We took Wally to his biopsy today. He did well, even though he did not enjoy lying on his stomach for it. We won't get the results until next week, after the long holiday weekend.
We have to go back on Tuesday morning for a "radiation simulation", so they can map out where and how they're going to do radiation treatments. The purpose of the radiation treatment is to halt the further progress of the tumor on his spine. The radiation oncologist is worried that it could spread to his spinal canal, and may paralyze him. It may also halt the progress of any other cancerous material that may be damaging other nerves. If so, it may significantly relieve his ongoing pain.
But the worst part for him is the driving: we have to drive 17 miles to and from the cancer treatment center, which is about 25=30 minutes. Sitting upright is painful for Wally to begin with, but then add to that the starts, stops, and bumps along the way, and he's miserable by the time we arrive at our destination.
Wally has complained about this, and asked why we can't get this done in town. We told him that our rural country hospital doesn't have facilities for diagnosing or treating cancer. We have to go to "the big city" hospitals for that kind of thing.
I guess we'll have to suffer through it, for now. My wife and I are concerned about how we're going to manage the routine commute to any regularly scheduled treatments.
In Memoriam
On behalf of the entire Thomas family, I'd like to thank the Britton-Summers Funeral Home and VFW Post 9013 for their outstanding service and support with Wally's funeral. It was truly a beautiful and honorable memorial to my father, and I do appreciate it.
I'd also like to thank New Life Community Church of Belton, MO, for hosting the memorial service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the V.F.W. Memorial Day Parade Fund, 9A Milk Street, Westborough, MA 01581
I'd also like to thank New Life Community Church of Belton, MO, for hosting the memorial service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the V.F.W. Memorial Day Parade Fund, 9A Milk Street, Westborough, MA 01581
Friday, August 31, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
CT Scans
Yesterday, Wally went in for additional CT scans of his torso, to identify any further tumors or evidence of cancer. Although he was in a lot of pain, especially from the long drive (30 minutes) to the cancer treatment center, he did very well, and they said they got good scans. We are awaiting the results now. On Friday afternoon, he will have a biopsy of the tumor on his spine.
Thank you all for your continued prayers, thoughts, and support during this stressful time. We do appreciate it. Thanks!
Thank you all for your continued prayers, thoughts, and support during this stressful time. We do appreciate it. Thanks!
Monday, August 27, 2007
Visit with the Neurosurgeon
I took Wally to the neurosurgeon on Friday afternoon. After reviewing the lab results and MRIs, the neurosurgeon said that there was nothing he could do. The nerve pain that has been afflicting Wally since the beginning of the year appears to be caused by the same cancer that created the tumor on his spine. The neurosurgeon cannot operate on them. He insisted that Wally had to see an oncologist a.s.a.p., that same day. He picked up the phone and called one in the hospital next door, and asked him to see Wally immediately. The oncologist agreed, so I wheeled Wally over to the hospital's cancer treatment center.
After the oncologist reviewed the data and met with my Dad, he gave us the grim news. The doctor suspects lung cancer, and it appears to be aggressively malignant. He noticed that it's not just a tumor on his spine: he saw other spots behind his left shoulder and on his skull, so it has probably already spread to his brain. He said that Wally has only a few more months to live, at best.
He also said that most treatment options would be pointless, as they'd probably kill him just as quickly. However, the doctor is concerned that the tumor on his spine could paralyze him, so he thinks that a round of radiation treatment might be good to halt the progress of the tumor before that happens. But there are no guarantees. And Wally has the option to decline the radiation treatment, if he doesn't want to go through with it. The oncologist is trying to get him a biopsy on Monday morning, so we can nail down the diagnosis and consider the options.
Although suffering with great pain (the cancer is eating at the nerves in his back -- that's how the symptoms started), Dad is at peace with his fate. He says that he's lived a good life, he cannot complain, so he's ready to go. All we can do now is try to ease the pain and make him comfortable.
Bill, Leanne, and their boys came to visit Dad this weekend. They'll be going back to Maryland on Tuesday.
