Posts
This is long. Sorry.
I missed church this morning and I hate missing church. I love being there every Sunday regardless of what is going on with Gary. It renews me and I love seeing all of the kids and their families! Besides, we had family church and we were playing some pretty cool games today.
Jax spent the night at the hospital with Gary and I and he is still here. He did not want to go to the beach with Robin and the boys. I think he needs some Mommy & Daddy time.
On Friday night Gary had fevers throughout the night but he seemed to be a bit more comfortable last night. I think adding that Robaxin and Marinol has helped to do the trick. We will see how long it lasts.
The team of doctors delivered some news yesterday that was disturbing yet not completely shocking.
Gary is hanging in there and basically fighting for his life right now and he is mentally preparing himself for a war – Gary vs. cancer and ALL of its complications and nastiness.
Gary has many issues and cancer is just one of them. All of the other complications/issues are stemming from the treatment we have done thus far to try to combat the cancer.
His cancer in his pelvis is holding and has not grown. The cancer in his liver has grown but has not caused any major complications yet. The hope is to be able to get the chemo on board and start the SBRT radiation next week to shrink those lesions and get rid of the cancer in his liver. He has infections and he is weak and his liver has 2 lesions and he is suffering fevers and sweats and massive bouts of pain.
Yesterday we sedated him pretty heavily. He was basically unaware for a good part of the day and night with the exception of a few conversations. I would much rather see him out of it for a good part of the day than to watch him struggle with severe uncontrollable pain.
Dr. Barth came in yesterday to make sure that Gary wanted to fight. Gary said he was going to fight so Dr. Barth has ordered 4 different chemotherapy agents for Gary. He had 1 Saturday (Methotrexate) and will be inundated with the other 3 today (Taxotere, Doxorubicin & Vinblastin). He has never had any of these chemo agents so everything is new – symptoms, side effects, etc… Anytime you do chemo there are risks.
I think these thoughts…….If the cancer is holding why are we facing possible death? If he has infections just keep zapping him with antibiotics, right? We will get him eating and make him get out of bed to build up his strength. It seems so textbook.
I listen and try to gain a better understanding as to what we are up against.
If you had an infection in your body (we’ll say a staff infection) you would treat it with antibiotics and fluids and get better. If you have cancer and the cancer you move forward with chemo and radiation to retard the growth and gain control.
If you take those issues separately we would have a great chance for Gary to heal and his body to be able to fight. But, because all of these things are happening at the same time it makes everything extremely risky and complicated.
There is such a thing as over treating the body with antibiotics that can cause a whole host of nasty problems. The pain meds complicate treatment as well. The infection(s) are going on while we are trying to control the cancer with heavy chemo. Chemo is a risk in itself without having multiple infections in the body. Chemo kills the body’s ability to fight infection and each chemo agent has a list a page long on all of the side effects and drug interactions. It is messy.
This morning Gary had some tests done on his heart to make sure everything was working properly. All the tests came back great. Dr. Barth is brilliant and he obviously did not feel that these tests were necessary but I wanted to know that we checked everything out before we blast Gary so I don’t ever look back and say I wish I would have…….. It was more for my peace of mind than anything.
We had a conversation late last night about what we are now facing and I hope and pray to God that none of you ever have to have these talks that Gary and I are now having. We are preparing ourselves for the absolute worst and we are still hoping and praying for the best.
We sat down yesterday and started to write a letter to the boys. (If Gary dies) We talked about what I should do immediately following his death with the boys as far as school and time off. We both agreed that I needed to call Ann Corwin this week and talk with her about how to handle this possibility with the boys.
13 years ago when we both said “I Do” we never in a million years imagined this for our lives. We both envisioned being together always. We would grow old together and play with our grandkids and travel all over the world. We have talked about doing missions work together and to begin exposing our kids to that at an earlier age so that they didn’t think that living in OC was the way that everyone lived. We have so many plans for our future together. It is very difficult to stomach not being able to do those very things together.
