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It is with great sadness that I post this entry to those of you that followed, that my Dad passed away early Saturday morning on June 30th, 2007 from this cruel disease after a courageous battle of over 16 months. It was only just over a week ago previous (June 20th) that me and my family, my sister and her family and my parents were on a week's vacation to Ocean City, MD all sitting on the beach, swimming in the pool and walking the boardwalk in the evening. That trip meant a lot to my Dad ever since we had planned it in December. He made it happen and had a great time. He passed away in his home with us present and was at peace knowing that finally he would be ok, and we'd all be ok too. My Dad, Tom F. Magyar, was 54 years old, born in Warren, Ohio on September 30th, 1952. He grew up there, marrying my Mom, his high school sweetheart in October of 1970, just after turning 18. I followed shortly after, and my sister followed two years later. My Dad worked for 31 years at WCI Steel as a crane operator. He retired to Valley Lee, MD where I had moved after graduating college. There they had a house built near mine. My Dad worked in the community as a general handy-man, fixing and building anything for anyone, a perfect retirement job for him which he really enjoyed. He and my Mom also greatly enjoyed riding their Harley-Davidson motorcycle across the country. He also had four grandchildren, Marrissa, 6, Chelsea, 5, Olivia, 3, and Tyler, 3 that he absolutely adored and whom they affectionately gave him his own nickname, "Poppy". Services to honor him were held July 3rd at the Church of Christ in California, MD and July 9th at the Carl W. Hall funeral home in Warren, OH. In total over 150 people came to pay their respects and share in stories of the good times. My Dad personally thanked me for giving him an extra year of his life by doing all the research on this deadly disease and finding Dr. Amato. We'd like to thank all of the many doctors involved that helped in trying everything they could to get rid of this terrible cancer. We can only hope that there will be a day when no one has to suffer from cancer ever again. I urge you to regularly donate to the Kidney Cancer Association on behalf of my Dad. Someday, it will make a difference. Enjoy the photos posted of Dad, and remember the good times. This taken June 22nd, 2007 in Ocean City, MD: Dress up with granddaughters Chelsea and Olivia, March 2007: Thanksgiving 2006: Seeing Santa Claus, 2006, Cowboy hats with grandson Tyler: Seeing Santa Claus, 2006, with granddaughter Marissa and a horse: (0) Comments

Posted: 7/22/2007 10:48:19 AM

Done with chemo, on to Nexavar

I've been trying to get my Mom to take over again, but... :) I figured I'd give a very quick update. The Interferon/5-FU combination did a good deal of damage to most of the tumors. Eliminating some and shrinking others. But three stayed stable. After a visit to Houston to see Dr. Amato, he added Cisplatin to the mix to see if those tumors would respond to it, and keep the other drugs going for the rest. Well, it really didn't help any and it started to look like the tumors that were stable were beginning to grow a bit again. So now they are in Houston for a couple of weeks. Dr. Amato had told them before their visit about a Phase I trial called "Folate Immune" therapy. In the little research is out there, it sounds promising. After the appointment and regular slew of scans, MRI's, etc. they showed that my Dad had three new small brain mets. This is the third time this has happened. The previous two cases, one surgically removed, the other by radiation, they have not returned. They are going to do radiation on these three new ones on Wednesday the 23rd of May. One treatment will do it. They are also going to perform four radiation treatments (properly called Stereotactic XRT) on the three large tumors in the midsection that have remained, hoping to kill them. This keeps them in Houston until June 5th when they will return home. My Dad will also start Nexavar, an FDA approved drug specifically for kidney cancer (approved in January 2006). It is a targeted therapy drug where it attempts to block the flow of blood and the creation of tumor cells specifically in kidney cancer cells. Dr. Amato hinted that he has seen where people who have had brain mets removed and started Nexavar never had any return, even after moving off of Nexavar onto something else. So this could have double-benefits of continuing to work on the existing tumors, and preventing future brain mets. That's it for now, take care, Tom (0) Comments