After the oncologist reviewed the data and met with my Dad, he gave us the grim news. The doctor suspects lung cancer, and it appears to be aggressively malignant. He noticed that it's not just a tumor on his spine: he saw other spots behind his left shoulder and on his skull, so it has probably already spread to his brain. He said that Wally has only a few more months to live, at best.
He also said that most treatment options would be pointless, as they'd probably kill him just as quickly. However, the doctor is concerned that the tumor on his spine could paralyze him, so he thinks that a round of radiation treatment might be good to halt the progress of the tumor before that happens. But there are no guarantees. And Wally has the option to decline the radiation treatment, if he doesn't want to go through with it. The oncologist is trying to get him a biopsy on Monday morning, so we can nail down the diagnosis and consider the options.
Although suffering with great pain (the cancer is eating at the nerves in his back -- that's how the symptoms started), Dad is at peace with his fate. He says that he's lived a good life, he cannot complain, so he's ready to go. All we can do now is try to ease the pain and make him comfortable.
Bill, Leanne, and their boys came to visit Dad this weekend. They'll be going back to Maryland on Tuesday.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Latest on Wally
Here's the latest information on Grandpa Wally. The good news is that he is home, and his kidneys are functioning normally again. The sonogram results were negative, indicating that they couldn't find anything obviously wrong with them. He does appear to have a few cysts on his kidneys, but the doctor says that's nothing to worry about. He has the new pain medication and the C.A.S.H. brace (which he's not happy about). So he is resting comfortably now in his own bed in his own room here at the house.
The bad news is that the x-rays came back negative for additional evidence of myeloma, which means that the tumor may be another form of cancer. We still don't have the results from the urine test for protein markers, so we cannot rule myeloma completely. But the lack of myeloma in his other bones does seem to lead us away from that diagnosis. If the urine test is also negative, then the tumor will need to be biopsied, so we can identify its type and primary site. The earliest that this can happen will be next week. The doctor saw no need for Wally to stay in hospital, just to await test results, so he discharged him.
If you'd like to send Wally a card or letter, here's our current address (same as before, but repeated here just in case you need it):
Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and support. We do appreciate it!
The bad news is that the x-rays came back negative for additional evidence of myeloma, which means that the tumor may be another form of cancer. We still don't have the results from the urine test for protein markers, so we cannot rule myeloma completely. But the lack of myeloma in his other bones does seem to lead us away from that diagnosis. If the urine test is also negative, then the tumor will need to be biopsied, so we can identify its type and primary site. The earliest that this can happen will be next week. The doctor saw no need for Wally to stay in hospital, just to await test results, so he discharged him.
If you'd like to send Wally a card or letter, here's our current address (same as before, but repeated here just in case you need it):
Wally Thomas
710 Berkshire Dr.
Belton, MO 64012
Thank you for your prayers, thoughts, and support. We do appreciate it!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Important News About Wally
I'm writing to give you some important news about Wally.
On Tuesday evening, while on his way to get a fudgsicle from the freezer, Wally fainted and fell down in our garage. He didn't seem seriously hurt, but we called the doctor anyway. The doctor advised us to take him to the local E.R. At the E.R., they took x-rays and a CAT scan. They discovered that he had two compression fractures on two of his thoracic vertebrae. They also discovered that his kidneys weren't working well: apparently, he was also dehydrated. They decided to admit him that night, in order to rehydrate him, and for him to see an orthopaedist in the morning.
On Wednesday morning, the orthopaedist reviewed his x-rays and recommended a procedure called kyphoplasty, where they use a needle to inject bone cement into the fractured vertebrae, to stabilize and repair them. This is a fairly common procedure for elderly patients that have osteoporosis. He ordered an MRI in preparation for the procedure. Wally had the MRI that day.
This morning, the orthopaedist and Wally's general practictioner met with me to deliver some good new and bad news. The good news was that the condition of his kidneys was improved by the rehydration. The bad news was that they could not do the kyphoplasty after, because the MRI revealed a tumor on the fractured vertebrae. They cannot insert the needle through the tumor, for fear of causing it to bleed out, or having malignant cells from the tumor contaminate the spinal cord. Instead, they can only treat the fractures symptomatically, with pain medication and an orthopaedic brace to stablize his chest and back. Wally was fitted for the brace today.
