Monday, July 16, 2007
Discouraging Lack of Progress
Mark did make it to the Hospice auction and, as always, we had a good time but it took a lot of effort for him to attend and he was anxious to return to bed the minute we returned home. He has barely left his bed since we got home from the auction Friday night. He still seems to be suffering the effects of pneumonia, slept the entire weekend, was short of breath and generally burnt out.
Today, we went to the oncologist, Dr. Aviles, for a regularly scheduled appointment. It appears that there will be many tests, doctor's visits and procedures in the next few weeks. Dr. Aviles suspected, from listening to Mark's lung, that the tumor is back in the airway and that when he goes to Boston for a broncoscopy next Thursday, July 26th that they will want to go in and remove it again. Meanwhile, Dr. Aviles is getting anxious to get Mark started on chemo treatments again but has held back due to the pneumonia. Mark is going to have an x-ray to see the status of the pneumonia next Monday and will see Dr. Aviles on Tuesday. Our business' 30th anniversary celebration is next Wednesday and the following morning Mark is scheduled for a broncoscopy at Deaconess Beth Israel where we now suspect that they may keep him for further procedures to clear the airway as they did last month. Dr. Aviles is hoping to start Mark on a chemo pill starting Monday, July 30th.
Therefore, Mark is clearly headed into a new phase of diagnostic procedures, treatments, and doctor visits and, after three hospitalizations in the past month, he's understandably discouraged as well as totally exhausted. We are hoping that the antibiotics he is still taking for the pneumonia will eventually relieve him of the symptoms which have zapped his energy but there seems to be lung/tumor/cancer involvement that may be contributing to the pneumonia so the symptoms may persist. It seems to be a little more complicated than his previous problems, less isolated and more difficult to sort out the cause and effect.
I will try to update the blog again by Friday, July 27th at the latest.
Today, we went to the oncologist, Dr. Aviles, for a regularly scheduled appointment. It appears that there will be many tests, doctor's visits and procedures in the next few weeks. Dr. Aviles suspected, from listening to Mark's lung, that the tumor is back in the airway and that when he goes to Boston for a broncoscopy next Thursday, July 26th that they will want to go in and remove it again. Meanwhile, Dr. Aviles is getting anxious to get Mark started on chemo treatments again but has held back due to the pneumonia. Mark is going to have an x-ray to see the status of the pneumonia next Monday and will see Dr. Aviles on Tuesday. Our business' 30th anniversary celebration is next Wednesday and the following morning Mark is scheduled for a broncoscopy at Deaconess Beth Israel where we now suspect that they may keep him for further procedures to clear the airway as they did last month. Dr. Aviles is hoping to start Mark on a chemo pill starting Monday, July 30th.
Therefore, Mark is clearly headed into a new phase of diagnostic procedures, treatments, and doctor visits and, after three hospitalizations in the past month, he's understandably discouraged as well as totally exhausted. We are hoping that the antibiotics he is still taking for the pneumonia will eventually relieve him of the symptoms which have zapped his energy but there seems to be lung/tumor/cancer involvement that may be contributing to the pneumonia so the symptoms may persist. It seems to be a little more complicated than his previous problems, less isolated and more difficult to sort out the cause and effect.
I will try to update the blog again by Friday, July 27th at the latest.
# posted by The Sheehan Family @ 7:57 PM 