Posted: 5/22/2007 3:24:26 PM

Chemotherapy, doing it's thing

Just thought I would give a quick update on what has transpired over the last month. My Dad is finishing up the first round of the Interferon / 5FU chemotherapy treatment. He is in the first week of a two week lay off off the 5FU while he continues to get the Interferon shot daily. And...it has worked!!! I guess it took about a week or maybe a little more before him and my Mom started to notice all of the visible "bumps" were beginning to shrink. As of this past Saturday, when he finished up his third and final week of the 5FU first course, I was surprised to see how much the largest one under his arm had reduced! It's really looking good. This time it has not been without some side effects though. The first couple of weeks were pretty well with no real side effects at all. But this past week or so has been pretty painful for him. His feet, hands, and face started to really dry out and turn red; basically burning from the inside out due to the 5FU. It is a rather common side effect. It has been difficult, if not for a few days, impossible to walk. They have been liberally applying various creams to keep everything moisturized which is helping. Mouth sores began to develop too and got to be pretty severe. It turned into a case of Thrush which my Dad's local Doctor has prescribed medication for. He is off of the chemo for another whole week, so hopefully all of this will clear up. They visit Houston next week for a new set of scans to see how this is really going and to see if any adjustments are necessary. But all in all, the cancer is quickly being beaten back! Hopefully these side effects will go away and won't return. (0) Comments

Posted: 3/30/2007 2:48:44 PM

That Was Quick, But On To Better Things

Well, it sure has been awhile since we last updated, sorry about that! It's been quite busy. My Dad did indeed start the Trovax/Interferon Phase II Clinical Trial being administered by Dr. Amato's office in Houston, TX. Re-scans on January 16th showed that the brain met that was removed back in December was indeed gone. The first injection of Trovax and Interferon came on January 17th. They flew back home where my Dad was to get injections of Interferon, self-administered, for three days a week. After I think nine days they flew back to Houston for bloodwork to be taken. They stayed there for five days at which two weeks had passed and my Dad was given another dose of Trovax. They flew back, ready to repeat the cycle again of self-administered Interferon injections followed by flights to Houston for more Trovax. But the combination didn't seem to be doing anything. My Dad was frequently noticing new bumps on his upper body. The area under each arm continued to swell and new areas were noticed at the base of the neck, on his side and on his back. We were hoping it was just a side-effect of the Trovax (which in the trial report listed "Lymph node swelling and painfulness" as a common side effect). After more areas appeared, my Mom called Dr. Amato's office again explaining the situation in detail. Dr. Amato told my Dad to stop the injections and come down early for scans and evaluation. They flew down a couple of days later on February 19th and received the bad news that the CT scans showed that all of the new areas were indeed new cancer mets and there were a couple of areas internally that were also now affected. My Mom said the Doctor was visibly shaken himself and hated to break that news. But he would come up with a plan... Definately not the news anyone wanted to hear. So, they met with Dr. Amato again the next day who had indeed come up with a plan. My Mom said he was upbeat, and confident. My Dad would start the RAD001 Phase II Clinical Trial if a new brain MRI revealed new brain mets, or would start a chemotherapy combination otherwise. Remember back in the first treatment how great the chemo combination of Adriamyccin/Gemzar worked, he thought it could work again. Dr. Amato was fearful there would be many small tumors found though. The MRI results showed that there was one new small brain met discovered, unfortunately. That was kind of good news, since the doctor was worried about many more. And, we hope it can be a blessing since that uses the chemo treatment, which worked so well previously. On the 23rd he underwent radiation to remove the brain met. My Dad did not enjoy it one bit! From the sounds of it, I think he would have rather had the actual surgery instead... :) They had to fasten a halo contraption onto his head which was then fastened to the table so that his head could absolutely not move. It is fastened to your skull...sounds kind of like the way you put a Christmas tree in a stand. Not pleasant. Enough on that subject! My Dad can remove any part of this paragraph that he never wants to see again :) They returned home on the 24th, this past Saturday. And on Monday the 26th, he started the Interferon/5FU combination here at the local oncologist. They are happy they won't have to fly back to Houston for six weeks for scans to be done. He gets an injection of Interferon every day (self administered) for six weeks. The 5FU is injected continuously via a small pump, 24hrs a day for the first five days. Then next week, its one injection over the course of an hour of 5FU, the third week is the same, and the fourth week is back to the pump for five days. After the first week, the doseage is increased. It's been a year now and to see him now you wouldn't notice a thing; that's the way it has been throughout. He's tought! And the chemo doesn't seem to bother him, as it does so many others. So that is where we all are. I've read more than one article that shows the 5FU in advanced kidney cancer patients with aggressive cancer cells can bring miraculous results. And since the previous chemo worked so well, we think the Doctor may be on to something there. Because my Dad's cancer was beaten down so much by chemo in the first round, this cancer is somewhat different than what other people have, since it is usually not effective. The Doctor would like this to work for as long as possible. But if or when it quits working, he has his roadmap. There are lots of exciting new drugs out there that can be tried. We're all confident this will work. If you haven't done so already, or want to do so again, I'd like to urge all of you to donate to the Kidney Cancer Foundation. The funds here go directly to funding research on specifically Kidney Cancer to try to tame and conquer this nasty beast. Go to this link to donate: http://kidneycancer.org/index.cfm?pageID=3 . This organization also participates in most workforce contribution campaigns so that a portion of your earnings can be donated directly, which is what I began having done with the new year. Take care, Tom (son of my Dad) (3) Comments

