yesterday, Don's eldest son - Donald Hays II - flew down from Montana to visit with him [and he'll be here til Monday]. Rachel and Heidi didn't share the news with him until an hour before son's plane landed because Don I has a tendency to worry and may have even tried to convince Don II not to come.
Don I was so surprised and totally blown away that his son would come down to visit with him. Don I's youngest son Gregg and his wife Cindy picked Don II up from the airport and came along too. It was really a great reunion as Don II got to meet Heidi's kids for the first time. It was a fun time of reminiscing and laughter filled the house many times. This visit has lifted Don I's spirits greatly! We'll post some pictures of this visit soon.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Don is home
Don came home last night because the doctors agreed that there was nothing more they could do for him there. He has no bacterial infection, he had two units of blood and won't receive anymore unless his blood tests on Friday say he needs one.
He came home a bit weak and disoriented because of his high fever. He continued to have chills, sweats and high fever throughout the night despite doses of Tylenol. The doctor of internal medicine said that what Don is suffering from is likely "tumor fever" -- his body is wanting to get rid of the cancer in his blood. He is obviously tired from the toll his body is taken and so has been sleeping quite a bit.
Rachel is keeping track of Don's fever spikes/drops as well as doing what she can to make him comfortable [though she's had to remove his blankets and apply ice packs a few times to keep his fever down, much to his chagrin!] Please be praying for Rachel's stamina and Don's healing.
He came home a bit weak and disoriented because of his high fever. He continued to have chills, sweats and high fever throughout the night despite doses of Tylenol. The doctor of internal medicine said that what Don is suffering from is likely "tumor fever" -- his body is wanting to get rid of the cancer in his blood. He is obviously tired from the toll his body is taken and so has been sleeping quite a bit.
Rachel is keeping track of Don's fever spikes/drops as well as doing what she can to make him comfortable [though she's had to remove his blankets and apply ice packs a few times to keep his fever down, much to his chagrin!] Please be praying for Rachel's stamina and Don's healing.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
today
This morning, Don had no fever and was feeling pretty good -- it must have been the antibiotic IV. His fever did come back this afternoon along with chills, but he has ice packs anyway. After his blood test this morning, his platelet count was low [31... normal is 300-400] but they are going to wait until it reaches 23 before the next blood transfusion is done.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
the nurse from hell and God's goodness
last night dad had the nurse from hell -- "rita". if his fever didn't go down she was going to "rip his clothes off and cover him in ice". her bedside manner was less than desirable but mom encouraged him to be sweet as honey anyway.
"rita"'s antithesis was "mae", a sweetheart who was a gentle breeze with a wonderful bedside manner. "mae" put ice on him anyway, but at least she was nice about it.
mom was there til 3am making sure that dad was comfortably settled in his room and that his fever was going down.
this morning we called and he is scheduled to have an antibiotic IV drip every 12 hours, a CTScan [b/w], and a blood transfusion. his temp has gone down and his chills are gone for now.
thank God for "mae" and blessings to "rita" anyway... God is good.
"rita"'s antithesis was "mae", a sweetheart who was a gentle breeze with a wonderful bedside manner. "mae" put ice on him anyway, but at least she was nice about it.
mom was there til 3am making sure that dad was comfortably settled in his room and that his fever was going down.
this morning we called and he is scheduled to have an antibiotic IV drip every 12 hours, a CTScan [b/w], and a blood transfusion. his temp has gone down and his chills are gone for now.
thank God for "mae" and blessings to "rita" anyway... God is good.
Monday, May 26, 2008
the past week and today 5/26
Don's condition has gotten progressively worse over the past week -- chills, high fever on/off, sweats, loss of appetite, extreme fatigue, weakness. His leukemia has kicked in and the MCC is no longer of concern [though the bumps on his head and face have been drastically reduced in size].
Today, he experienced a shortness of breath, chills and shivering for most of the morning, and suddenly in the afternoon being so hot he could not stand it, having a fever of 103*F. He also seemed dehydrated. The shortness of breath and loss of appetite disconcerted him, so he asked Rachel to take him to the hospital.
After running a series of tests, it was discovered that his WBC [white blood cell count] was high, the fever is due to his body fighting some sort of infection, and the possibility of a blood clot somewhere either in his lungs or legs. A CTScan cannot be done because it would need to be in contrast and his kidney [he only has one] would not be able to handle such a thing after chemo last week. It may cause renal failure.
So here we are -- Don was admitted to the hospital; his doctor will see him tomorrow; they will wait for blood test and other scan results and we shall see what happens from here. We ask that you pray for him. We, in our humanness, may not know what to pray but God certainly knows what Don needs. We must only be faithful.
Today, he experienced a shortness of breath, chills and shivering for most of the morning, and suddenly in the afternoon being so hot he could not stand it, having a fever of 103*F. He also seemed dehydrated. The shortness of breath and loss of appetite disconcerted him, so he asked Rachel to take him to the hospital.
After running a series of tests, it was discovered that his WBC [white blood cell count] was high, the fever is due to his body fighting some sort of infection, and the possibility of a blood clot somewhere either in his lungs or legs. A CTScan cannot be done because it would need to be in contrast and his kidney [he only has one] would not be able to handle such a thing after chemo last week. It may cause renal failure.
