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We are finished with 2 rounds of chemo.
THIS IS HIS WEEK OFF.
We are headed to the Unita Mountains to fish for the coming weekend. Rick found new confidence at I ur reunion at Lava Hot Springs......so here we are packing the trailer & headed to Roosevelt, Utah & up the Uinta Canyon.
Jami & her kids; Nikolai & Nina will come Thursday.
Kelly & Aydre; Sunny & Junior will come Friday.
Kelly & Aydre; Sunny & Junior will come Friday.
When we get back next Monday, we will go in to the Dr. and at that time there will be extra blood work & tests done to see where Rick is at in his battle with this bone marrow cancer.
When the results are back the Dr. will call us for a consult and we will know if Rick will qualify for bone marrow transplant.
🙏🙏
Please keep us in your prayers❤️
😑😕😬😑😕😬😟😮😕😯😶😬😮😑😦😟
We waited & waited at the Dr.s office only to be told that Rick's results were not back and they had NO NEWS for us. I could only say that I hoped no news was good news. Seems like we have waited a long time to know if the chemo is working for us. So now all of you know exactly as much as we know...NOTHING. Will post when we get the results.
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Finally results worth hearing about💚💚💚💚💚
6-17-2014. Immunoglobulins. 1067
8-11-2014. Immunoglobulins. 245
8-11-2014. Immunoglobulins. 245
Dramatic change showing we are kicking this cancer in the butt.
Another marker showing an abnormal pattern was
6-17-2014. Pattern. 872
8-11-2014. Pattern. 107.69
6-17-2014. Pattern. 872
8-11-2014. Pattern. 107.69
They are (💥as we speak💥) scheduling an appointment for Salt Lake to talk to Drs. Out there for BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT.
ANOTHER POURING OF GOOD NEWS
All of Rick's kidney markers have returned to within the range of normal. In June when we received the cancer diagnosis, we were also told that Rick's kidneys were failing. On another note the Huntsman Cancer Center in Salt Lake called us today to begin the process of verifying that Rick is a quality candidate for bone marrow transplant.
This was our lucky day. Forgot to give Rick all his cancer pills. Had to go home and get them. Returning home I noticed these babies roll over. Geez I wondered are 7's still
Lucky? Then a few hours later the Huntsman Cancer Center in Salt Lake City/Bone Marrow Transplant Unit called & said our paper work has gone thru unusually fast....within days & they told us it would take weeks. They were calling to say that when at the first of the week they had told us to plan on October. Well....would it be possible for us to begin the process next Wednesday at 10:00
It will be a full day of information. First off. Social workers will screen us to make sure we can handle the process. Nurses will instruct me on care. We will meet the Dr and consult with him and be give a date when we can come back after Rick's fourth round of chemo
Lucky? Then a few hours later the Huntsman Cancer Center in Salt Lake City/Bone Marrow Transplant Unit called & said our paper work has gone thru unusually fast....within days & they told us it would take weeks. They were calling to say that when at the first of the week they had told us to plan on October. Well....would it be possible for us to begin the process next Wednesday at 10:00
It will be a full day of information. First off. Social workers will screen us to make sure we can handle the process. Nurses will instruct me on care. We will meet the Dr and consult with him and be give a date when we can come back after Rick's fourth round of chemo
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN-N-E--R-V-O-U-S-SSSSSSSESSS
We are on I-15 headed to the Huntsman Cancer Center. This is OUR BIG DAY. We've got ALL our paper work with us. They let us know in BLACK & WHITE that on average (and we know RICK isn't any average guy) these treatments have a research history of extending life expectancy 10yrs. Whereas in the 1990's that number was only 3-4, depending on health factors.
This is the first time the bone marrow unit has "eyeballed" Rick. We are expecting a lot of general information & then
The date of when the bone transplant can begin.
The date of when the bone transplant can begin.
Stay tuned!!!!!!!!!
Welllll, my heart is full. We were told so much yesterday I have been overwhelmed to try & post. So just look at the picture I just posted. That is Rick's absolutely favorite place in the whole world. We had a bitter-sweet week there the first of August. Rick loves to fly fish. He hates to eat fish, but he loves to walk the Uinta river & cast out into the various spots he keeps secret & outsmart those old guys he has been catching & releasing ( even with his dad) for years. He has never used a spinning-rod & knows nothing about bait...just as someone would know nothing about wet & dry flies & when to use them. So Rick has never known how to fish, but to get out in the river. So being there with his walker and being unable to fish was a little hard to deal with. I would catch him gazing down at the river & I know we were both wondering at that time if we would both ever be back together. (Remember this was before ALL the good news).
According to our team at the Huntsman, Rick can start dreaming of getting his feet wet next summer!!!
It was amazing to be surrounded by people whose speciality is bone marrow cancer. Every comment, every question was seriously addressed.
Here's what I remember from yesterday (after helping Christy & I canned applesauce for those twins today). They started today to get everything pre authorized thru the Insurance..while that is happening Rick is to return to Dr. Ben-Jacob and do his 4th round of chemo. Then approximately Sept 26th we will return to the Huntsman and begin a 8-12 day process of stem cell collection. Those cells will be prepared somehow??? I can't remember the time frame here but they will be reintroduced to Rick's body to grow new healthily bone marrow. Along with this process, he will be given chemo. The Dr. explained in great detail how low Rick's immune system will be during this time, and how crumbie he will feel until he is able to rebuild his immune system. This reintroduction & chemo will be a separate visit to the Huntsman & we will be there 30 days.
It was amazing to be surrounded by people whose speciality is bone marrow cancer. Every comment, every question was seriously addressed.
Here's what I remember from yesterday (after helping Christy & I canned applesauce for those twins today). They started today to get everything pre authorized thru the Insurance..while that is happening Rick is to return to Dr. Ben-Jacob and do his 4th round of chemo. Then approximately Sept 26th we will return to the Huntsman and begin a 8-12 day process of stem cell collection. Those cells will be prepared somehow??? I can't remember the time frame here but they will be reintroduced to Rick's body to grow new healthily bone marrow. Along with this process, he will be given chemo. The Dr. explained in great detail how low Rick's immune system will be during this time, and how crumbie he will feel until he is able to rebuild his immune system. This reintroduction & chemo will be a separate visit to the Huntsman & we will be there 30 days.
Our Dr. was absolutely amazing. He spent over an hour with us. He probed us for questions & when Rick asked about the pain in his back that feels like a sharp knife is there. Instead of " oh darn that must be painful, or didn't we increase your pain patch to cover that......" HE SAID IT WAS COMMON WITH MULTIPLE MYELOMA PATIENTS. SO......hopefully while we are there for the 10 day stem cell collection process, we will also have a surgical procedure called Ballon Kyphoplasty for Myeloma induced Vertebral compression fractures...this is a minimally invasive surgical procedure where a type of balloon will be used to elevated the vertebra & take the pressure off the nerve that is being pinched & then bone cement is injected directly into the collapsed vertebra. Sorry, I am just overwhelmed with emotion at this point.It's just that's since Rick took that first fall in the snow coming out of the convenience store in late February....he hasn't walked without pain. Here is the Dr saying....sure we will take care of that. ANYTHING ELSE?
Sick of using the word amazing....it was amazing..
Sick of using the word amazing....it was amazing..
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