One Year Later

It has been one year since I completed my treatment for tonsular cancer. I have recently completed doctors appointments and checkups with my radiation doctors, oncologist and my personal doctors. All analysis have been excellent including a review of my recent CT scan. So that is all great and wonderful news.

As a result of my radiation I have suffered some consequences that have been inhibiting my eating in a normal manner. So I have been dependent on my feeding tube for the last year. I have set a personal goal to become completely independent of this device by Thanksgiving and am slowly getting confidence in my ability to eat orally. Well, this has been going better than expected and I am pretty much free of the tether. I reported to Dr. Herman, oncologist, that I am able to maintain my weight without using the feeding tube and he has updated this report to my surgeon. I am scheduled for surgery to remove my feeding tube on December 13th. YAHOO! No more 'little pie hole' my 'chain and ball' will be removed. No more tether. In case you can't tell - I am excited.

To get to this point I had eight endoscopes to stretch and enlarge my esophagus. These have been successful. I also have been working with a physical therapist to relax, manipulate and stretch my jaw muscles to enable my ability to open my mouth and resume a normal mouth opening. I continue with physical therapy three times a week for this portion of my recovery.

Overall, things are great and I'm feeling and doing fine. Doing much better than I thought possible six months ago. I am beginning to think about Florida migration and the beginning of my golfing spring training schedule.

Happy Turkey Day to all!

Halloween '2011 - BOO!

Two weeks ‘til my 1^st annual cancer checkup. Next week I have my obligatory CT scan in preparation for my exam. Met with my radiation doctor last week and all was well. Could not see or feel any cancer. Helping me out with my mouth and tongue soreness. Probably nerves as there is no visible issues. The medicine I am taking seems to be helping. He sees me every six months and my Oncologist sees me every 3 months. I also have a family doctor in Florida and a cancer doctor to continue with my three month evaluations. My dermatologist is every four months, my ENT specialist is every four months, my family doctor is every six months, my dentist is every six months, my hygienist is every four months, my ophthalmologist is yearly as is my audiologist. I don’t see anyone for my pain in the ass. It sure is a good thing that my insurance covers all of this including hospitalization, medical supplies and drugs.

6-21-11

First day of summer. Yeah!

Still working out my eating problem. Another EGD Wednesday afternoon. I have taken some baby steps with my eating...that is I am eating baby food.

Met with Dr. S. Murthy to get a referral for an ENT specialist. I need this so that I can get some therapy on opening my jaw farther than I am currently able.

Feeling good - if I don't mind being tethered to my gravity feed pole twice a day.

Golf game seems to be deteriorating. Need more time on the course.

Please leave any messages in my comment area.

June 15th, 2011 - An Update

Thought I would post some new info today.

I've been pretty busy, going to hospital four times since last Thursday, and the scarring in my esophagus caused by my radiation is pretty bad according to my doctors. So hear is what happened.

Thursday - went to the radiation department where I had another video swallow exam. I passed. I am able to swallow without aspiration. That is a good start. The technician noted that it looked as though there may be some obstruction further down my throat but she wasn't qualified or able to see anything further than the swallow test.

We attended graduation ceremonies from grade school for Zachory Zymslowski in the afternoon and Mikayla graduated from middle school - ceremonies in the evening which we did not attend. We had gone to Mikayla's band concert on Tuesday and were impressed with the performance. NOTE: Carols daughters are disappointed that they won't be seeing Jackson! Mikayla  and Zachary went to Texas with there uncle Curt to spend a week with their  cousins. Zachary shot a wild boar. His prize from his uncle was he could keep the .22 rifle if he shot a boar. So he has a new trophy.

Friday - off to Sparrow Hospital again. This time to the Endoscopy Unit. I was having an EGD - Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is an examination of the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and upper duodenum with a small camera (flexible endoscope) which is inserted down the throat. I am given anesthesia for this procedure and require someone to drive me home and am pretty limited in activity for the remainder of the day. The doctor told me if it might be restricted he would dilate my esophagus to open it up more. After the procedure he advised me and my driver, Angel, that my esophagus was so restricted that he was unable to even get a wire past the restriction. The other problem I have for this test is that I am unable to open my mouth wide enough to enable an adult 'bite block' - they used a pediatric model instead. This will limit the size of the tube to use to dilate my esophagus in the future. So we left and I was becoming discouraged. The remainder of the day besides being drugged up I experienced a severe sore throat.

