We had a sleepless night at UAB. Dr. Carroll took a biopsy of Joes left Tonsil yesterday because it looked irregular but we do not know the results of that yet. Until they find out about that the Radiation will be only on the right side of his neck and throat.

Joe started Chemo and Radiation today! YEA!!!! Chemo started this morning at UAB and we arrived at the office at 8:00am after Joe was released from the Hospital. It went very well about 5hrs and he had 2 bags of saline, 1 bag of Nausea medicine, and his Chemo drugs (Cisplatin - likely will not cause hair loss just thinning) . It does not sound like much but it takes awhile to put it in his port, which worked perfectly. After we were done there we headed to grab a quick bite to eat and then we were off to the Radiation doctor for the first dose of Radiation. It took a couple of hours to do once they got started in that room. I was able to take a picture of Joe with his mask on when he was on the laser table with his head fastened down. I am making a scrapbook for Joe and they let me take a picture of him in there. So far tonight his has taken his pain medicine and nausea medicine and it has worked great. The doctor said that the Chemo would likely affect him most from tomorrow all through the weekend. He has to be at UAB/Radiation daily at 8:30am. They are still deciding whether to give him 2 treatments on Fridays.

He said today that he felt like an old man when he pulled out his bag of pills to take some pain medicine at the Radiology office. HA! HA!. His attitude was very good today and the nurses just loved him. I will update you tomorrow on how he feels. Till then...

Love,
Crystal

Surgery today was at 8:00am and they finished about 8:45. When he woke up there was tremedous amount of pain and they were trying to manage it. The doctor took some additional xrays to be sure the placement of the feeding tube was correct. We were put in a room about 3:00 and they did another xray to be sure where the additional pain was comming from. The doctor said the xrays looked good and they will keep an eye on it overnight. Joe is scheduled for Chemo in the morning at 8:00 but they know we will probably be late because they want us to check out then go over to the Kirklin Clinic part of UAB. As soon as they complete the Chemo (about 4-6 hrs) we will go straight to Radiation for a treatment. They are only going to do Chemo on the 1st day of treatment, the 22nd day of treatment, and the week after treatment has ended. The radiation will be 5 days a week for 8 weeks approx. We should be home tomorrow around 6:00pm.

Love,
Crystal

We are on our way to UAB for Joe's surgery. I will update you on how Joe is doing either late morning or early afternoon. I should find out today about the radiation schedule and anything else that may hold up progress. We hope that everything will be done and we will finally enter the tunnel to get through to the other side of this. Thanks for all the support!

Love,
Crystal

Joe only slept about about 2 hours last night because he is not taking his pain medicine only Advil. I think that will change in the next few days after things get going and he has surgery on Tuesday. He does have a headache, ear pain, and throat pain that's not extreme but it does hurt enough to toss & turn all night. Tomorrow morning he is going to UAB at 9:00 for Pre-Opp (just a meeting to discuss what will happen on Tuesday with the feeding tube), 9:30 for Echo Cardiogram, and 10:30 for more blood work. We will also find out what time the surgery on Tuesday will be and I will let you know tomorrow night.

I wanted to let you know (if you don't) how to leave a comment on this site for us to read. It is very easy and you do not have to have an account. This is what you do:

1. Click below on "Comments" (there may me a number in front of it)
2. Type you comments in the box and put your name after you comments.
3. Click on the circle in front of "Anonymous" (this lets you leave a comment without having an account.)
4. Go to the "Word Verification" line and enter what you see in the graphic.
5. Then you can click the button "Login and Post"
6. YOUR DONE!

Please let me know if you have any questions about Joe and I will be sure to address them on the website. Or if you want to keep them private my email address is: crystallent@peoplepc.com

Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Love,
Crystal

Joe has "Cabin Fever." He told me today that he has not taken any pain medicine since Wednesday night. I will not let him drive while on the pain medicine and now he has stopped taking it. He says that it doesn't hurt very much, but he still has the pain in his ear and throat. I think he just wants to be able to get out of the house more and I don't blame him. He never has been one for sitting around with nothing to occupy him. He told me this morning he was going to toole around on his bike for a short distance. I was afraid for him to go and I cried for about the first 15 minutes after he left. Josie and I started cooking to keep my mind off of it, but I just couldn't. He was gone for about and hour and it seemed like all morning. He was glad that he went and I was supportive of his decision, but it did not make it any easier. I try very hard to be the Proverbs 31 wife that my husband deserves and I know that I can do all things through Christ.