Posted: 2/28/2007 4:51:38 PM

How I'm feeling: I made it home

Hello everyone, Tom here. I figured I would finally write on my own blog. Well, Gilda and I did make it home for Christmas. Boy was it a shock to find out that I had a brain tumor. I had been fine all along on that front. I had a mri in March and May of this year and everything was fine. So yes I was floored when the doctor told me he had some bad news on the mri. He showed us the scan and where it was and what he could do to remove it. His name is Dr. David Baskin of the Methodist hospital in Houston, Texas. What a pleasant Dr. he stayed after hours on Thursday along with his secretary to explain everything. I felt very confident of his decision and what he wanted to do. I did not ask many questions, as I trusted him one hundred percent. He said at first that he would schedule the surgery on Wednesday on the next week and if he could he would move it up to Tuesday. We told him we wanted to get home for Christmas and he said he would do all he could. Well on Monday he called and moved my surgery up to Tuesday. I was glad because it would move me closer to coming home. I did not sleep the night before the surgery (I wonder why?) We got up, and a great friend of our daughter in law Amy who lives minutes away took us to the hospital. We arrived at 6:30 to get prepped for the surgery. They took me in at around 8:00 and after talking to the doctors and the nurses and after I said a few prayers the happy juice started to flow. I think I woke up in the recovery room at 5:30 or so and felt pretty good. My head did not hurt but my left armpit and right bend in my arm were hurting pretty good, I was wondering what did they operate on? I figured out it was because they had to lift me and move me around on the table. I spent a horrible night in the intensive care unit. I was the only well one in there. All the other patients who also had brain surgery were having a heck of a night. The man next to me and I do mean next, we were separated by a curtain, a few feet away had problem of trying to pull his tubes out and had a blocked up stomach and bowels. Well I must say I now know how to unblock someone’s bowels…Ha! Ha! In the morning I ask for and received a Private room YEA!!!! It was great to finally have a room to myself. Dr. Baskin came in to see me and said that everything went well. He was pleased at how I recovered. No pain medication. He said it looked good for us to be home for Christmas. First here, I want to tell everyone how much I love my wife Gilda. I tell her allot lately that I am very sorry for putting her through all this with me. She had to stay in a strange motel all by herself while I was in the hospital and I know she worried too much about me. She does everything for me and I am so proud of her. She takes care of all the Dr. appointments and the drugs, the flights to Houston, the car rental the hotel. I am really over loading her. She also gives me encouragement to feel positive about things when I am feeling down, which happens allot. I guess being married for 36 years makes a sweet person do this and I of course would do the same for her. I am truly blessed to have a wife and a best friend in Gilda. Thank you for everything babe, I love you….. Well we did get home for Christmas. Our plane landed in Baltimore at 4:10 pm. I was so happy that I started to applaud, I was finally home. I did drive the car against my Dr.’s wishes but I had to finally be in control of something. We drove to my son’s house because I just had to give my two granddaughters a big hug and kiss. I really missed them and my son and Amy. I sure was good to see them. They were just as excited to see me. They had the Christmas tree lit and Tommy had the train that I had as a kid going around the base of the tree. That was sure nice to see as it brought back memories of my childhood on Christmas. Thank you Tommy!!!! It was sure nice to sleep in my bed with the flannel sheets for the first time in a couple of weeks. I didn’t sleep too well though because I am on this steroid drug to reduce the swelling in my brain from the surgery and they keep you wired. Sleeplessness.OK what ever. On Christmas day Amy invited us over for breakfast and to open the gifts. She is so sweet. We got to the gifts first then ate the good breakfast; Chelsea and Olivia were so excited to open their gifts. It put a smile on my face to see them happy. Yes this was a wonderful day. They all came over to our house later in the day to open the gifts from us. As usual Gi Gi went out of her way to have a full load under the tree. Amy again brought over the dinner that was so nice of her as she knew that Gilda did not have time to prepare one. It was nice to have Tommy, Amy, Chelsea and Olivia here for me. This is a time for family since it is Christmas and especially since I just got out of the hospital after having brain surgery. It really meant allot to me to have them here. Well that is all for now, I am feeling great as can be expected after brain surgery. I told my brother Dennis now if I do something or say something stupid I now have an excuse. Ha! Ha!!!!! I just have to stay away from a running microwave oven. Tom Magyar (6) Comments

