Saturday August 10, 2013 Day 106
Sorry I am just getting caught up on my post but we have been a very busy family trying to meet the day to day needs and bumps through this day to day journey. Scotty was released from the hospital on Wednesday with a pic line inserted in his right arm to enable him to continue his vancomycin through an IV at home hoping to rid his body of the pneumonia in the lungs which was diagnosed as MSRA. A swallowing test he took on Monday revealed his thin liquids were not flowing to the stomach therefore he now has to add a substance called thicket to his thin liquids before he drinks them. The liver diseases he has will cause this to happen. They affect the muscles in the esophagus. They diagnosed the rash he had as fungus and he received an external creme for them which seemed to be working. Swelling had started in his legs and feet but they gave him a shot of Lasik and said that should take care of that. The home health care team had to change due to the assignment of a speech person. Scotty, Deborah, and myself were trained on Wednesday night on how to do the IV. That was a long day and night ! On Thursday Scotty's legs continued to swell and they started weeping. He also started experiencing more back pain that he had not had in many weeks. By Friday morning the pain had escalated and he was unable to get out of the bed. We had to call EMS to help us and to transport him back to CMC Main. Deborah was treated to an ambulance ride and enjoyed her ride with the driver. She said he was very caring and was very concerned about Scotty. We spent several hours in the Emergency Room and were so fortunate to find his team doctors there ready to care for Scotty. They gave him some morphine in the ambulance and that reduced the pain once it entered his system. We had to take a room on the 10th floor but was moved today to the 4th floor which serves oncology patients. Right back where we have been several times before. An MRI was taken this am and blood work was done yesterday. His ammonia levels are elevated so they have started him on meds for that. Palliative care has added another pain medication for him to help with some of the break through pain. The MRI revealed the tumor in his back has enlarged and they will discuss on Monday the possibility of doing more radiation treatments. There was also evidence of some muscle twitching in his legs as well as some interval numbness in his thighs. All of this is probably due to the growth in the tumor. The swelling has gone down in his legs but they are still weeping and some form of rash has developed on both legs. He was able to get a shower on his own today and move about the room with his walker.
Needless to say this has been a BIG disappointment for Scotty and we are praying he can bounce back with the determination to get stronger again. I must say we have all been affected by these recent chain of events and have had to really rely on our faith these past few days. We know God is in control and he knows what is best for his people. He will not let us down in times of trials and suffering and we must go to his word in difficult times such as these. As believers we know there is abundant power in prayer and we are asking everyone to pray for Scotty to physically and mentally be able to overcome these past few days. Please pray for Deborah's strength as she handles all the household duties and business, Noah and his needed issues, and her preparation to return to work this week. Please pray for her safe travels to and from Charlotte. And please pray for the rest of us as we continue to provide support and care for Scotty, Noah,and Deborah.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Continuing To Improve!
Saturday August 3, 2013 Day 99
Scotty continued to improve today. Deborah spent the day with him and they had a good day. They moved him to the 4th floor room 4920. He has been able to get up for brief periods to use the restroom and his oxygen is on 4. If you recall he was on 3 when he was dismissed from the hospital on his last episode. Dr. Sumrall explained to them that the cancer and hepatitis C will cause the reoccurring episodes of pneumonia. But the good thing is Scotty seems to respond well to the antibiotics. So we are now on the road to recovering from this episode. He will have another test on Monday making sure his food and liquids are going where they are suppose to go and not into his lungs. As of now we do not have any idea when he will be released.
Deborah will stay home Sunday and go out to her school and work in her classroom. She has some colleagues and parent helpers coming Monday to help her finish what she doesn't get done. This is a big help and will be such a relief for her.
Please continue to keep Deborah, Scotty, and Noah in your prayers !
Psalm 28:8 "The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one."
