Hello Plan B........

Just when you think you have it all figured out life throws you a curveball. We showed up at Stanford's ITA (Infusion Treatment Area) on Tuesday to receive Billy's first Out-patient dose of re-induction chemo only to be informed by his hematology-oncologist that his bloodwork had not reached the parameters necessary to qualify for OP treatment. They wanted to admit him right then to begin In-patient treatment, but we were in such shock they allowed us to return home for a last evening before enduring another 4-6 weeks back in the hospital. We received a call that a room was ready around 5pm yesterday so packed up and headed back over the hill. Finally settled in around midnight and were greeted this morning by many of the same nurses he had before. His favorite, Maureen O'Hare, who has been an oncology nurse at Stanford for 34 years came in and you'd thought two best friends were re-uniting! Although not happy that Billy's condition had relapsed and required re-induction, all were genuinely caring and very supportive that this is not atypical and is the best thing for him. And Bill and I completely agree. He had been getting more and more tired at home and has persistent headaches. After less than 24 hours of IV hydration he already looks much better and had a neuro-oncology consult re: the headaches. Thankfully nothing to worry about - more than likely the result of the 3 lumbar puntures he has had and should dissipate. Tonight he is receiving his first round of IP chemo; this time around it is a conventional chemo regimen (not a clinical research trial), plus an added pill that specifically targets a "receptor" called Flip-3 that is on Billy's cancer cells. Kind of like a heat-seeking missile. He has 4 days of IV chemo along with 7 days of this pill. Then we wait one week and on day 13 he has a bone marrow biopsy to see if he is clear of white blood cells. Then the usual waiting game to see if his body generates new healthy cells. Remission is the goal; then he can get a bone marrow transplant. He is still in the early stages of this marathon and it is a couple steps forward then a few back, but never halting. At the finish line there is a new journey awaiting us......Billy proposed during his time at home and so now there's a wedding to plan! But first things first - getting him healthy is the focus for now. Bills new room number is F072. Same address for cards, just different room. Similar to last time around, no flowers allowed and only healthy visitors please :) Lisa

Choices

This week involved muliple trips to Stanford for one test or another. Two CT scans and one MRI have shown no need to worry extensively over Bill's headaches. Just to be safe, though, his oncologist has referred him to a neurology oncologist next week. Bill did not like the lethargy Vicodin caused so alleviates them as much as he can with Tylenol and laying down. He also had a bone marrow biopsy, lumbar puncture and bloodwork in preparation of his upcoming new regimen of cheotherapy, which begins next Tuesday if everything looks ok white cell count wise. Billy has chosen the Out-Patient option so he can be at home during the treatment course. Some days it consists of just a pill, others an injection and then twice over the 8 day cycle period an infusion at the hospital. If all goes as planned he will finish the first cycle on June 6th. Then he Weill have his bone marrow tested on day 14 and 28. If everything looks like it is working he will repeat the process. It will once again test our patience but we are very optimistic this will do the trick to reach remission bill went into work for a few hours on Thursday - first time in 2 months and it really boosted his morale. He hopes to go to San Jose fit tomorrow to see his runners and get a little walking in. Keep all the good wishes coming!

Roadblocks

Hello everyone, We received good news and not so good news at yesterday's medical appointments. The good news is Billy's labs all look good and his fatigue is a normal part of recovering from chemo. He gained a pound a day between Monday and Friday so his weight is steadily climbing. "Coach Bill" is at San Jose Fit this morning inspiring both new and veteran runners to get off the couch and move into a healthier lifestyle! The not so great news is that the chemotherapy he had while in the hospital was not successful at getting him into a remission status (defined as < 5% cancer cells). So he will have to endure more chemo of a different drug combination with the hope this time it will work. He has a choice of a more conventional type as an Inpatient at Stanford (30-45 days) or a brand new clinical research trial drug combination as an Out-Patient. This new trial was just approved for use at Stanford this week so his doctor is pretty excited about it. We would have to travel to Palo Alto every day during the 9 day cycles and Bill would have to be super cautious about preventing infections (wear a respirator outside the house) but being able to do this at home is very tempting. We are weighing the pros and cons of each over the weekend. Lots of medical appts next week in preparation for the re-induction. Either way, once Bill gets into remission the plan is for a bone marrow transplant to keep him cancer free. This will be a long journey and your love and support are much needed and appreciated. Lisa

Home At Last

Billy has been home for a week and it has been uneventful, which in our world is good news. He was discharged rather abruptly last Monday after the most recent bone marrow biopsy came back "inconclusive". We saw the local hematologist/oncologist yesterday who originally referred Bill to Stanford. Bloodwork showed his platelet count to be good and everything stable. He has gained about 10 pounds since he came home, enjoying all the spicy foods he loves and could not get while hospitalized. He sees his Stanford doc on Friday where we hope to learn what the next steps are, which could be consolidation chemo as an out-patient or bone marrow transplant. It is hard to be patient but one thing we have learned about cancer treatment is patience. Through all of this Bill has continued to work and set his goals high. There were definitely a few tears shed by the nursing staff when he left Stanford. They said he had such positive energy during his 45 days there he inspired them! Bill is hoping to join his coaching staff at San Jose Fit on an upcoming Saturday morning, so all you running buddies don't be surprised to see his trademark flashy fluorescent jacket and matching running shoes soon! Lisa