God Bless,
Crystal

UAB called today and said Joe will have to have his blood work done again on Monday because the blood work from this past Wednesday showed an increase in sugar levels and Electrolyte levels. The Doctors said they would feel better if it was tested again to be sure. They did not say what this would affect it they are still higher than normal after being re-tested on Monday. He slept quite a bit today and just stayed in his pajamas. He was glad to have some visitors today, thanks for coming by.

God Bless,
Crystal

Well today we were able to have the CT scan done. They put dye in his arm and he said it make him feel very warm all over. He also had his stitches removed by Dr. Bitran at Brookwood Hospital where he had his port put in last week. Dr. Bitran said that it looks very good and that he would like to be the one to remove it when Joe is done with his treatments. He said that he will miss us but he understands that you have to go where you are comfortable. Dr. Bitran was the surgeon from Brookwood that we initially saw and he took great care of us. He also told us to call him anytime we needed to.

No other tests will be done until Monday morning and then surgery at UAB on Tuesday in which he will have to spend the night.

Thanks to all that check to see how my husband is doing. I love him very much!

Love,
Crystal

Well your going to love this.....HE HAS TO WAIT! When we got to UAB today, they checked his file and found that there were 4 test that they needed to be done before Chemo. They are also requesting that his feeding tube be put in before they begin. We were very frustrated because these test could have been done from last Wednesday till today. Today we had a chest x-ray done and bloodwork done. This took from 1:10 to 6:00, whole afternoon. Tomorrow Joe has his stitches removed from the Port surgery he had done last week. We have to be on call for a CT scan of his head and he will have an Echocardiogram done Monday morning at 9:30. He will have surgery on Tuesday to insert the feeding tube and will have to stay overnight in the hospital. Then if all this is done before next Wednesday the Chemo will begin.

Please pray to for understanding in the procedures at the hospital. We know things take time but sometimes it seems we are standing in the dark.

Will keep you informed.

Love,
Crystal

Hello everyone, Tomorrow is the start day! Joe did not sleep well again last night but felt better this morning. He went to the Church for a Kick-off of the Men's Study Group and after that he went to sleep for about 5 to 6 hours. He was able to eat breakfast and lunch today without Magical Mouthwash. YEAH! But it hurt to eat dinner tonight?

Tomorrow we will be going to UAB at 1:30 and if everything checks out they will begin the Chemo. We don't know how long it will take, but I will enter an update as soon as we get home.

Love,
Crystal

Today started out really good. He did not sleep well last night but felt good this morning after his shower. Some visitors stopped by during the day and he enjoyed the company. About 4:30 he started feeling bad. He felt nauseous and was having a lot of hot flashes. (He says that he is pre-menopausal! HAHA!) Which could be due to his ear hurting more though, because it would mess with your equilibrium. We are going to see if they will change his medicine again this Wednesday. He just don't have the right potion that works best yet. Till tomorrow....

God Bless,
Crystal

Great Day Today. We went to church and then hung out at the house. The magical mouth wash worked at lunch and dinner today perfectly. They are still experimenting with his pain medicine to make him more comfortable at night. Sometimes it works great and then other times it does not help much. The tumors are pressing on the nerves in his throat and neck area and that is what gives him the throat, ear, and tooth(mouth) pain. Overall today was a great day visiting with friends and hanging out. Joe is really ready to begin his treatment next week. He is ready to "GET THROUGH THIS"!!!!!!!Next week things begin to happen, please keep praying and I will keep you informed as to what is happening.

Love,
Crystal

Today was a very nice day. Many friends stopped by today and Joe really enjoyed that. I want to say a huge "THANK YOU" to everyone that has helped out with our household in any way. Helping out with prayers, yard work, kids, transportation for Joe and the kids, homework, groceries, dinners, $, etc. would not be possible without all our friends and family. I found this in a Friendship book Lynn bought me:

Generous Hearts
Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more that you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of God's needy people and welcome strangers into your home. Romans 12:10-13(CEV)

Thanks again for being Generous Hearts!

Love,

Crystal

This is a picture of Joe on the Colorado trip mid July. It is hard to comprehend that about three weeks after that trip he was diagnosed with cancer. Joe has a great attitude about everything that is happening and he will do very well mentally with the treatments. He is still trying to gain at least 10+ pounds or more. We received some Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo (one of my favorite foods) for dinner tonight and it was the best I have ever had. I would like to thank everyone for their payers and support throughout all of this.
Love,
Crystal

08/17/06

Joe slept all night long with the new pain medicine they prescribed yesterday. He went in today and had his mask made and had the CT scan done. He has gained about 10lbs! Only 10+ to go before they begin treatments. If he can keep his weight up they will not have to put in a feeding tube (which only about 5% don't get one). He felt really good today and was outside walking around. Please stop in this weekend if you have time.