Saturday & Sunday - Carol went with Sherrie to Ionia where they were going to help Rachelle paint her new place which she closed on Friday. A lot of work and girl talk ahead. I think Lindsey was in on this also. I spent time prepping the deck so that I can re-stain. Problems on Saturday with the plumbing. Couldn't get the back sill spigget to stop leaking. It was dripping from the handle when I would turn it on. Sunday I ran hoses from around the house to the deck so I could power wash and clean preparing to stain.

Monday - off to Sparrow again for an esophagram. This was similar to the swallow test except now they were taking a movie as I drank my barium. Carol said that by the time we were through at the hospital I will have been in every department. I said - oh, I'm going to have a baby. The doctor said this test went well and he would enhance the photos and send them on to Endoscopy. We ran a few errands and when we got home, Dr. Butlers office - Endoscopy - called and scheduled another EGD for Wednesday (today). Later in the day I got the first coat of stain on the deck.

Tuesday - took a day off for some golf. Played with the Lansing GM Salaried Retirees group and then a social luncheon. Uncle Dan was going to play with Bob Farlin, Mel Welhusen and myself. Only Dan had an accident Monday, missing the last step on a ladder and crashing down on to his knee. I think he will be all right - but a lot of pain and was advised to keep weight off of it. Probably left the hospital with an immobilizer on his knee. He was seeing an orthopedist today to see if he had any more damage. It was a great day for an outing and we had a good time even though I only could stare at all the others as they ate their lunch. A lot of Dan's friends were hoping to see him and were sad and disappointed that he couldn't be there and wished him well. I thought I was going to have a pretty good score but ran into a little trouble and finished with 47 as did Bob and Mel.

Wednesday - Early start today as we needed to be at Endoscopy for my 7:00am appointment. They had discarded my history information from Friday so I had to fill all the forms out all over again. Upsetting! Then off to get prepped for my exam and anesthesia. Now my test only takes 15 to 20 minutes but I am in prep, surgery and recovery for about 2 and 1/2 hours. Dr. Butler told me about the esophagram results and explained what the procedure was while we waited for the anesthesiologist. The restriction was closed to about 3 mm and was about 3 inches long. He would be using a fluoroscope for the procedure so he could see in my body as he guided the wire down towards my stomach through my mouth. The bad news is that the esophagus is very fragile and it becomes brittle after radiation. If he would happen to puncture I would be in for some serious surgery and who knows what all I would be in for. (His words) He showed me the tubes he would use to dilate me - 5 mm and 7 mm, and if it was going well a 9 mm tube would be used. Off I go to la-la land. I missed the doctor in recovery but he talked with Carol. Success. He dilated with all three and said he could have gone to the next size but decided not to push. I should be able to start eating now - nothing bigger than 9 mm obviously. So that was great news. I will be going through this procedure every week for 2 to 3 months to get my esophagus back to normal. In the meantime, I have to see an ENT specialist to see about some therapy to again be able to open my mouth normally, if possible.

So I am feeling pretty good about the day. Things are back on track. Only a mild sore throat today. My cancer is clear.

February 9th - an Update

Long time no see. I’ve been rather lax in reporting and updating my blog. As they say – “No new is good news.”

The real good news. Carol and I are new grandparents. We have a little ‘Kiwi’. Jackson Mayweather Foltz was born at approximately 2:00am (Auckland time) on Sunday, January 23^rd to Craig and Kristin Foltz. He was 7 pounds, 13 ounces, he has blue eyes (like his grandfather) and not much hair (like his grandfather), and a sweet and pleasant attitude (again, like his grandfather).  We have lots of pictures and Skype back and forth with our grandson. Jackson and Kristin are doing fine. Yet to be determined how Craig is doing.

Our trip down was very un-eventful once we got the car going. We loaded the car Sunday and apparently the trunk didn’t get latched completely so the trunk light remained on and Monday when we went to start our trek – no power to start the car. So an hour later, after a AAA boost we hit the road.

We had decided to take the westerly route down as it had recently snowed on the I-75 corridor, including Atlanta. We like I-69 – I-65 route better anyway – even though it is slightly longer.