Posted: 12/26/2006 10:48:39 PM

Whew, success!

Well, it was a very long day, but everything worked out just as planned and my Dad is doing great! I last talked to my Mom around 8:30pm EST. She had been able to see him for a couple of hours before visiting hours were over. The surgery lasted approximately 5-1/2 hours, a bit longer than my Mom had anticipated (I keep telling my Mom to adjust for "Doctors Estimates"). She told me he is very, very happy and upbeat to have it overwith. The only side effect of it all is a little discomfort where the incision was made, high up on the hairline on the right side. True to form, he has not taken any pain medication and seems to think its more to due with the tape covering the incision than anything, as it is very tight. My Mom was able to see him for a brief few minutes shortly after he came out of anethesia thanks to a nurse who was overseeing him. The nurse said he was upbeat and joking with the staff, as usual. Right then she knew he was fine. When she walked into the room he said "Hey, that's my wife Martha!". My Mom was a bit shocked...just kidding! He knew who he was, who she was, the current date, president, etc. And he was hungry! Supposedly if everything goes OK he will be moved out of the ICU tomorrow. And then we'll see when he can be released. My Mom has reserved airline tickets for a return flight on Sunday, just so they had seats during this busy travel time. We're hopeful they will be home before then, but if not, Christmas can wait. The clock starts ticking today to return to Houston in 4 weeks for retesting and to begin the Phase II clinical trial of Trovax and Interferon. I'll post more information when I get it. Take care, Tommy (2) Comments