The great news is that Gary is still fighting and we are all still praying. Cancer does not kill everyone it gets a hold of. Cancer can be a funny thing. One minute it is there and the next moment it can disappear. Gary is a fighter and he will fight on and hopefully kick cancer in the butt just like USC did to Virginia! Go SC!!!
Besides his pain, he always manages to muster up a smile and make some sort of wisecrack! He really should be the poster man for strength and perseverance and courage and bravery. He has had to endure far more than most people as far as daily suffering goes.
I dedicate this blog entry to my husband who I love more than words. He is my best friend and God has blessed me with our marriage and our 3 beautiful boys. We have had 12 amazing years together and I hope and pray we get at least another 12 (I am really hoping for a heck of a lot more than that!).
Keep praying and have faith that no matter what God is always there and He never leaves any of His children!
Have a wonderful Sunday and a safe Labor Day!
All our Love,
L
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Out Like A Light
It is 5:45 PM and Gary is still out like a light!
He went in for a procedure at 11 AM and he is still out. He has always had a difficult time waking from any kind of sedation and this is no exception.
At the last minute the docs decided to give Gary a nerve block to try to control the sciatic pain. I am exhausted because we were up all night last night with Gary. Watching him in excruciating pain day after day and night after night must be taking its toll on the docs and the nurses! I think they figured enough was enough.
It is hard to say if it worked or not because he is still out of it. At least he is catching up on some zzzzzzzz's.
They just injected the white cells back into his body this morning and they will scan him around 2 PM tomorrow. We will have the results soon thereafter.
Robin took the boys to the Montage and then to 36th street for some body boarding today. They just left the hospital and are on their way to the Claim Jumper for yummy food and of course the famous Chocolate Chip Calzone! Thank God for Robin. She takes such great care of the boys and they love having both her and Alex here!
I am going to go back up to the room and wait for Gary to finally wake up. I hope we have a better night tonight.
Dr. Barth, Dr. Phan and Dr. Le should all be in for a visit tonight so we will make sure everything is on track.
I feel so disgusting as I have only washed my hair 1X in the past week (don't worry - I have not missed 1X shaving my legs!). It takes so stinking long to wash my hair, dry it and do it and frankly I am way too tired. I will be forced to do that tomorrow I guess.
Thank you for your prayers and love. We are so blessed by all of you!
Love and Hugs!!!
L
He went in for a procedure at 11 AM and he is still out. He has always had a difficult time waking from any kind of sedation and this is no exception.
At the last minute the docs decided to give Gary a nerve block to try to control the sciatic pain. I am exhausted because we were up all night last night with Gary. Watching him in excruciating pain day after day and night after night must be taking its toll on the docs and the nurses! I think they figured enough was enough.
It is hard to say if it worked or not because he is still out of it. At least he is catching up on some zzzzzzzz's.
They just injected the white cells back into his body this morning and they will scan him around 2 PM tomorrow. We will have the results soon thereafter.
Robin took the boys to the Montage and then to 36th street for some body boarding today. They just left the hospital and are on their way to the Claim Jumper for yummy food and of course the famous Chocolate Chip Calzone! Thank God for Robin. She takes such great care of the boys and they love having both her and Alex here!
I am going to go back up to the room and wait for Gary to finally wake up. I hope we have a better night tonight.
Dr. Barth, Dr. Phan and Dr. Le should all be in for a visit tonight so we will make sure everything is on track.
I feel so disgusting as I have only washed my hair 1X in the past week (don't worry - I have not missed 1X shaving my legs!). It takes so stinking long to wash my hair, dry it and do it and frankly I am way too tired. I will be forced to do that tomorrow I guess.
Thank you for your prayers and love. We are so blessed by all of you!
Love and Hugs!!!
