Home Again

Dad got back from California a few days ago. Springtime in southern Illinois was just too much to resist, I suppose. He had a great two months out there, though, and he came home with news and stories from Slab City and his other desert haunts.

The folks at the Slabs never cease to amaze me. If you could visit you'd soon see why Dad loves it there. Aunt Jan and Uncle Rudy like it so much they've made it their sole winter destination. Dad has met some of his best friends out there, and they never hesitate to come together and support each other.

Back in January, several of Dad's friends organized a benefit pie auction in Dad's honor in conjunction with the annual talent show. We knew about it, but didn't know how extensive it would be. They raised an impressive amount, and it came in shortly after Dad discovered a transmission problem with the van.

That generosity was so overwhelming and unexpected, and Dad sends his thanks again to every one of you. Dad was thrilled to relax in the sunshine and spend time with friends again after a long year away from his second home. He hopes to make it back out there this fall, and stay in the area the entire winter.

For Dad's Kerrville friends, I'm sorry to say it doesn't look like he's ready to do the festival this year. Given conditions on the ranch and Dad's current level of stamina, it's not likely he'll be up for another trip anytime soon. I'll let you know if anything changes.

No News Is Good News

About a month ago, Dad hit the road for California. He made it there in record time, and he's been soaking up the warm sunshine ever since. This happened just a few days after he received word that there are no signs of cancer left in his esophagus, or any other part of his body where there were signs before. It looks like the four rounds of chemo on top of the radiation over the summer did their job, and Dad is free to do as he pleases less than fourteen months after his initial diagnosis.

Dad can't make much music since he's still recovering from the surgeries, but he's hoping to be strong enough to play a few tunes before he leaves the desert. He got together with Tugboat Willie last week, but both of them have some recuperating to do before they can embark on a world tour. Dad plans to make it down to Texas in May for the Kerrville Folk Festival, and that's over two month from now, so maybe he'll have rebuilt his stamina by then. For now he believes what we've been telling him for years: that Guild is heavy.

Friday is Dad's 62nd birthday. If you have his cell number or e-mail address, try to get in touch to wish him well. If you don't, leave a comment here and he'll see it the next time he checks in.

Don't expect many more updates here. Just remember, no news is good news.

Second Chemo Treatment

Dad's first chemo treatment, almost a month ago now, went very well. A normal cycle takes 21 days, but because of Thanksgiving his second treatment was delayed. Dad's blood work came back showing he was ready for another dose, so he sat for that yesterday, and now he's wearing a pump administering one more drug over the course of several days.

He isn't feeling too bad at this point, and he's still able to drive, but he needs his rest. Food is starting to taste funny to him again, but he enjoyed some whole wheat crust pizza from Quatro's for dinner last night. We also watched a really cool show about Tupperware. Yes, you read that right. Just another crazy night in the Bowden household.

Dad will probably stay at my house for the rest of the winter. He has two more chemo treatments scheduled after this one, and then he should be done with cancer treatment. If you'd like to talk to Dad, give his cell phone a call, or e-mail him. He makes it to the library pretty often to check in, but he doesn't always have the time to reply to everyone. He is reading all your messages, though.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was pretty low-key, but we were happy to be celebrating in Mom's new apartment. Dad and I saw the new Harry Potter movie on Friday, and I spent the rest of the weekend getting Dad's room ready. Now he's all settled in, spending quality time with the kittens. I'll post again if anything changes. For now, though, no news is good news.

Chemotherapy Begins Today

Nothing conclusive regarding Dad's TIA was found after all the tests the neurologist ran a few weeks ago. The good news is Dad has been cleared for chemo. The frustrating news is we still don't know why he's felt the way he has off and on for the past few months. Most importantly, though, Dad is back on track for making a full recovery from the cancer.

Beginning today and continuing over the next few months, Dad will receive four separate chemo treatments with three-week breaks in between. He'll sit for treatment at the cancer center most of this morning, and then have a pump attached to his port to administer another drug until Thursday. On Thursday he'll go to Dr. Hays' other office in Herrin to have the pump removed. After that he'll rest until after Thanksgiving, since the holiday interferes with a normal 21-day schedule. The other holidays will extend the time period between treatments, too.