Posted: 12/19/2006 9:49:29 PM

Staying On Your Toes

One things for sure, things don't always go the way you expect them, for good or for bad. Who would have thought my Dad would have six months of chemo with barely a single side-effect? And who would have thought when they went to Houston for a two day trip they'd be there nearly two weeks!? My parents got off to Houston on schedule and took a flight down on Tuesday. My Dad was rescanne and retested, etc. and met with Dr. Amato. The latest CT scans showed a couple of new masses in new places and where previously they had disappeared. They decided then that my Dad's most promising option was a new combination of drugs under a Phase II clinical trial run by Dr. Amato of Trovax and IL-2. IL-2 has been a standard first line of defense for RCC. Trovax is the new drug which is actually a vaccine. Monthly injections will cause the body to recognize the cancer cells as foreign and attack them. They results so far are very promising. My Dad was to get started the next day. But before that could happen, a brain MRI had to be done as part of the qualification to the trial. During that scan, they discovered a tumor, approximately 1cm in diameter in the frontal lobe of the brain on the right side, near the hairline. That ruled out the Trovax/IL-2 trial. Fortunately, there was another trial, of Trovax and Interferon that was available for people with brain tumors, if they can be removed. So that will be the trial he will start on in January Now to get rid of the pesky tumor. Another fortunate thing is that the tumor is very near the surface and in an area of the brain that is basically "unused". Instead of using intense radiation (I think it's called "Gamma Knife") to remove it, they are going to surgically remove it. This will guarantee that it will be gone, no questions. The surgery is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, the 19th in Houston. Hopefully they will be able to come home Friday or Saturday, before Christmas. When you think of brain surgery, it does sound scary doesn't it?! But my parents feel comfortable with the doctor and once explained, its really not so bad. Not nearly as bad as the surgery my Dad first went through in March. No drainage, no chest tubes to worry about, no recovery time due to sore muscles that have been cut, etc. And for my Dad, well, its just a small detour on the path to a cure. So my Dad says to the neurosurgeon after he said that a titanium plate would be inserted afterward: "Hey, have you watched Christmas Vacation? Cousin Eddie tells Clark, "I got this here titanium plate in my head. When I get near a microwave, I sometimes forget who I am and p@$s myself!"". Let's hope that doesn't happen to him too. :) Keep them in your thoughts and prayers and I'll update as soon as I can. Tommy (1) Comments

Posted: 12/16/2006 11:26:29 PM

Hunting, with hair!

Taken December 1st, 2006 during the Maryland deer hunting firearm season. (1) Comments

Posted: 12/16/2006 10:55:24 PM

An update at last

I kept telling my Mom that she had to update this blog. She started it and now I'm sure people were wondering what has been going on the last few weeks! So...she told me to do it. :) My Dad is doing very well. Well, actually all of this seems to have affected his shooting accuracy, but... :) We've spent the last couple of weeks Whitetail deer hunting in Maryland and having a good time. Anyway, he finished his Adriamycin/Gemzar chemotherapy treatments several weeks ago after I think 9 treatments. He couldn't have more due to the increased cardiac risk. It had done the best it could do. After a CT scan, it showed that he had went from having five tumors at the start of chemotherapy, down to the two original tumors afterward! The original two were stable and had not progressed. So its been awhile since the chemo was in his system and so....he has all his hair back! And it sure did come back quick. :) Three weeks ago, he had another CT scan which marked about 6 weeks since he had been off everything and that last CT scan. It seems to show that a tumor has reappeared that had all but disappeared previously. My Dad has been in a holding pattern now waiting for all the doctors to decide what to do. There has been a lot of confusion between the place that does the CT, the local oncologist and Dr. Amato's office in Houston, TX. It took two weeks just to get all the CT's to Houston. Then another week to get an answer from Dr. Amato on what he saw. So after a conversation with Dr. Amato's office this past Friday, it looks like my parents will be making a visit to Houston next week, the week of the 10th. Supposedly Dr. Amato is going to have a new CT done (it will have been 4 weeks since the last), and a biopsy of this tumor. We're guessing it's so he can determine exactly what this tumor is made up of and can prescribe a very specific course of treatment to get rid of it. Ok, we'll try to keep all of you up to date more often and apologize it has taken this long. Look back after the visit to Dr. Amato's for where we go from here. Tommy (...their son) (2) Comments