L
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
A Better Day
So, last night Nate and I arrive at the hospital. Nate had KFC for dinner and then proceeded to eat 3 HUGE chocolate chips cookies, a carton of Dibs ice cream, animal cookies and 2 sprites. Can anyone guess what I spent a portion of my evening doing? That's right. Standing behind Nate as he threw up in the toilet in Gary's hospital room! It was my fault because I allowed him to eat so much junk food. I felt really bad. After about 10 minutes of being "the perfect puker" Nate took a hot shower and felt 100% better! What a champ!!! We played "Gorilla, Man, Gun" and Nate belly laughed so hard and that brought HUGE smiles to Gary's face!
We had a little bit of a better day today with Gary. Gary ate a little more and actually took about 15 steps to sit in the chair for about an hour. His pain seems to be just a little better. When we threatened to give him his Tylenol by supository tonight he actually smiled. Zach got to spend a good part of the day with Gary and the three of us had a great time.
Gary has been running a fever. The ID doc (Dr. Fee) thinks it might be tumor related but Dr. Barth thinks it might be an infection that is hiding somewhere in his abdomen. Tomorrow they will begin a test that takes about 3 days to determine if indeed there is an infection.
DESCRIPTION OF THE WBC SCAN
A WBC scan is a nuclear scan in which a radioactive material is attached to a sample of white blood cells. It is done to locate areas of infection or inflammation.
Blood will be taken from one of Gary's veins. White blood cells are separated from the rest of the blood sample and then mixed with a small amount of a radioactive material (radioisotope) called indium-111. The cells with the radioactive material are considered "tagged."
About 2 or 3 hours later, the tagged white blood cells are returned to Gary's body through injection into his vein. The tagged cells gather in areas of inflammation or infection.
Approximately 6 to 24 hours later, Gary's body will be scanned. The scanner looks like an x-ray machine. It detects the radiation given off by the radioactive white blood cells. A computer converts the detected radiation into an image that can be viewed on a screen or recorded on film. The scan takes about 1 or 2 hours.
Pretty cool, Huh? Hopefully this test will help Dr. Barth to narrow down the possible causes of the fevers.
Thank you to everyone who has made and sent cards to Gary! I am starting to fill up 1 part of his wall so keep them coming!
I need to get to bed soon. I think tomorrow will be a busy day for us.
Pray for Gary to have a peaceful slumber and an even better day tomorrow!
All our love,
L
We had a little bit of a better day today with Gary. Gary ate a little more and actually took about 15 steps to sit in the chair for about an hour. His pain seems to be just a little better. When we threatened to give him his Tylenol by supository tonight he actually smiled. Zach got to spend a good part of the day with Gary and the three of us had a great time.
Gary has been running a fever. The ID doc (Dr. Fee) thinks it might be tumor related but Dr. Barth thinks it might be an infection that is hiding somewhere in his abdomen. Tomorrow they will begin a test that takes about 3 days to determine if indeed there is an infection.
DESCRIPTION OF THE WBC SCAN
A WBC scan is a nuclear scan in which a radioactive material is attached to a sample of white blood cells. It is done to locate areas of infection or inflammation.
Blood will be taken from one of Gary's veins. White blood cells are separated from the rest of the blood sample and then mixed with a small amount of a radioactive material (radioisotope) called indium-111. The cells with the radioactive material are considered "tagged."
About 2 or 3 hours later, the tagged white blood cells are returned to Gary's body through injection into his vein. The tagged cells gather in areas of inflammation or infection.
Approximately 6 to 24 hours later, Gary's body will be scanned. The scanner looks like an x-ray machine. It detects the radiation given off by the radioactive white blood cells. A computer converts the detected radiation into an image that can be viewed on a screen or recorded on film. The scan takes about 1 or 2 hours.
Pretty cool, Huh? Hopefully this test will help Dr. Barth to narrow down the possible causes of the fevers.
Thank you to everyone who has made and sent cards to Gary! I am starting to fill up 1 part of his wall so keep them coming!
I need to get to bed soon. I think tomorrow will be a busy day for us.
Pray for Gary to have a peaceful slumber and an even better day tomorrow!