They also ordered more tests to determine what kind of tumor is on his spine. His doctor hopes it is myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, that's similar to leukemia. While incurable, myeloma is generally treatable, and patients can survive a long time with this form of cancer. Because it is found in the bone marrow, myeloma is usually found in multiple bones, and its effects can be seen in regular x-rays. So the doctor ordered additional x-rays of Wally's pelvis, thighs, and upper-arms, in order to look for additional evidence of myeloma. He also ordered chemical tests to look for the protein markers identified with myeloma. Wally had those x-rays and tests today.
If the tumor is not myeloma, they will need to perform additional tests to determine its nature and other point of origin. This may even include a biopsy, to be performed by a neurosurgeon (due to its location on the spine and proximity to the spinal cord). The doctor ordered an additional sonogram of his kidneys, to look for any other signs of additional tumors or growths. The tumor on his spine is very close to his kidneys. Wally had the sonogram today, too.
In the meantime, Wally is resting comfortably (mostly, as much as possible, given the circumstances) in his bed at Research Belton Hospital, room 242A. He is being give oxycodone and percocet for pain management. It seems to be working well, because when he is awake, he is chatty and flirts with the nurses (only Wally!). Otherwise, he mostly sleeps. If we get the test results tomorrow, the doctor may allow him to come home tomorrow. I will send another update when I have more information.
On Tuesday evening, while on his way to get a fudgsicle from the freezer, Wally fainted and fell down in our garage. He didn't seem seriously hurt, but we called the doctor anyway. The doctor advised us to take him to the local E.R. At the E.R., they took x-rays and a CAT scan. They discovered that he had two compression fractures on two of his thoracic vertebrae. They also discovered that his kidneys weren't working well: apparently, he was also dehydrated. They decided to admit him that night, in order to rehydrate him, and for him to see an orthopaedist in the morning.
On Wednesday morning, the orthopaedist reviewed his x-rays and recommended a procedure called kyphoplasty, where they use a needle to inject bone cement into the fractured vertebrae, to stabilize and repair them. This is a fairly common procedure for elderly patients that have osteoporosis. He ordered an MRI in preparation for the procedure. Wally had the MRI that day.
This morning, the orthopaedist and Wally's general practictioner met with me to deliver some good new and bad news. The good news was that the condition of his kidneys was improved by the rehydration. The bad news was that they could not do the kyphoplasty after, because the MRI revealed a tumor on the fractured vertebrae. They cannot insert the needle through the tumor, for fear of causing it to bleed out, or having malignant cells from the tumor contaminate the spinal cord. Instead, they can only treat the fractures symptomatically, with pain medication and an orthopaedic brace to stablize his chest and back. Wally was fitted for the brace today.
They also ordered more tests to determine what kind of tumor is on his spine. His doctor hopes it is myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, that's similar to leukemia. While incurable, myeloma is generally treatable, and patients can survive a long time with this form of cancer. Because it is found in the bone marrow, myeloma is usually found in multiple bones, and its effects can be seen in regular x-rays. So the doctor ordered additional x-rays of Wally's pelvis, thighs, and upper-arms, in order to look for additional evidence of myeloma. He also ordered chemical tests to look for the protein markers identified with myeloma. Wally had those x-rays and tests today.
If the tumor is not myeloma, they will need to perform additional tests to determine its nature and other point of origin. This may even include a biopsy, to be performed by a neurosurgeon (due to its location on the spine and proximity to the spinal cord). The doctor ordered an additional sonogram of his kidneys, to look for any other signs of additional tumors or growths. The tumor on his spine is very close to his kidneys. Wally had the sonogram today, too.
In the meantime, Wally is resting comfortably (mostly, as much as possible, given the circumstances) in his bed at Research Belton Hospital, room 242A. He is being give oxycodone and percocet for pain management. It seems to be working well, because when he is awake, he is chatty and flirts with the nurses (only Wally!). Otherwise, he mostly sleeps. If we get the test results tomorrow, the doctor may allow him to come home tomorrow. I will send another update when I have more information.
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