Forward

Hi there...I hope that you're all enjoying your summer. The sun is shining in Victoria today so we might even be able to get out in the garden.

Dallas had his appointment with the surgeon today and lost the rest of his staples - yeah! He looks great and continues to feel better each day. We did get the pathology report as promised and it was pretty much as the doctor had predicted. Dallas's cancer began in the submandibular salivary gland and spread to the surrounding lymph nodes. The good news about this is that the cancer didn't originate from any other organ - that is a huge relief. Our surgeon is very optomistic about the outcome but as added insurance, Dallas will have to have radiation. We meet with the radiation oncologist on Tuesday morning. During that meeting, the oncologist and his team will formulate the treatment schedule which will probably consist of a radiation treatment every day for a month. So here we go - on to the next phase...

We're looking forward to having lots of friends and family visit over the next few weeks. Please give us a call if you're in the area - the B & B is open! Love, Patty

Another Update...

Hi everyone...thanks for the cards, emails, and good wishes that just keep flowing in on a daily basis. You are all wonderful! Dallas is feeling better and is slowly getting his strength back. I know that things are a bit frustrating for him because he's used to being so active. Unfortunately, it's only natural for him to feel run down - losing so much weight and going thru such a huge stressor all within a month is enough to exhaust me just thinking about it! We're starting to get out for small walks and we go further every day. I know that once Dallas is able to eat more normally things will improve even more. He looks just great - swelling from the surgery is virtually gone now so the soreness and pain should follow, I hope.

Take care and we'll keep you posted with what happens when we see the doctor for pathology results this Friday...positive thoughts. xxoo

Another Great Day

Hi there...another great day - we went to the surgeon's office and Dallas had most of the stitches/staples removed. He's looking awesome, feeling great and getting healthier. This morning he raised his left arm over his head. I cried happy tears - one of the sacrifices that the surgeon had to make was the spinal accessory nerve which runs into the trapezius muscle in the shoulder. I'm no expert, but to me this means that Dallas is already retraining his existing nerves and muscles to pick up the slack - doesn't want to lose that golf swing!

Our next wait will be for the pathology next Friday...this will determine the extent of the cancer and whether or not radiation is required. So far so good....

More Good News

Hi there...thanks again for your comments. I just wanted to give you another quick update - Dallas went to our family doctor today for another quick check up and things are going well. The doctor couldn't hear any traces of the pneumonia so that is a huge relief! He is healing up so well that the staples should probably come out early too - maybe even on Sunday. The doctor says that there will still be another month or so of post-surgical swelling and discomfort but the Big Guy (or former Big Guy - he's down 25 pounds!) is really toughing it out. Life is good...more later. xxoo

Getting Better!

Hi there...a couple of days make all the difference in the world. Dallas is feeling much better, the fever is gone and the antibiotics are starting to do their stuff. We had a check up with the surgeon today and it went well - Dallas had to give up his latest fashion accessory - his chest tube drain - yeah! I heaved a sigh of relief about that one...little steps, right? Another week of quiet rest and then next Friday we have an appointment for staple and stitch removal - he'll be as good as new!

Thanks for all the blog comments as well as golf updates - you all know how the Big Guy loves to be in the loop! More later...

Love,
Patty

One Step Back

Hi everyone...yesterday was tiring. Dallas developed a fever that we were unable to control at home and after a quick consultation with his former nurses at the hospital we reluctantly made the trip back to the Emergency Department. After a 3 hour wait (it was apparently a slow day there) we were in. It turns out he has pneumonia and a bladder infection - both of these are complications of the surgery. The pneumonia is a result of a partially collapsed lung - sometimes your lungs don't properly re-inflate after surgery. Luckily, the ER staff were able to get his fever down and with antibiotics he should be fine. The good news of the day was that his incision is healing very well and there is no problem with infection there.

We're back home again and he's resting well. More later...

Home Day!