All our love,
L
Monday, August 25, 2008
Anchors Away
I am back and better than ever! I sank my anchor....................... right into a BIG FAT martini!!!!!!!
Relax. I am just kidding although a nice girls night out with a martini would be a welcome evening!
I am overwhelmed with the amazingly nice things everyone writes about me. My strength. My perserverence. My faith. My attitude. The way I juggle my schedule and still manage to keep up with everything. It is all so incredibly nice but I can't take the kudos for it. I want to tell you my secret.
It has nothing to do with me. Every single bit of everything that makes me who I am comes from God.
Every moment of every day I am defined by who I am in Christ.
So, when I share with you that I am frazzled or scared or whatever I am just having a "Lisa moment" and trust me when I tell you that those moments don't last long but they are extremely healthy for me to have.
I have never ever once lost faith or sight of God during this struggle. I am never angry or mad. I always seek His face and He is the one that reels me in and anchors me.
Guess what? The SBRT radiation treatment was approved! Don't ask me how but I will tell you that Piay from Dr. Barth's office is amazing and she always works it!! Dr. Barth was very pleased that this was approved and we are moving forward this week with the treatment!
As Gary gains strength he will be able to withstand more treatment. He will be able to have the liver chemoembolized. Also, Dr. Barth does not think that the pelvic tumor growth is even tumor growth. He disagrees with the radiologists findings and believes it is possibly inflammation or something else so that was some more good news!
Good news is pouring out everywhere for us tonight! What a difference a few hours can make. Cancer is like the weather in the Ohio River Valley. Give it 5 minutes and it is sure to change.
I want to thank everyone who wanted to be a part of raising the funds necessary to provide Gary with the radiation treatment. You all amaze me every day. Don't look at us in amazement but instead look at yourselves and know how amazing we think all of you are!!
Keep those prayers coming! I can hardly wait to go to bed to wake up in the morning with the bed spring imprint on my body! Nice cots Hoag has! :)
Love,
L
Relax. I am just kidding although a nice girls night out with a martini would be a welcome evening!
I am overwhelmed with the amazingly nice things everyone writes about me. My strength. My perserverence. My faith. My attitude. The way I juggle my schedule and still manage to keep up with everything. It is all so incredibly nice but I can't take the kudos for it. I want to tell you my secret.
It has nothing to do with me. Every single bit of everything that makes me who I am comes from God.
Every moment of every day I am defined by who I am in Christ.
So, when I share with you that I am frazzled or scared or whatever I am just having a "Lisa moment" and trust me when I tell you that those moments don't last long but they are extremely healthy for me to have.
I have never ever once lost faith or sight of God during this struggle. I am never angry or mad. I always seek His face and He is the one that reels me in and anchors me.
Guess what? The SBRT radiation treatment was approved! Don't ask me how but I will tell you that Piay from Dr. Barth's office is amazing and she always works it!! Dr. Barth was very pleased that this was approved and we are moving forward this week with the treatment!
As Gary gains strength he will be able to withstand more treatment. He will be able to have the liver chemoembolized. Also, Dr. Barth does not think that the pelvic tumor growth is even tumor growth. He disagrees with the radiologists findings and believes it is possibly inflammation or something else so that was some more good news!
Good news is pouring out everywhere for us tonight! What a difference a few hours can make. Cancer is like the weather in the Ohio River Valley. Give it 5 minutes and it is sure to change.
I want to thank everyone who wanted to be a part of raising the funds necessary to provide Gary with the radiation treatment. You all amaze me every day. Don't look at us in amazement but instead look at yourselves and know how amazing we think all of you are!!
Keep those prayers coming! I can hardly wait to go to bed to wake up in the morning with the bed spring imprint on my body! Nice cots Hoag has! :)
Love,
L
Monday
Good afternoon. I was able to come home quickly to get mail and water the yard while Todd and Gary's buddies from Home Group are visiting.
Gary was moved last night to Room 834. It is bigger but someone has run off with the pull out sofa and so Stacy is bringing me an aerobed so that the boys can spend the night with their Daddy.
