Wednesday, June 27, 2007
We're Home!
The MRI didn't show anything wrong at all so Mark was released from the hospital around 12:30 today. He has a script for muscle relaxers for his neck which they think is the source of his headaches. The headaches started right after last week's surgery in which they manipulated his neck into awkward positions to perform the procedure to get the tumor out of his airway so the manipulation and variety of drugs they administer can cause headaches. The muscle relaxer is to help ease the tension around his neck and shoulders.
Mark is now scheduled to see the oncologist on Cape, Dr. Aviles, Friday and we are told that he will start new treatments of erbitux or chemo next week to attack the smaller tumors in his right lung. Then the doctors in Boston have him scheduled for another bronchoscopy for the end of July. They claim that the tumor removed last week will probably grow back and they are suggesting either radiation or a procedure specifically for tumors in the airways called photodynamic therapy. This would follow the chemo or whatever regimen is decided Friday. So, there are sure to be various treatments throughout the summer but it is unlikely that they will require any overnight hospitalizations. It sure is GREAT to be home! Those hospitalizations are incredibly disruptive and noisy and inevitably Mark gets the roommates with the most problems. They sure do not provide an arena for any rest, relaxation or sleep! Mark was awakened at 1:30 am for his MRI then awakened every hour til 6 am when his newest roommate started a round of phone calls so Mark had to give up on sleep. We are both exhausted! Gary had chemo today and he headed home exhausted as well. I'll update the blog this weekend after we visit Dr. Aviles.
It sure has been a challenging two weeks but we really were able to put it all aside and enjoy every minute of the wedding weekend despite hospitalizations before and after! Now we just need a breather to regroup before we move on to a new treatment schedule. It was great to see so many of you at the wedding. Thanks for making it so much fun and memorable for us.
Mark is now scheduled to see the oncologist on Cape, Dr. Aviles, Friday and we are told that he will start new treatments of erbitux or chemo next week to attack the smaller tumors in his right lung. Then the doctors in Boston have him scheduled for another bronchoscopy for the end of July. They claim that the tumor removed last week will probably grow back and they are suggesting either radiation or a procedure specifically for tumors in the airways called photodynamic therapy. This would follow the chemo or whatever regimen is decided Friday. So, there are sure to be various treatments throughout the summer but it is unlikely that they will require any overnight hospitalizations. It sure is GREAT to be home! Those hospitalizations are incredibly disruptive and noisy and inevitably Mark gets the roommates with the most problems. They sure do not provide an arena for any rest, relaxation or sleep! Mark was awakened at 1:30 am for his MRI then awakened every hour til 6 am when his newest roommate started a round of phone calls so Mark had to give up on sleep. We are both exhausted! Gary had chemo today and he headed home exhausted as well. I'll update the blog this weekend after we visit Dr. Aviles.
It sure has been a challenging two weeks but we really were able to put it all aside and enjoy every minute of the wedding weekend despite hospitalizations before and after! Now we just need a breather to regroup before we move on to a new treatment schedule. It was great to see so many of you at the wedding. Thanks for making it so much fun and memorable for us.
# posted by The Sheehan Family @ 5:03 PM 