Scotty continued to improve today. Deborah spent the day with him and they had a good day. They moved him to the 4th floor room 4920. He has been able to get up for brief periods to use the restroom and his oxygen is on 4. If you recall he was on 3 when he was dismissed from the hospital on his last episode. Dr. Sumrall explained to them that the cancer and hepatitis C will cause the reoccurring episodes of pneumonia. But the good thing is Scotty seems to respond well to the antibiotics. So we are now on the road to recovering from this episode. He will have another test on Monday making sure his food and liquids are going where they are suppose to go and not into his lungs. As of now we do not have any idea when he will be released.
Deborah will stay home Sunday and go out to her school and work in her classroom. She has some colleagues and parent helpers coming Monday to help her finish what she doesn't get done. This is a big help and will be such a relief for her.
Please continue to keep Deborah, Scotty, and Noah in your prayers !
Psalm 28:8 "The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one."
Friday, August 2, 2013
"Double Cheese Burger Please !"
August 2, 2013 Day 98
I am happy to report that Scotty was feeling better this morning. His fever is completely gone and his rash was looking much better. His oxygen was on 12 last night and they were able to move it down to 8. He had a broncoscopy at 10:00 am and a Esophagram at 1:30. When he returned to the room after the second procedure he was ready to eat ! He wanted a double cheesburger with lettuce, tomato and mayo, a pack of cheese peanut butter crackers, a dessert cookie and a vanilla shake. He said he was starving. I knew then he was feeling some better. His nurse got him the burger and fries and he did eat most of the burger. He was full after that. As of right now I have nothing new to report and the doctors are waiting for the cultures to grow to reveal what type of pneumonia we are dealing with. In the meantime they are treating him with 3 different types of antibiotics. The doctor did say he had a pretty bad case and they hope to get to the bottom of why he keeps catching the pneumonia. They have determined that his rash is a fungus and they are able to treat it with creme. He did have a few cat naps in between procedures today and Deborah just called to tell me he had the nurse to get her on the phone so he could check on her and Noah. Deborah will take him his cell phone tomorrow morning so he can check on everyone and keep in touch with the outside world. Dr. Sumrall the medical oncologist stopped by this afternoon and told us she would be looking at all his test results and get back to us the first of next week about where we go from here. She did say this was a set back in her plans but hopefully he will overcome this pneumonia very quickly. She also pointed out that we had a good team working on Scotty and that he was in the best place for him to get the best possible care.
Please pray for Scotty's body to fight this pneumonia so he can get back home and recuperate. Pray for our safe travels to and from the hospital. Pray for Deborah as she prepares her classroom for the up-coming school year. Pray for Noah to have a peaceful week as he tries to understand why his Dad is sick again.
I am happy to report that Scotty was feeling better this morning. His fever is completely gone and his rash was looking much better. His oxygen was on 12 last night and they were able to move it down to 8. He had a broncoscopy at 10:00 am and a Esophagram at 1:30. When he returned to the room after the second procedure he was ready to eat ! He wanted a double cheesburger with lettuce, tomato and mayo, a pack of cheese peanut butter crackers, a dessert cookie and a vanilla shake. He said he was starving. I knew then he was feeling some better. His nurse got him the burger and fries and he did eat most of the burger. He was full after that. As of right now I have nothing new to report and the doctors are waiting for the cultures to grow to reveal what type of pneumonia we are dealing with. In the meantime they are treating him with 3 different types of antibiotics. The doctor did say he had a pretty bad case and they hope to get to the bottom of why he keeps catching the pneumonia. They have determined that his rash is a fungus and they are able to treat it with creme. He did have a few cat naps in between procedures today and Deborah just called to tell me he had the nurse to get her on the phone so he could check on her and Noah. Deborah will take him his cell phone tomorrow morning so he can check on everyone and keep in touch with the outside world. Dr. Sumrall the medical oncologist stopped by this afternoon and told us she would be looking at all his test results and get back to us the first of next week about where we go from here. She did say this was a set back in her plans but hopefully he will overcome this pneumonia very quickly. She also pointed out that we had a good team working on Scotty and that he was in the best place for him to get the best possible care.