Sometime later today he'll have his head shaved, since he'll lose all his hair by Thanksgiving anyway. However, he might be one iPod richer for all his trouble. The company that manufactures one of his chemo drugs gives goodie bags to patients, and that's one of the freebies inside. How's that for trick-or-treating?

Once again, thanks to all the kind folks who've come to visit, called to chat, or sent care packages and letters to cheer Dad up. For those of you out west who've heard rumors of Dad's demise, don't fret: he's still alive and kicking butt at dominoes. (After playing double-nine dominoes with Willy last year, double-sixes must be pretty easy.) For those of you who plan to visit in the near future, I want to reiterate that if you feel even the slightest bit sick, or if you've been sick within the past few weeks, please postpone your visit until there's no chance of you being contagious. Now that Dad is back on the chemo treatments, he's highly susceptible to illness. Thanks again.

New News

As some of you may have heard, Dad had what his doctors believe was a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) on the Thursday before Labor Day. Judging by the symptoms, this isn't the first one he's had, and it may not be the last. We're waiting to see what a neurologist says. Since then, some of his strength has returned, but it really zapped him for most of Labor Day Weekend.

Dr. Kao (radiation oncologist, for those of you keeping score) is ready to call the radiation a success. He said he wants to see Dad again in December, but he doesn't anticipate Dad needing more treatment now that they can't see any new tumors. Dad had an upper body CT scan a few weeks ago and an MRI of his brain just to make sure nothing had spread, and Dr. Hays and Dr. Kao were both satisfied with what they saw.

Dr. Hays (oncologist) believes Dad may be able to begin chemotherapy in three weeks or so. It will depend on how his blood counts have improved, and on how his red blood cells are looking. Right now they're deformed, so Dr. Hays is giving Dad weekly Procrit injections to build them up again.

Dad will see Dr. Miller (thoracic surgeon) later this week for a checkup on the cancer surgery, and Dr. Li (cardiologist) for a six-month checkup on his heart later this month. Considering he's had two major surgeries and gone through a full course of radiation therapy, it's amazing that Dad is doing as well as he is at this point. He's up to 127 pounds again, which is the most he's weighed since before the double bypass in March.

Dad sends his thanks again to everyone who has called, sent care packages, and come to visit. He's had so many visitors in the past few weeks it's hard to remember them all. Having all of you around has made this much easier. I'll post again when we know more about when Dad may begin his chemo treatments.

Treatment Update

Dad finished radiation a week and a half ago. The day after that, Dr. Hays told Dad some of his symptoms were not consistent with the treatment he's had, nor the cancer for which he's being treated, so tomorrow and next Tuesday he'll go through several tests to see what is causing the neurological problems he's experiencing. Dr. Hays prescribed neurontin to keep the twitches and neuropathy at bay, and it seems to be helping. The nausea hasn't completely subsided, though, so Dad is still taking medicine for that. Some days are better than others, but he's still feeling generally weak and uncomfortable.

Lots of people have been calling and visiting, and that helps more than you would think. It's nice to be able to keep up with everyone, especially since he can't get out and see you all as often as he would like. Hopefully within the next two weeks we'll have a better idea of what's keeping him down, and then he can get on with the chemo Dr. Hays has planned. I'll post here when we have more information.

Delays

Dad hasn't had any radiation or chemo in nearly two weeks because of his low platelets and red and white blood cells. He is being treated for those issues, and he may be able to resume radiation on Monday. He won't receive any more of the chemo that assists the radiation, though.

We'll know more on Monday, but as of now his nausea is becoming more managable and he's eating better than before. There hasn't been any more drastic weight loss, and he's up four pounds from his lowest point a few weeks ago. However, he's still very weak, and that's inconvenient and frustrating for someone as independent as Dad has always been.

Jan and Rudy will be back down sometime this weekend, and Dad has had good visits with several people over the past few weeks. Mark was in town last weekend, and we got to spend a good chunk of time with him. Kathy Livingston came over Monday night and we all sang songs and told stories. Last night Mary and Cherie sat outside with us while we dodged mosquitos, then the pesticide from the abatement truck, and then the bats that flew in to feast on the leftover mosquitos. Tonight we'll probably crack open a new watermelon and then watch the kittens. Stop by if you have the time!