I won't bore you with the awful details but I arrived at the hospital last night to find out that Gary had a horrible day with a level 10+ pain. He ended up having a CT Scan yesterday morning and we got the results.
His cancer is growing. At an alarming rate? Not sure. I have only spoken with the Internal Medicine Doc and not any of the other doctors. Dr. Barth will be in tonight and I am sure we will go over everything.
His tumor mass in the left pelvic region has grown 1.4 cm. The lesion on the liver is growing faster. It has gone from 3.2 cm to 5.4 cm and another 1.4 cm lesion has appeared.
I have to stop talking about this right now because I am starting to get sick to my stomach and I already have a stress migraine.
I just wanted to fill you in quickly. I will write more tonight or tomorrw morning after we speak to all of the doctors.
I have a call into the radiation oncologist - Dr. Brian Kim - to see how quickly we need to move on the chemoembolization/SBRT treatment and to also see if both of these are still in the plan as the most effective way to stop the cancer.
Please pray for me. I am really scared right now. No one can fix me or offer me advice or tell me stories to make it better. I don't need that. I don't need people trying to make me feel better because no one can do that for me right now. I just need to have time with myself to figure out how to and where to sink my anchor again. I am temporarily drifting and I think sometimes that is probably good because whenever I drift I seem to gain a new perspective. I pray that I get that new perspective quickly.
I am outta here! Off to the post office to get all the mail I have not bothered to get in weeks. More depressing bills and collectors and whatever! Hopefully, some fun cards as well!
Love, L
Gary was moved last night to Room 834. It is bigger but someone has run off with the pull out sofa and so Stacy is bringing me an aerobed so that the boys can spend the night with their Daddy.
I won't bore you with the awful details but I arrived at the hospital last night to find out that Gary had a horrible day with a level 10+ pain. He ended up having a CT Scan yesterday morning and we got the results.
His cancer is growing. At an alarming rate? Not sure. I have only spoken with the Internal Medicine Doc and not any of the other doctors. Dr. Barth will be in tonight and I am sure we will go over everything.
His tumor mass in the left pelvic region has grown 1.4 cm. The lesion on the liver is growing faster. It has gone from 3.2 cm to 5.4 cm and another 1.4 cm lesion has appeared.
I have to stop talking about this right now because I am starting to get sick to my stomach and I already have a stress migraine.
I just wanted to fill you in quickly. I will write more tonight or tomorrw morning after we speak to all of the doctors.
I have a call into the radiation oncologist - Dr. Brian Kim - to see how quickly we need to move on the chemoembolization/SBRT treatment and to also see if both of these are still in the plan as the most effective way to stop the cancer.
Please pray for me. I am really scared right now. No one can fix me or offer me advice or tell me stories to make it better. I don't need that. I don't need people trying to make me feel better because no one can do that for me right now. I just need to have time with myself to figure out how to and where to sink my anchor again. I am temporarily drifting and I think sometimes that is probably good because whenever I drift I seem to gain a new perspective. I pray that I get that new perspective quickly.
I am outta here! Off to the post office to get all the mail I have not bothered to get in weeks. More depressing bills and collectors and whatever! Hopefully, some fun cards as well!
Love, L
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Sunday Review
Good Afternoon. I have to head out to Lake Mission Viejo to enjoy a beautiful afternoon with all of our friends from our home group! The kids are so excited that I am coming with them! They have slept over at so many different homes that I am losing track of them a little! I need some reconnection time.
I wanted to give you an update on Gary's liver. I told you that Aetna denied our request to have this special radiation that Gary needs. Well, one of our friends at church would like to raise the monies needed to be able to get this treatment for Gary! I was overwhelmed with the fact that he had actually spent time thinking about how to raise money for Gary. I just want to thank him for keeping our family so close in thought and prayer.
Another one of my girlfriends had suggested that we picket Aetna and do a newspaper story on Gary and the unwillingness of the company. I liked that idea but then Gary was not thrilled. His fear is that if we go full steam and picket and expose Aetna then somehow they will manage to find some kind of technicality to drop Gary from his policy and we can't afford for that to happen!