Please pray for Scotty's body to fight this pneumonia so he can get back home and recuperate. Pray for our safe travels to and from the hospital. Pray for Deborah as she prepares her classroom for the up-coming school year. Pray for Noah to have a peaceful week as he tries to understand why his Dad is sick again.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Back To The Hospital
August 1, 2013 Day 97...... Well just when we thought things were moving forward we took several steps back today! Scotty got up this morning not feeling very well at all. He told Deborah he was okay and for her to go on for her eye exam. Kristin arrives to keep Noah and to help Scotty and she noticed he was not very alert. This was around 9:30. He was very confused and he just didn't seem himself. She called me and I headed over to their house. When I got there I realized he was short of breathe, very hot and shivering all over. His ankles and feet were very swollen and his left knee was swollen. I got the nurse on the phone from the oncologist's office and she had me call the ambulance. I was able to get Deborah and she finished her eye appointment and came right on. Kristin and I immediately started his oxygen he had at the house. The ambulance attendants arrive and they agreed he was too sick for me to drive him. We went to CMC main ER and was there until about 4:30 and they moved him to ICU. They moved him again around 8:30 to the progressive floor unit. They told us with the amount of oxygen he was on he needed to be watched more carefully than if he were on a regular floor. At this time they are telling us he has a very visible case of pneumonia in his right lung. They showed us the x-ray. They started IV antibiotics and are continuing to evaluate his problems. He has also developed some type of rash and we had 8 doctors tell us today that it was not shingles. So we are waiting to hear what they decide it is. And yes we had seen 8 doctors by the time the night was over and we had to tell his story 8 different times why we brought him in. JEEZ...They were taking him down for a CT scan sometime tonight of his lungs. We hope to know more in the morning. Deborah and I left the hospital around 6:45pm and stopped at a Penn Station in Charlotte for some food and a chance to thaw ! Those hospital rooms and ER rooms are so COLD ! Even the bathrooms make you shiver ! LOL ! I will go up for the early shift while Deborah takes care of some phone calls she needs to make and to situate Noah for the day.
My thoughts today are it is amazing how quick things can change in a matter of hours with one's health. Bobby and I were just over there last night and I took the pictures for the blog. Today he is a very sick man and he needs all the prayers he can get ! WOW !......
Please pray for Scotty, Deborah, and Noah. Also our brother Kenny who will be in CMC main in the am having a heart cath done.
My thoughts today are it is amazing how quick things can change in a matter of hours with one's health. Bobby and I were just over there last night and I took the pictures for the blog. Today he is a very sick man and he needs all the prayers he can get ! WOW !......
Please pray for Scotty, Deborah, and Noah. Also our brother Kenny who will be in CMC main in the am having a heart cath done.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Scotty The Energizer Bunny !