Love,
Crystal

08/16/06

Today we went to UAB to meet with the team of doctors that will be in charge of Joes treatment. They have determined that the primary source of the cancer is in the tonsil and the secondary is in the lymph node. The cancer is Stage 4 and has progressed to far to perform surgery because the surgery would be to radical. Joe is going to the Oncologist tomorrow and have a CT scan done and then they will make a mask for the radiology treatments. The Oncologist will take about 7 to 10 days to set up everything for the treatments. Even thought he will have to wait another week to begin treatment we feel confident in the decision to switch to UAB. The plan is to do a Loading dose of Chemo on the 23rd and then start radiation the following week. It will be a 7 to 8 week process at UAB instead of 16weeks at Brookwood. They have also switched his pain medication to a stronger dose so he will be able to sleep better at night. They gave him some magical mouthwash today and he swallows 2 teaspoons, rinses his mouth out and waits 20 minutes before eating. This worked great at supper tonight, the numbness lasted about and hour. Hope everyone is having a great week!
Love,
Crystal

08/15/06

Today started very early. We had to be at Brookwood Hospital at 6:00am this morning. Joes surgery went very well. He now has an Implanted Port on the right side of his chest up toward his collar bone. His shoulder has been really sore and he has slept most of the day.

We are going to UAB tomorrow morning at 8:00am to meet with the team of doctors that will be telling us what the next step will be and when it will happen. Also tomorrow Joe will have a CAT scan at 2:30. I am sure we will have a lot of information tomorrow.

Till Tomorrow,
Crystal

True friends are a sure refuge.

Aristotle

08/14/06

Jesus is working overtime not only with everyone helping us keep our house in its daily routine but the daily blessings we are receiving in Joes diagnosis. We were able to get in to see Dr. Carroll at UAB today at 2:00 (can you believe that!) We have decided to transfer all our care to UAB. Dr. Carroll said that we should still get the Hickman IV put in tomorrow at Brookwood Hospital because it was already scheduled. We have to be there at 6:00am and the surgery will begin at 8:00am. Joe will also still have a CAT scan done at Brookwood on Wednesday at 2:30pm and we will just take the results to UAB.

Our next visit to UAB will be on Wednesday 8/16 @ 8:00am when we will meet with an Oncology and chemotherapy team of doctors to determine the course of action they are going to take. After speaking with Pat Sullivan (he had the same cancer as Joe) and Bryan Wilks (works with ENT doctors) we have determined that being at a Cancer Facility will be the best thing for Joe. We want to thank those guys for taking the time to make sure we had all the information that we needed to make an informed decision about this. We are truly blessed with great family and friends. Thank you all so much.
Love,
Crystal

08/13/06:

Hey everyone! I would like to thank Paul Podraza for setting this site up for us. Below I have added all the posting I have done so far.
Tomorrow we will find out what the results from the doctor at 2:00pm. We hope to hear from UAB also to see when they can get us in to review Joes information. We will be going to Brookwood Hospital for Surgery to have the Hickman IV put in on Tuesday morning at 4:30am. Joe had a good day again today. The swelling has went down some more that is why his throat is hurting more, but he still had a good day. Will let you know more tomorrow.

08/10/06
Today was a good day for Joe. He was very talkative and wide awake. Thanks to everyone who stopped by tonight it really lifted Joes spirits. I guess after being put to sleep yesterday he was able to sleep very deep. We went to the Chemo doctor today and the schedule has changed from what we thought on Monday. He will have the PET scan done tomorrow and it will determine which of the following schedule they will be doing:

1. If the PET scan shows no other cancer (or hot spots) except the 2 tumors that have already been identified then he will have surgery on Tuesday to insert a Hickman IV Port and begin Chemo the same day. He will have 1 chemo treatment every week for 8 weeks then in the 9th week they will add radiation treatments 1per day 5 days a week for 8 more weeks in addition to the Chemo 1 time each week. This will make a total of 16weeks, and then follow-up with a few more weeks of very strong Chemo. They hope that this will put it in remission. This has a 55% chance of remission (better than half).

2. If the PET scan shows hot spots in his lungs then they will not do radiation and Joe will still have surgery on Tuesday to put in the Hickman IV Port, start just Chemo, and schedule a biopsy on what they find to determine if it is cancer.

Thanks for the emails, support, and prayers. I want yall to know that I look forward to reading all your emails every night. It is wonderful to know that we have so much support.

Crystal


8/09/06
Today was a hard day. We were at the Hospital From 10:00 to 7:00 and Joe was in the operating room