So, we will wait and see what happens. I am checking tomorrow after Gary has the CT Scan on his liver to see how quickly he could have the SBRT radiation therapy. I know as of a few weeks ago it was fairly urgent and then all of this happened. I swear - it is so confusing when things change all the time!
In the meantime, Gary is quite uncomfortable and we are still in our "broom closet" Hoag calls a room. We are waiting patiently for a bigger room to open up so that the boys can actually hang out with their dad and even spend the night!
Please keep us in your prayers.
Pray that if it is possible to raise the money for the SBRT then God provides that way.
Pray that the cancer is not out of control - we will know after the CT tomorrow.
Pray for Gary's anxiety to subside so that he can focus on getting better and coming home!
Pray for sleep for both of us!
We love you all and Happy Sunday!
Lisa
PS - no time for spell check so sorry!
I wanted to give you an update on Gary's liver. I told you that Aetna denied our request to have this special radiation that Gary needs. Well, one of our friends at church would like to raise the monies needed to be able to get this treatment for Gary! I was overwhelmed with the fact that he had actually spent time thinking about how to raise money for Gary. I just want to thank him for keeping our family so close in thought and prayer.
Another one of my girlfriends had suggested that we picket Aetna and do a newspaper story on Gary and the unwillingness of the company. I liked that idea but then Gary was not thrilled. His fear is that if we go full steam and picket and expose Aetna then somehow they will manage to find some kind of technicality to drop Gary from his policy and we can't afford for that to happen!
So, we will wait and see what happens. I am checking tomorrow after Gary has the CT Scan on his liver to see how quickly he could have the SBRT radiation therapy. I know as of a few weeks ago it was fairly urgent and then all of this happened. I swear - it is so confusing when things change all the time!
In the meantime, Gary is quite uncomfortable and we are still in our "broom closet" Hoag calls a room. We are waiting patiently for a bigger room to open up so that the boys can actually hang out with their dad and even spend the night!
Please keep us in your prayers.
Pray that if it is possible to raise the money for the SBRT then God provides that way.
Pray that the cancer is not out of control - we will know after the CT tomorrow.
Pray for Gary's anxiety to subside so that he can focus on getting better and coming home!
Pray for sleep for both of us!
We love you all and Happy Sunday!
Lisa
PS - no time for spell check so sorry!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Dr. Barth
It is Friday night and I am sitting on the floor on the 1st floor at Hoag where I can manage to get Wi-Fi clearly.
I hope everyone is doing well and getting ready to enjoy a wonderfully hot weekend!
My Dad left and the boys are being entertained by dear friends tonight and tomorrow night and the next night and the next so that I can be with Gary overnight.
Gary’s parents are here and they will be here until Monday. They have been keeping Gary company during the day. At this point Gary needs someone to be with him 24 hours a day until he gets stronger and more aware of what he requires.
Well, Dr. Barth just left. He gave us some news that is not good but it did not seem to phase Gary so I have not brought it up to him. He told us that our Aetna PPO denied the SBRT (radiation treatment) that is needed for Gary’s liver. There is apparently no other radiation option due to the potential dangers to Gary’s vital organs that are near the liver.
I was hoping and praying that Aetna would approve this needed treatment. My cynical mind wanders and I get pissed when I think that Aetna could be denying us this crucial treatment because they think that there is no hope for Gary to survive. I know the medical directors are not idiots. If traditional radiation would possible kill him then why would they not approve this safe and effective treatment? It makes no sense. They have shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars on Gary thus far and a measly $30,000 doesn’t seem like much!
Dr. Barth shared with us that the only other option is to administer chemo directly to the liver through chemoembolism. Unfortunately, Gary is not strong enough to withstand that right now.
So, here is what needs to happen to get the cancer treatment rolling.