Posted: 12/5/2006 7:36:25 AM

Riding the Waves

Feeling Great and Having fun with the Family.... (2) Comments

Posted: 10/13/2006 10:17:50 PM

The Good Old Days

When I had hair..... (2) Comments

Posted: 10/10/2006 9:25:55 PM

Medical Appointments: Trip to Houston

Well, I really hate to say it, but this trip was really a waste of time. You see, we were all excited to have Dr. Amato compare Tom’s August 30th PET Scan with the Houston’s CT Scan, that was just done. But that didn't happen... We woke up early and headed for the Lab to get Tom’s Blood work done, and then off to the CT Scan. We then had lunch and proceeded to Dr. Amato’s Office. We were called at around 2:00 PM into the office. And about an hour later, we were told the CD of the PET Scan did not work. Seems, our local Radiology here, gave us a CD that didn’t work. We went 1,235 air miles to give the Doctor a disc that did not work. Understandably, we were very very angry. Amato, of course could not compare the 2 scans, so he doesn’t know how much, if any, Tom has improved. He does know, that is hasn’t spread, or become worse. Well, American Radiology is mailing him a new PET Scan CD, and Amato should receive it this coming Monday October 9th. The plan now is, if there is improvement, we will go back to Houston in 4 weeks, and if it shows no improvement, we might be going back sooner. Just to say, these trips to Houston, involve Air Flight tickets, Hotels, Car rental, food, and all this adds up to money. What a shame this trip will have to be redone in another 2-4 weeks. One thing, that is great, is that Amato has so many wonderful things planned for Tom’s recovery. He has so many Clinical Trials he wants to use, but until he gets the CD, he doesn’t know which one to use. He has hopes, of putting Tom into remission, which will last years, if not forever. He has high hopes, which makes us feel great. He also, knows of our Maryland, Houston situation, and has plans to help us devise a plan, to extend the time between visits, if Tom does well in the clinical trials. OK, sorry, I don’t have better news, but maybe Monday or so, I will have more info. Thanks Gilda (3) Comments

Posted: 10/7/2006 9:14:52 AM

Tom's Birthday

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Posted: 10/2/2006 1:14:48 PM

Birthday

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Posted: 9/29/2006 7:41:58 PM

Birthday

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Posted: 9/29/2006 7:40:54 PM

Medical Appointments: Leaving for Houston

First, I just wanted to say, Thanks for all the good wishes. Tom, is doing great. His spirits are a little low, (He wants his hair back). He is done with all his Chemo's, and looking forward to that. All in all, he has been very blessed. He has had no real Chemo symptoms. Now, just to find out what's next? We are hoping, we don't have to go to Houston every month. The flight, and hotel, will become very expensive, if we have to go there every month. We will be leaving this coming Wednesday, and arriving back late Friday. I will try to post the results over the weekend... OK, I guess that is all for now.... keep up the prayers.... Thanks Gilda & Tom (2) Comments

Posted: 9/29/2006 6:52:06 PM

Medical Appointments: PET Scan

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to all of you. It’s been a very busy time. The PET Scan has come back and it is showing more improvement. That is great news. Now we have a decision to make. Tom has had 8 Chemo’s and he will have 1 more, and that will be it for the Chemo’s due to the risk of heart condition complications. We have an appointment scheduled for Oct 5th in Houston. We will find out what the next step is to get this cancer in remission. In Houston, they may want him to go into a Phase II Clinical Trial of dose escalated Nexavar next. I guess we have to consider the cost of the flights to and from Houston every month. How expensive it will be, and the benefits it will provide. Tom has been feeling more tired during his last 2 Chemo’s. I think he is just getting sick of the them. He is ready to get his hair back, and hopefully feel better. I will try to get back to you all sooner. Gilda (1) Comments

Posted: 9/14/2006 9:04:28 AM

Medical Appointments: NEW Rescheduled PET Scan

Just wanted to update you. His PET Scan was rescheduled. He will have his PET Scan this coming Wednesday and Thursday he has his Doctor appointment for the results. He has had 7 Treatments so far. Keep praying that the Chemo is still doing it’s job. Thanks Gilda (0) Comments

Posted: 8/26/2006 8:18:12 AM

Medical Appointments: New PET Scan Scheduled

Hi Everyone, Tom is scheduled for a new PET Scan this coming Monday, August 21st. This is very important. If this upcoming PET Scan, shows the Chemo is still working he will have 2 more sessions of Chemo. If the PET Scan shows it has stayed the same, then he will probably move on to something new. The plan is to start, what is called “ phase II clinical trial”. This is the information on the Trial. This means we will be visiting Houston, Texas once a month. This could get very expensive. Right now, we are all hoping that his PET Scan shows he is still improving, and he will continue to get better….. Sorry, for the long wait in the updates…..Keep Praying… Gilda (1) Comments

Posted: 8/15/2006 9:42:29 PM

How I'm feeling: Still doing great!!!