When we got to Indianapolis, we took the east-west interstate to Cincinnati and Covington, KY where my youngest brother, Tom and Patti live. Spent the night with family, having a very good time. They are excellent hosts and we had plenty to talk about. I was treated as the main patient and all was well. Later in the evening my youngest nephew, Will and his wife Ashlee stopped over also and it was great seeing them for a while. Last time was when they got married.

Tuesday morning we got on I-75 for about five miles and took another east-west expressway that headed to Louisville and I-65 again. The rest of our trip was un-eventful with overnight stays in northern Alabama and again in Florida near Tallahassee. We still had snow on the ground near Birmingham and it was still mighty cold. The last stretch to Clermont was going to be Florida warm so I dressed in shorts. That was a good move as it was near 75 degrees when we arrived – two days before the Citrus Bowl – which is about twenty minutes from where we winter for the next four months.

The first night we stayed with friends from Pennsylvania, Reverend Jim and Jan. They rent a home less than a block from where we are in the gated community of Mission Park.

The next morning Jim and I went for a short neighborhood walk. I had contacted my property manager about getting in early and he said it would be fine as it was currently empty. So when Jim and I got to 3021 Merlot Way I retrieved the key from the lock box and we entered. I heard a slight chirping sound, Jim heard nothing, until the total alarm system went off. Oh shit! A good way to meet the neighbors, police, fire and security people. Soon the phone was ringing – the alarm company – who are you, what’s the code? – I have no idea. About a half an hour later my manager showed up and disabled the blaring siren. All was well. Jim and I could now scout out the place. We moved the pool table and foosball table and other games to the side of the garage so that we can park inside. We also found the pool cover and got that covered to try and assist the heater in warming up the pool.

When we finished our walk, Carol was ready to move in, so we drove ‘home’ and unloaded the car and got all settled in. Later in the day Carol went shopping for some vitals and encountered the ‘zoo’ at the local Wal-Mart.

New Year’s Day and time for the Spartans. I’m glad we didn’t get tickets. I was also glad that it was sunny out – I laid out by the pool most of the day. HAPPY NEW YEARS to all.

Monday morning and about 6:00am I got up to pee, felt a little dizzy and disoriented and fell in the bathroom. Ceramic tile floors and I hurt my butt. Got up only to fall again. By now, Carol is in the bathroom with me. She says I don’t recognize her and my eyes are all glazed over. So now we call 9-1-1 for assistance. The fire department was there first, followed shortly by the ambulance crew. Carol had moved me to the bed and then I was hooked up to all kinds of contraptions. Soon they had me laying down and were getting my vitals and asking all sorts of questions. I declined going to the hospital as I was feeling OK and also had a doctor’s appointment in two days at the Central Florida Cancer Institute. This had been arranged by my doctors in Lansing.

The results were my blood pressure was extremely low and they thought that I possible had hit my head when I fell the second time and thus lost my whereabouts.

The doctor’s on Wednesday. This was to follow up on my cancer treatment which I will do every month until returning home. In the meantime I had purchased a blood pressure monitor and began charting my blood pressure. Carol thought that because I have lost so much weight that maybe I didn’t need the blood pressure medicine so I discontinued usage. This lasted about five days before blood pressure was high again – so back on the meds. The cancer doctor thought I should get a primary care physician for when I am Florida and referred me to a medical doctor in the Davenport area. I was also out of formula that I feed myself with via feeding tube so they set me up with a dietician who could order the proper product that I needed. I’ve been feeding through the tube for a lot longer than I expected and it is getting boring.

Dr. Sha gave me a thorough examination and my cancer condition is in great shape. She was impressed by the work that had been done in Lansing to radiate and remove my cancers. An excellent job she said.

So now I just wait for calls from whomever to get doctors and dietician appointments.

We had a few inconveniences at our home that we needed to get resolved. Things like – gas grill missing, no trash barrels or recycle bins – and the pool heat is not working. Everything on our list was resolved – except no pool heat. I had our own wireless network up and running and the computers are working. Our home is cozy and we are happy – except no pool heat. Carol wanted to use the pool like the rest of the neighborhood was using theirs. Nope – it was too cold. I kept bugging the property manager. Oh – it’s working fine I am told. But it is not! Finally they sent out an electrician and they found a bad circuit breaker. Replaced it and the pool heater has operated correctly since then. About a week after we arrived. But now, it’s a cozy 87 degrees and Carol is swimming in the pool every day. It looks awful tempting, but I am forbidden to use the pool by my doctors (feeding tube).