So here we are -- Don was admitted to the hospital; his doctor will see him tomorrow; they will wait for blood test and other scan results and we shall see what happens from here. We ask that you pray for him. We, in our humanness, may not know what to pray but God certainly knows what Don needs. We must only be faithful.
May 19 - Chemo begins
chemo was scheduled for monday, tuesday and wednesday. after treatments on monday and tuesday, dad was tired and would get dizzy when he stood up. on wednesday before he went in for the third round, he showed me his hands and they were completely white. under normal circumstances, one's hands are pink in color from blood circulation. in dad's case, anemia had set in so instead of a chemo treatment, he got yet another blood transfusion [this makes 28 pints over the past year].
April 2008
in april, don's merkel cell bumps returned. he had had chemo treatments a year ago to kill the MCC and it worked, though obviously only temporarily. when he noticed the bumps again, he went into the dermatologist for a biopsy which turned out to be conclusive for MCC.
after talking with a dr. from dr. ngheim's team at UofW, a radiologist and his oncologist, it was decided that don would have chemotherapy again to rid his head of the MCC. radiation was not an option due to the extensive sun damage on his head and 'fragility' of the skin. His chemo would begin May 19.
after talking with a dr. from dr. ngheim's team at UofW, a radiologist and his oncologist, it was decided that don would have chemotherapy again to rid his head of the MCC. radiation was not an option due to the extensive sun damage on his head and 'fragility' of the skin. His chemo would begin May 19.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Merkel Cell Carcinoma - What is it?
- The following information was taken from a flyer created by merkel cell patients. This grassroots effort is to make people aware of a disease that can often go undetected/ignored until it is too late. To see this graphic flyer, download it at the merkel cell carcinoma website [under "News - April 2008"] from the University of Washington, Seattle. A big thanks to Dr. Paul Ngheim and his colleagues there for their research efforts and commitment to finding out more about this cancer and, ultimately, a cure.
- What is Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC)?
- MCC, also referred to as neuroendocrine carcinoma, arises from uncontrolled growth of Merkel cells in the skin. It is a rare skin cancer with an incidence of about 1500 US cases per year, and this number is continuing to increase. MCC will prove fatal in roughly 1/3 of patients and should receive immediate treatment. MCC primarily occurs on highly sun-exposed skin such as the head/neck and arms, but it can occur anywhere on the body, including sun-protected areas.
- What does MCC look like?
- MCC usually develops on sun-exposed skin as a firm, painless, flesh-colored to red-violet bump. The initial small bump tends to grow rapidly over weeks to months.
- Who gets MCC?
- Individuals over the age of 65 are far more likely to develop MCC. Fair skin and a history of extensive sun exposure also increase the chances. MCC is associated with weakened immune function, such as in patients with HIV or organ transplants. However, most people who get MCC are not immune suppressed.
- What makes MCC so deadly?
- MCC is different from other skin cancers in that it grows rapidly over a few weeks or months. it often spreads to regional lymphnodes and to the liver, bone, lungs and brain. The best treatment for MCC is still controversial and often times involves a combination of radiation, surgery and in advanced disease, chemotherapy. Half of patients with advanced MCC will live only 9 months. The disease recurs in about 50% of patients.
AEIOU features of MCC:
- Asymptomatic (non-tender)
- Expanding Rapidly
- Immune suppression
- Older than age 50
- UV exposed/fair skin
March 19, 2007
this was the first email sent out by me regarding my dad's condition -- a little over one year ago. This is to give a bit of history regarding it....
heidi
dear friends--
i am writing on behalf of my dad (Don) to ask for prayer. about 2 months ago, he had a lump show up under the skin on his temple. not thinking anything of it [it didn't hurt and wasn't discolored], he let it go. now 2 months later he has about 20 of those bumps, mostly on the left side of his head. the doctor removed the original lump and one other, biopsied them, and discovered there were cancer cells within the lumps. his doctor [and several others that he had been seeing for various other reasons] was baffled by what type of cancer this could be. he had several tests, including ct scan and an mri, to determine what it was.
after several "educated guesses", they narrowed it down to merkel cell carcinoma, a very rare cancer that tends to appear in caucasians between the ages of 60 and 80 on skin that has sun exposure. my dad spent all of his working life out in the sun with no hat or sunscreen, as it wasn't known back then the harmful effects of the sun. they are continuing to run tests to see if it has spread to any other part of the body [ie. the brain/lymphnodes].
anyway, this is a less intense form of cancer than they had originally thought it could be [thank God! as the other there was no cure] so the treatment[s] could be one [or all] of the following: surgical removal; radiation; chemotherapy.
as you may already know, my dad was diagnosed with CLL [adult onset leukemia] two years ago, managing it pretty well through homeopathic treatment [diet, etc.]. the doctors say that the CLL is now no longer of primary concern but this is.
please pray that:
- he keeps his spirits up [he can be prone to depression, esp. when it comes to health related concerns],
- that the doctors are wise in their diagnoses and choices of treatment[s], and
- ultimately that he would be healed!
- also for my mom [Rachel] that she would show strength through this difficult time and and they would both lean on Jesus for that strength.
thank you in advance for your prayers. i feel blessed to have such friends. i will keep you updated as i know more.
heidi
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