Tom just had his ECHO, and it's also fine. He had his 5th Chemo yesterday, and all went well. The plan is: To have 8 Chemo's and do another PET Scan, and see if He is still improving. If he is, and his ECHO is still good, (They are watching his heart) they might continue with Chemo or he will go to a phase II clinical trial in Houston. We have to live just one day at a time...and hope for the best... Thank all of you for your wonderful words of encouragement. Tom reads this Blog all the time, it's just he would rather me do the typing.... And, Yes, Bald is Beautiful. I think he looks sexy.... Talk to you later Gilda (0) Comments

Posted: 7/27/2006 3:51:32 PM

Medical Appointments: Lab work

Just wanted to update everyone. Tom's lab work is great. He will have his 5th Chemo this coming Wednesday. He is feeling just great. The only symptom is his hair...It's hard to believe he even has Cancer, he is so normal. We just keep hoping the Cancer keeps shrinking. Thanks for all your prayers. They are working.... Love All of You Gilda (1) Comments

Posted: 7/22/2006 11:26:46 PM

Medical Appointments: PET Scan results

Great and Fabulaous news...!!!!! After 3 Chemo’s (Can’t really count the 4th yet), Tom is showing loads of improvement. The Tumor on his shoulder is GONE and also the one under his arm and his leg are also GONE. The report says “There has been overall improvement compared to prior scan.” “Complete resolution of previously seen abnormal uptake in right adrenal gland, left posterior shoulder muscle. Also a Complete resolution of the right-sided pneumothorax on CT. The large lung mass measured SUV 16 has improved and now is SUV 6.2. All this stuff means he is getting better, the chemo is working….YEA!!!! He will continue to receive his Chemo for another month or so, and then be re-checked to see if it’s still working….This is great news, and I am so relieved…. We are going away for a few days, to visit our daughter, so I will still try to keep up on our blog……Thanks so much for all of your prayers, they are working… Thanks Gilda (1) Comments

Posted: 7/13/2006 6:23:46 PM

Medical Appointments: Big Day Tomorrow

Well tomorrow we meet with Dr. Chhabra in the afternoon and go over the results of the PET Scan. I will update sometime in the evening. Thank all of you for crossing your fingers for me. Never knew I had so many friends looking out for me.... Thanks Everyone Tom (1) Comments

Posted: 7/12/2006 3:52:25 PM

How I'm feeling: Chemo went great!!!

Tom did great on his 4th Chemo.... He is feeling just like his old self....Now tomorrow is his PET Scan which will tell us how much improvement he has made...keep your fingers crossed... Gilda (6) Comments

Posted: 7/11/2006 8:04:12 PM

How I'm feeling: Update July 9th

Hi everyone, I decided to create this blog, so whoever wanted an update on how Tom and I are doing can see, and respond. I just felt that I should do this, just in case someone didn't really want to be updated. I didn't want to send emails to someone who just might not want to know. This way, it's you choice to read or not to read... Tom is getting ready for this 4th Chemo on Tuesday the 11th. The last 3 chemo's have been great, with no real side effects except the hair loss. And that is no real problem, except for his ego. I think he looks handsome...hehe He will also have a pet scan on Wednesday, and we are really excited about it. He had a small tumor on his shoulder, close to his neck, and now the Doctor can't even feel it, so that is really good news. Now, to get that pet scan, and prove the chemo's working. I will let you know how it all turns out, once we get it.... Ok, that's it for my 1st blog....gotta keep up on all this new stuff on the web.... Talk more to you later... Gilda (0) Comments

Posted: 7/9/2006 10:10:23 AM