July 31, 2013 Day 96
Yesterday was an all day event at the LCI (Levine Cancer Institute) Scotty started out the morning at 10:30am giving his blood to the Medical Oncologist. He was so proud to actually walk from the parking deck where we parked into the center without any help except for his cane. He had his new duds on and he was grinning from ear to ear.(He was so glad his pants were on tight with a belt ! He even had me check the belt when we got out of the car !! ;) :).... Of course we had to wait once the blood was taken before we saw Dr. Sumrall. The hurry up and wait game has now started ! Deborah calls it Slow-vine center ! Ha Ha! We finally go back to see the nurse and they check Scotty's weight. He is so excited he gained a few pounds and now weighs 170.8. His BP was elevated and his O2 level was good registering a 94%. Dr. Sumrall's nurse comes in and she begins to go over his blood levels and ask if Scotty has any concerns. FINALLY ... Dr. Sumrall comes in with her new PA Jim from Florida and gets right down to business. I see why Deborah likes her. She is a no-nonsense kind of Doctor with a great bedside manner. She and I immediately hit it off. I had missed her each time in the hospital because she always came in the late afternoon when I was already gone. She told us that Scotty was borderline dehydrated and that he needed to drink more water. Jim the PA says at least 1/2 gallon a day. (He looked it up on his smart phone ) Deborah called him out on it !! The man just laughed. I am sure he was thinking what have we got here ! She said his ankles seemed a bit more swollen than last time, which they are, and that she is ordering a CT scan of his lungs. (We are waiting on the call from CMC Pineville for the day and time) She also said she would be speeding up the appointment for Scotty to see the liver specialist Dr. Russo in order to get the ball rolling on the procedure to treat the liver(TACE). He now will be seeing him August 15th instead of August 22. She said this had proven to be the most successful form of treatment for the liver. Deborah spoke of her concern for him being so jittery and energetic to the point he was starting not to sleep. She refers to him as the "energizer bunny". They decided to cut back on his steroids and hopefully he will begin to settle down more by the evening time. His platelets have dropped from 130,000 to 67,000 but she said she was not concerned with that at this time because his body is battling several things right now. She also told us that medications can alter your platelets. Scotty showed her a rash he had on his stomach and legs and both Dr. Sumrall and Jim diagnosed him with Shingles ! This is why he has been itching so in these areas. Of course he is on nerve blockers for his back so he is not feeling the pain you normally get with shingles. So now he is on Valtrex to treat the shingles. Dr. Sumrall just shook her head and said OMGoodness what can you get next ! She told Scotty she wanted him back in one week for labs and he may have to receive some fluids if the level is still down. She had the nurse come in and do a nose swab and sent us on our way to the infusion center. Scotty would receive Zometa and Deborah and I took off on a mission to find some food ! It is amazing how many medical departments and buildings are connected on that campus. And they have a Starbucks, a Chic-fl-a and a cafeteria. Not to mention several other coffee shops. I will have to say everyone has been very nice to us throughout the center and are very helpful. The infusion took up the appointment time with Palliatative care so the Dr. came to check on us. She saw Scotty while Deborah and I were trying to figure out the maze and told him she would be back. After he finished we dropped by and the doctor came out to chat with us. She agreed to lower the steroid dose some but was so glad to see he was doing so much better with the pain. It is now 3:30 and we are finally on our way home. Thanks to computers the medicine for the shingles had already been sent to CVS and it was ready for pick-up but not before Scotty had a BIG MAC Attack with a chocolate shake ! He was starving !
Today the home health care nurse stopped by and everything seemed okay for Scotty. He hasn't felt as good today but with all the activities of yesterday as well as the Zometa we expected him to be a bit tired. He will continue to see the OT and PT through the Home Health Care organization as well as the nurse.
On another note of family business our brother Kenny White will be entering CMC main on Friday morning for a heart catheterization in hopes of repairing a stint. Please keep him in your prayers.
Please continue to pray for all of us in the coming days and weeks. Deborah and I will be returning to school to work, Scotty will be facing treatment for his liver, Noah will be starting middle school and my daughter Kristin will be returning to Anderson to teach and attend graduate school. We will all miss her ! Needless to say we have a lot going on !
Today Rick Warren had a great devotional http://purposedriven.com/blogs/dailyhope/god-is-good-all-the-time/ Please take the time to read this. As a family we have placed our situations in God's hands and we know through his grace we can develop the strength and courage we need as we move through this journey.