We brought Dallas home tonight! He has to quietly rest which is at least a possibility now that he's out of the hospital. Take care...I'll keep you posted.

Love,
Patty

Day 2

Hi everyone...Dallas had a pretty good day today - he's hanging in, being tough, and staying off pain killers. I just landed in the door and it's after 10:00 PM so this cookie is ready to hit the pillow. Thanks for all the emails, blog comments, phone messages and ongoing support. You are really getting me through these rough patches - I'm just sorry that I'm being such a poor social secretary. Thanks to all of our family and friends who visited and helped me with the entertainment portion of Dallas's recovery - you are WONDERFUL!

The doctor may keep Dallas in the hospital a couple of more days which was the toughest thing for him to hear today. The hospital room situation is a bit of a "goat rodeo" - Dallas's term not mine! Last night was busy as two of the surgery cases in Dallas's room are the result of bar brawls so as you can imagine it is not the most peaceful setting. I'm hoping to get Dallas home tomorrow just so he can catch some sleep - now we just have to get the doctor on side...

Many of you have been asking me about chemo and radiation. The doctor says he will be able to tell us more once the pathology is back in two weeks time. He did tell me to prepare Dallas for radiation - no stone left unturned with this guy and that's a good thing, I think. We have a follow-up appointment with the Cancer Clinic at the end of August and from what I understand, they will develop a treatment plan then - so I'll keep you posted.

Good night, take care and thank you, thank you, thank you! xxoo

The Surgery

Dallas is going to be fine and when I left him at 10:00 tonight he was smiling. The surgery was long - almost 5 hours - because they needed to remove more than they had anticipated. They removed two salivary glands, instead of one and all the lymph nodes on the left side of his neck. The doctor said that he will most likely lose some of the nerve function in his left shoulder so his golf swing may be affected for awhile. He has some nerve damage to the left side of his mouth so his grin might be a bit crooked. I checked it out and it still looks pretty cute smiling back at me - what more could a girl ask for? Life is good...

The Day Before...

Okay...I know I said I wasn't going to post again until after the surgery but I couldn't resist. Dallas is out for his 9 km. power walk and his last words going out the door were - "Patty - if the hospital calls to cancel the surgery don't let them." At this point, if the hospital called to postpone or cancel the surgery the next place that you would see this redhead would be on an "America's Most Wanted" poster!! I can just see it now..."frenzied menopausal redhead holds hospital administration hostage!" Yikes!!

Sorry that some of you have been having trouble commenting/viewing the blog. Apparently Blogger has been having a few glitches over the weekend that they are working on to make things run a bit more smoothly.

Thanks again for all your support...I'll update tomorrow when I get back from the hospital!

Road Trip

So the road trip has been great so far...we started by taking the U.S. ferry from Sidney over to Anacortes, Washington and spent the night at a great little inn at La Conner (The Wild Iris Inn - highly recommend!). What a cute town that is to spend a day in. Unfortunately, we had to move on for the following night because there were no rooms at the inn (part of the problem of spontaneous travelling!). After a night at the Hampton Inn at Burlington, Washington we packed it in and took the ferry back to Sidney.

Now we've moved up Vancouver Island to just outside of Ladysmith. Our friends Steve & Peggy are camping with friends Bill & Glenna and their family and we've been visiting with them. You may not have guessed this about us, but we're not very good campers - I know it's really surprising! Anyway, I booked us in to a very cute B & B not 5 minutes from the campground. It's the Amberwood on the River and is like a private sanctuary. We even have our own garden complete with koi pond. As I write this, Dallas is out walking the owner's 2 retrievers (I think there may be a puppy in our future sometime soon) - all of this is keeping you know whose mind off you know what. My main function in life right now is planning diversions and escapes...quite the challenge sometimes! We'll stay here another night and then work our way home. Thanks again for all your love and support! I'll try not to bore you with any more updates until after the surgery on Wednesday...