So everything is going good. The weather, overall, has been great. I’ve golfed at Palisades, Swiss Fairways (twice) and Stoney Brook – West. I signed up with the Pro at Palisades for golf lessons which I take once a week. I have a lot of work to do to improve my game. 

Carol and I are in the movie routine. I have seen, ‘The Little Fockers’, True Grit’, ‘Country Strong’ and ‘The King’s Speech’. The King’s Speech is a great movie. Carol and I both loved it.

Carol has been golfing with me one time. The rest of the time it has been Reverend Jim and myself. And we stop in a few watering holes. Palisades CC bar, a new place that is great, ‘Millers’ Ale House’, and of course, ‘The Nut House’, i.e., ‘The Dome’. Farlins take note – there is a ‘Millers’ Ale House’ in Fort Myers – you should check out – especially for MSU basketball. The one here has over 60 TV’s.

We haven’t been out to eat once since we have been here. So I can’t report on Gaters or the other places that we frequented regularly. This, of course, is because I can’t eat or drink yet. Carol’s has gone to get pizza and other take-out but most of the time she just makes something for herself and then takes care of me. What a life?

Yesterday Carol’s sister, Sue and Carrie and brother, Larry and Judy came down to visit for the day. They have places in Eustis which is about an hour north on US-27.

On Wednesday I met for the first time with my new primary care physician. So she has ordered all kinds of blood work and changed my input of blood pressure medicine. I completed my lab work later in the day and have a follow up appointment next Wednesday. I keep monitoring my blood pressure daily. I will also have an EKG next week.

Then – Wednesday night about 9:00pm – I got up to take my medicine and go to bed. I felt dizzy again. Took my time. Hanging on to the counter and turned on the kitchen light. I went down again. I remember turning on the light, but do not remember falling until I was already on the floor. Then I was all right – took my meds and went to bed.

Carol’s sister, Sue – a retired nurse, thought it was also something to do with my blood pressure. So hopefully I will be getting this resolved shortly. It is pretty scary.

Everything else is fine. I feel pretty good, most of the time. I’m a little weak. I have no pain as a result of my cancer treatment. Just a pain in the ass – from falling – and mostly 

from the mucus or flem that is always in my mouth. It makes it hard to swallow and my body is still rejecting anything I try to eat. Although I did make a root-beer float yesterday that was pretty good. About a quarter of a cup in size. I cancelled my golf lesson yesterday and I was to play golf at Providence CC today but I also backed out of because of my fall. I am still pretty sore – elbow and butt. It turned out that it is raining this afternoon – so I didn’t get wet. Sun’s back out now.

Hope everything is great with all of you. Keep them Spartan girls winning. Looking forward to seeing all that are going to be visiting us and seeing the rest of you when we return – in May.

Week 19 - Saturday - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We are at our Florida home. The weather is perfect - yesterday was 76 and sunny and it is supposed to be 78 today. We are pretty much settled in and adjusting to our new environment.

Our trip down was pretty much un-eventful - once we got started. After packing Sunday night the trunk on the car didn't get latched down and when we went to start the car up to leave - the battery was dead. So after triple A got us jumpered we got on the way about an hour late.

Walked around the neighborhood with Reverend Jim yesterday. Decided to go into our place which was about 2 blocks away - and when I opened it up - the alarm went off. Well - it's a good way to meet your new neighbors, and the police, fire and emergency responders and the alarm company. Finally the manager came over and disabled the alarm as we didn't have any code to enter.

After unpacking - I pretty much laid by the pool taking in the rays. Carol went grocery shopping at the zoo - that's what she called it.

Today we have a couple of errands to run then I plan on laying in the sun and watching the Spartans kick butt on Alabama.

I'm trying to eat liquid food but my body is still resisting. Otherwise I am doing great. Have a doctor's appointment setup down here for Wednesday.

Tee time for 10:15 Monday - first time - we will see how this goes.

Happy New Year to everyone. Wishing the best of everything for the new year to all.