Today makes two weeks home from the hospital, and Curt is getting stronger each day. The doctors say that gaining all his weight back right away is not something that we should worry about…to the contrary, they don’t want to see a rapid weight gain. (This would mean a gain of water weight, which is not a good thing.) So one or two pounds per week is a good goal.
We met with the doctor at the radiation center yesterday, and we left very impressed and encouraged. The Pacific Cancer Institute, right next to Maui Memorial Hospital, is very up-to-date with their technology. Our son Jim has done a lot of research and is amazed at how cutting-edge they are, right here on our little island! We are very comfortable with the chemo and radiation regimen that the doctor recommended. Curt will go in this coming Tuesday to do all the preliminaries for the radiation, and then begin treatment about week later.
There will be six weeks of treatments, five days a week. The actual radiation sessions are very short…just about 15 minutes long. The doctor works with their full-time nuclear physicist on staff to map a 3-D image of the tumor bed. They will be doing Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), which is an advanced mode of high-precision radiotherapy. In IMRT, very small beams, or beamlets, are aimed at the tumor bed from many angles. During treatment, the radiation intensity of each beamlet is controlled, and the beam shape changes hundreds of times during each treatment. As a result, the radiation dose bends around important healthy tissues in a way that is impossible with other techniques. Because of the complexity of these motions, physicians use special high-speed computers, treatment-planning software, diagnostic imaging and patient-positioning devices to plan treatments and control the radiation dose during therapy. Chemotherapy will be done at the same time as the radiation therapy.
Thank you again for all of your prayers over the past five weeks! The next couple of months will be challenging in terms of the side effects of the chemo and radiation (fatigue and nausea, etc.). We would greatly appreciate your continued prayer for Curt as he goes through these treatment sessions. Mahalo!!
Love,
Patti and Family
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
We're home!!!
Hi All,
Just wanted to let everyone know that we're finally home!! I've never seen Curt happier than he was this afternoon...the sun was shining, the flowers were so bright and colorful, the birds were chirping...it was such a beautiful day when we arrived home from the hospital. We felt such gratitude and wonder as we returned to all things familiar - the place where our kids grew up - 22 years of driving down the same driveway...never before did we appreciate coming home more than today!
I could see that Curt's spirits were instantly lifted even higher than they were when we were preparing to leave the hospital. As we walked inside, the refreshing trades were blowing through the house and he sat down on the couch and said, "oh, this feels so good!" He said "there were times when I seriously wondered if I was going to be able to see all this again...the sunshine, our home..."
We are so thankful for all your prayers for Curt's recovery. And we are so grateful to our Lord for His mercy and grace in protecting him through these last three weeks in the hospital, both here and on Oahu. We are looking forward to what the future holds and we are continuing to pray for a great outcome. In the meantime, we are going to be "fattening" Curt up...he lost 20 more pounds in the hospital! And as soon as he gets more of his strength back, he is looking forward to seeing everyone at church!
Love you,
Patti
Just wanted to let everyone know that we're finally home!! I've never seen Curt happier than he was this afternoon...the sun was shining, the flowers were so bright and colorful, the birds were chirping...it was such a beautiful day when we arrived home from the hospital. We felt such gratitude and wonder as we returned to all things familiar - the place where our kids grew up - 22 years of driving down the same driveway...never before did we appreciate coming home more than today!
I could see that Curt's spirits were instantly lifted even higher than they were when we were preparing to leave the hospital. As we walked inside, the refreshing trades were blowing through the house and he sat down on the couch and said, "oh, this feels so good!" He said "there were times when I seriously wondered if I was going to be able to see all this again...the sunshine, our home..."
We are so thankful for all your prayers for Curt's recovery. And we are so grateful to our Lord for His mercy and grace in protecting him through these last three weeks in the hospital, both here and on Oahu. We are looking forward to what the future holds and we are continuing to pray for a great outcome. In the meantime, we are going to be "fattening" Curt up...he lost 20 more pounds in the hospital! And as soon as he gets more of his strength back, he is looking forward to seeing everyone at church!
Love you,
Patti
Friday, May 7, 2010
Friday update
Hi Everyone,
We’ve had a busy morning here at the hospital, as usual. Lots of visits from the nurses, and the surgeon came by and removed the drain from Curt’s abdomen (ouch!!). Yesterday he said he wanted to keep him another day to make sure the drain was absolutely not needed any longer, and that he would probably be going home on Saturday.) Today he said it still looks like Saturday, but the nurses say you never know until he actually writes the discharge orders to spring him from the hospital. Curt can’t wait to get home to his own bed!
He’s slowly getting stronger every day, and he can walk laps now rather than just up and down the hall in the early morning. It will still be a process of regaining weight and strength…it is amazing how much weight and muscle tone you lose in just three weeks of lying in bed. We figured out that two of those weeks were in a state of total fasting…no food, and only a few days with water or clear liquids. He lived on IV saline solution!
We’ve been bringing in homemade fruit smoothies and good nutritious meals to help fatten him up. As comfortable as this room is, and as helpful as the nurses are, the hospital food is still…well, just hospital food!!
We’ll keep you posted with any new developments…
Take care,
Patti
We’ve had a busy morning here at the hospital, as usual. Lots of visits from the nurses, and the surgeon came by and removed the drain from Curt’s abdomen (ouch!!). Yesterday he said he wanted to keep him another day to make sure the drain was absolutely not needed any longer, and that he would probably be going home on Saturday.) Today he said it still looks like Saturday, but the nurses say you never know until he actually writes the discharge orders to spring him from the hospital. Curt can’t wait to get home to his own bed!