Scotty and Bobby having a good conversation ! Scotty by the pool 7/31/13
Yesterday was an all day event at the LCI (Levine Cancer Institute) Scotty started out the morning at 10:30am giving his blood to the Medical Oncologist. He was so proud to actually walk from the parking deck where we parked into the center without any help except for his cane. He had his new duds on and he was grinning from ear to ear.(He was so glad his pants were on tight with a belt ! He even had me check the belt when we got out of the car !! ;) :).... Of course we had to wait once the blood was taken before we saw Dr. Sumrall. The hurry up and wait game has now started ! Deborah calls it Slow-vine center ! Ha Ha! We finally go back to see the nurse and they check Scotty's weight. He is so excited he gained a few pounds and now weighs 170.8. His BP was elevated and his O2 level was good registering a 94%. Dr. Sumrall's nurse comes in and she begins to go over his blood levels and ask if Scotty has any concerns. FINALLY ... Dr. Sumrall comes in with her new PA Jim from Florida and gets right down to business. I see why Deborah likes her. She is a no-nonsense kind of Doctor with a great bedside manner. She and I immediately hit it off. I had missed her each time in the hospital because she always came in the late afternoon when I was already gone. She told us that Scotty was borderline dehydrated and that he needed to drink more water. Jim the PA says at least 1/2 gallon a day. (He looked it up on his smart phone ) Deborah called him out on it !! The man just laughed. I am sure he was thinking what have we got here ! She said his ankles seemed a bit more swollen than last time, which they are, and that she is ordering a CT scan of his lungs. (We are waiting on the call from CMC Pineville for the day and time) She also said she would be speeding up the appointment for Scotty to see the liver specialist Dr. Russo in order to get the ball rolling on the procedure to treat the liver(TACE). He now will be seeing him August 15th instead of August 22. She said this had proven to be the most successful form of treatment for the liver. Deborah spoke of her concern for him being so jittery and energetic to the point he was starting not to sleep. She refers to him as the "energizer bunny". They decided to cut back on his steroids and hopefully he will begin to settle down more by the evening time. His platelets have dropped from 130,000 to 67,000 but she said she was not concerned with that at this time because his body is battling several things right now. She also told us that medications can alter your platelets. Scotty showed her a rash he had on his stomach and legs and both Dr. Sumrall and Jim diagnosed him with Shingles ! This is why he has been itching so in these areas. Of course he is on nerve blockers for his back so he is not feeling the pain you normally get with shingles. So now he is on Valtrex to treat the shingles. Dr. Sumrall just shook her head and said OMGoodness what can you get next ! She told Scotty she wanted him back in one week for labs and he may have to receive some fluids if the level is still down. She had the nurse come in and do a nose swab and sent us on our way to the infusion center. Scotty would receive Zometa and Deborah and I took off on a mission to find some food ! It is amazing how many medical departments and buildings are connected on that campus. And they have a Starbucks, a Chic-fl-a and a cafeteria. Not to mention several other coffee shops. I will have to say everyone has been very nice to us throughout the center and are very helpful. The infusion took up the appointment time with Palliatative care so the Dr. came to check on us. She saw Scotty while Deborah and I were trying to figure out the maze and told him she would be back. After he finished we dropped by and the doctor came out to chat with us. She agreed to lower the steroid dose some but was so glad to see he was doing so much better with the pain. It is now 3:30 and we are finally on our way home. Thanks to computers the medicine for the shingles had already been sent to CVS and it was ready for pick-up but not before Scotty had a BIG MAC Attack with a chocolate shake ! He was starving !
Today the home health care nurse stopped by and everything seemed okay for Scotty. He hasn't felt as good today but with all the activities of yesterday as well as the Zometa we expected him to be a bit tired. He will continue to see the OT and PT through the Home Health Care organization as well as the nurse.
On another note of family business our brother Kenny White will be entering CMC main on Friday morning for a heart catheterization in hopes of repairing a stint. Please keep him in your prayers.
Please continue to pray for all of us in the coming days and weeks. Deborah and I will be returning to school to work, Scotty will be facing treatment for his liver, Noah will be starting middle school and my daughter Kristin will be returning to Anderson to teach and attend graduate school. We will all miss her ! Needless to say we have a lot going on !
Today Rick Warren had a great devotional http://purposedriven.com/blogs/dailyhope/god-is-good-all-the-time/ Please take the time to read this. As a family we have placed our situations in God's hands and we know through his grace we can develop the strength and courage we need as we move through this journey.
Scotty and Bobby having a good conversation ! Scotty by the pool 7/31/13
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