1. We need to help Gary drink and eat throughout the day. Soft foods and lots of liquids.
2. We need to help Gary to start getting out of bed and really pushing himself harder. I know it sounds awful but time is of the essence and the more Gary focuses on getting better and pushing himself the closer we get to actually treating the cancer.
3. Gary needs to use his breathing device to get the gunk out of his lungs and to prevent infection from setting in.
4. Gary needs to stay positive and focused on the big picture.
When Dr. Barth was in tonight Gary told him that he was glad that he chose to fight because the operation was not as bad as he thought it was going to be! He was quite proud of himself! How dare Dr. Barth give him the option of laying down and dying!
Most days I can hardly believe that I am sitting on the 8th floor with Gary and we are fighting a new front to this disgusting disease. I look at Gary and I can’t possibly fathom losing him.
GARY NEEDS CARDS AGAIN
I know it is a lot to ask but his room has white walls and you know how I feel about white walls. If everyone could send cards to the church again that would be so great! If you know my home address then please send the cards to my home. I just don’t like putting my home address out on the internet for all to see!
GARY SALLEE
C/O Mountain View Church
PO BOX 2058
MV, Ca. 92690
Thanks everyone! I am going to watch What Not To Wear and to try and not think about what it means to not be able to have this much needed radiation therapy. Maybe I am the one who needs the valium!
Love and Hugs,
L
I hope everyone is doing well and getting ready to enjoy a wonderfully hot weekend!
My Dad left and the boys are being entertained by dear friends tonight and tomorrow night and the next night and the next so that I can be with Gary overnight.
Gary’s parents are here and they will be here until Monday. They have been keeping Gary company during the day. At this point Gary needs someone to be with him 24 hours a day until he gets stronger and more aware of what he requires.
Well, Dr. Barth just left. He gave us some news that is not good but it did not seem to phase Gary so I have not brought it up to him. He told us that our Aetna PPO denied the SBRT (radiation treatment) that is needed for Gary’s liver. There is apparently no other radiation option due to the potential dangers to Gary’s vital organs that are near the liver.
I was hoping and praying that Aetna would approve this needed treatment. My cynical mind wanders and I get pissed when I think that Aetna could be denying us this crucial treatment because they think that there is no hope for Gary to survive. I know the medical directors are not idiots. If traditional radiation would possible kill him then why would they not approve this safe and effective treatment? It makes no sense. They have shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars on Gary thus far and a measly $30,000 doesn’t seem like much!
Dr. Barth shared with us that the only other option is to administer chemo directly to the liver through chemoembolism. Unfortunately, Gary is not strong enough to withstand that right now.
So, here is what needs to happen to get the cancer treatment rolling.
1. We need to help Gary drink and eat throughout the day. Soft foods and lots of liquids.
2. We need to help Gary to start getting out of bed and really pushing himself harder. I know it sounds awful but time is of the essence and the more Gary focuses on getting better and pushing himself the closer we get to actually treating the cancer.
3. Gary needs to use his breathing device to get the gunk out of his lungs and to prevent infection from setting in.
4. Gary needs to stay positive and focused on the big picture.
When Dr. Barth was in tonight Gary told him that he was glad that he chose to fight because the operation was not as bad as he thought it was going to be! He was quite proud of himself! How dare Dr. Barth give him the option of laying down and dying!
Most days I can hardly believe that I am sitting on the 8th floor with Gary and we are fighting a new front to this disgusting disease. I look at Gary and I can’t possibly fathom losing him.
GARY NEEDS CARDS AGAIN
I know it is a lot to ask but his room has white walls and you know how I feel about white walls. If everyone could send cards to the church again that would be so great! If you know my home address then please send the cards to my home. I just don’t like putting my home address out on the internet for all to see!
GARY SALLEE
C/O Mountain View Church
PO BOX 2058
MV, Ca. 92690
Thanks everyone! I am going to watch What Not To Wear and to try and not think about what it means to not be able to have this much needed radiation therapy. Maybe I am the one who needs the valium!
Love and Hugs,
L
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