He’s slowly getting stronger every day, and he can walk laps now rather than just up and down the hall in the early morning. It will still be a process of regaining weight and strength…it is amazing how much weight and muscle tone you lose in just three weeks of lying in bed. We figured out that two of those weeks were in a state of total fasting…no food, and only a few days with water or clear liquids. He lived on IV saline solution!
We’ve been bringing in homemade fruit smoothies and good nutritious meals to help fatten him up. As comfortable as this room is, and as helpful as the nurses are, the hospital food is still…well, just hospital food!!
We’ll keep you posted with any new developments…
Take care,
Patti
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Wednesday Morning Update
Hi everyone,
Curt is making steady progress toward going home! He tried some solid food (spinach omelette) this morning, and so far, so good. The pain is much, much better, and he had a good morning (including a walk down the hall). He doesn't like the way the pain medicine makes him feel, so he has gone without it for about 24 hours and the pain is bearable.
He said his first shower this morning made him feel like a new man! (The things we take for granted, right?) Activity still takes a lot out of him, as up to this morning he's only been having juices or broth, oatmeal, etc. They call it a "full liquid" diet, and for him milk products are not included so it really limits the menu. I think when he gets back to a regular diet and starts having more protein intake we'll see him gain a lot of strength. We're trying to let him sleep as much as possible without interruptions- it seems to be refreshing and healing.
The surgeon says he should be able to go home on Friday, so that was good news as well. Thank you so much again for all of the prayers that you have offered up for Curt during these last two and a half weeks. We have walked through so many crisis moments, and it was your faithful prayers that helped to carry us through. We are forever grateful!!
Love you,
Patti
Curt is making steady progress toward going home! He tried some solid food (spinach omelette) this morning, and so far, so good. The pain is much, much better, and he had a good morning (including a walk down the hall). He doesn't like the way the pain medicine makes him feel, so he has gone without it for about 24 hours and the pain is bearable.
He said his first shower this morning made him feel like a new man! (The things we take for granted, right?) Activity still takes a lot out of him, as up to this morning he's only been having juices or broth, oatmeal, etc. They call it a "full liquid" diet, and for him milk products are not included so it really limits the menu. I think when he gets back to a regular diet and starts having more protein intake we'll see him gain a lot of strength. We're trying to let him sleep as much as possible without interruptions- it seems to be refreshing and healing.
The surgeon says he should be able to go home on Friday, so that was good news as well. Thank you so much again for all of the prayers that you have offered up for Curt during these last two and a half weeks. We have walked through so many crisis moments, and it was your faithful prayers that helped to carry us through. We are forever grateful!!
Love you,
Patti
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday Night Update
Today was a better day than yesterday! Recovering from GI surgery is a painful process, and Curt was just barely recovering from the first surgery when he was hit a week later with the second. This seems to be making things happen more slowly than they might otherwise. For instance, he started on clear liquids Saturday, but had to revert back to only water on Sunday. One step forward…two steps back. Today we’re back to clear liquids, and they changed his pain medication to one that doesn’t give him bad cramps or makes him feel nauseous all day.
This has been quite a learning experience, and it definitely gives you a better understanding of what people often are going through while they are in the hospital. When they feel like they have been run over by a Mack truck (several times), they are just trying to hold it together to get through the day ahead of them. It’s all they can do to converse, even with family members.
As difficult it is to watch him going through this, Curt is always the one trying to encourage us! (He’s is one of the most optimistic and positive people I know, and even in the midst of the pain it’s endearing to see him be so nice to the nurses…they are all so sweet and helpful here.)
Please pray for steady progress back to solid foods, and for the pain to improve so he doesn’t have to take as much medication (which also slows the digestive system down). Please also pray that he’ll feel more like walking, which he’s only done twice since the surgery.
We’d like to wait at bit more before having visitors- thanks to all for your understanding.
Thank you again for keeping us in prayer…we can feel all the support and the covering it is giving us!
Love you,
Patti and family
This has been quite a learning experience, and it definitely gives you a better understanding of what people often are going through while they are in the hospital. When they feel like they have been run over by a Mack truck (several times), they are just trying to hold it together to get through the day ahead of them. It’s all they can do to converse, even with family members.
As difficult it is to watch him going through this, Curt is always the one trying to encourage us! (He’s is one of the most optimistic and positive people I know, and even in the midst of the pain it’s endearing to see him be so nice to the nurses…they are all so sweet and helpful here.)
Please pray for steady progress back to solid foods, and for the pain to improve so he doesn’t have to take as much medication (which also slows the digestive system down). Please also pray that he’ll feel more like walking, which he’s only done twice since the surgery.
We’d like to wait at bit more before having visitors- thanks to all for your understanding.
Thank you again for keeping us in prayer…we can feel all the support and the covering it is giving us!
Love you,
Patti and family
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Saturday Update
Good news this morning...the doctor is starting Curt on clear liquids! On the 6th day of no food or water, this is a milestone...we're stoked! Please pray there's no nausea.
Physical recovery is slowly moving forward...abdominal surgery is extremely painful. More walking today, etc. Getting in and out of bed with the incision through the stomach muscles is a challenging feat, to say the least!
Curt is still not up to having visitors, so we're asking people to please hold off on coming to the hospital. Thank you so much!!
Patti and Family
Physical recovery is slowly moving forward...abdominal surgery is extremely painful. More walking today, etc. Getting in and out of bed with the incision through the stomach muscles is a challenging feat, to say the least!
Curt is still not up to having visitors, so we're asking people to please hold off on coming to the hospital. Thank you so much!!
Patti and Family
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