Holding Strong

Hello everyone, here is our update for the week. Sorry it has taken so long to get some news up here, but it has been a crazy two weeks and we don't have that much new stuff to share. We do understand some of whats happening a little bit better now, so here is what I can tell you:

First- Pam had her first new treatment (ICE) up at FAHC (you know the place, beautiful lobby/entrance and old hospital). It went great. Pam continues to amaze me. I don't know how she does it. I have to believe that the nurses are fighting in the back room to get to work with her. She took the treatment wonderfully and had no real side effects other than quite a bit of fatigue for several days. I, however, had quite a sore back from two nights in the reclining chair! (if you didn't already know, Pam is the tough one in our family)

After we left the hospital we came home and rested for three days. We sent the boys off with their cousins in Maine for a few days. We are working really hard to keep the house and Pam germ free as these drugs will really wipe our her white blood cells. (I will be scrubbing lots of things for the next few months). It was hard on Pam and the boys to be away from each other for so long. She left for the hospital on Tues. morning and they didn't come back from Maine until Monday afternoon so a week seemed like forever! They handled it pretty well and that is good because it will probably need to happen a few more times.

Second- We met with Dr. Nunnink and Dr. Unger on Tuesday morning to talk about the next steps. Pam will have her next ICE treatment in 2 weeks. They will test her blood counts once a week from now on. After the next round they will do another scan to see if it is working. We will also be going to Dana Farber on Feb. 1st to meet with Dr. Alyea to have him review Pam's case and give us his thoughts. We will also be meeting with Dr. Unger again next Tues. to get some more education on the Stem Cell Transplant procedure and what that will look like.

Third- It has really been a very emotional two weeks. We were thinking that chemo. would be ending now and we would be finishing this baby off with the radiation and calling it a day. This new twist has been quite hard to stomach. It has left us feeling very anxious and nervous, but still absolutely optimistic and energized to beat this thing cold.

Fourth - Everyone has been amazing! We are absolutely humbled and without words to describe how great people have been to us in the last few weeks. The CVU Administration and staff have gone beyond what we could have hoped for in terms of support and consideration in this process. Thank you all so much. The Robinson staff has also really outdone themselves once again and continues to put a smile on Pam's face! All of our friends and family have been so great, thank you, thank you, thank you!

We will keep you posted on any new news as we get it. Keep the good vibes coming!
Troy and Pam

Some unfortunate news

Yesterday was not a good day for the Paradee family. Pam and I went up for her regularly scheduled chemo appt. and a meeting with our Radiation Oncologist beforehand. After Dr. Wallace met with us and showed us the PET scan results from Dec.4th we went and met with Dr. Nunnink. He examined Pam and decided that he did not want to proceed with the current Chemo treatment because he feared that it might not be working. This conclusion was drawn from the fact that two areas lit up in the PET scan a few weeks before, Pam has been having night sweats, and he could palpate enlarged nodes in her clavicle region. He sent us for a CT scan and they drew some blood.
After getting home and settling the boys we received a phone call from Dr. Nunnink (approx. 6pm). He had the results from the CT scan and wanted to update us. The scan showed that not only is the cancer in those two areas not responding, it is enlarging. This is not good news. Pam is now considered in Relapse/Refractory category. This means that the cancer is not responding to the initial treatment and they need to take more aggressive actions.
So, they are admitting her to the hospital for three days on Tues. to start high-dose chemo treatment (something referred to as ICE). They will also harvest some stem cells from her in order to provide stem cell therapy when this treatment is done (two cycles, two weeks apart). The bad news about this is that this treatment only works 40%-50% of the time.
We are also going to be going down to Dana-Farber in Boston to get some more opinions and options for our situation. This will happen the week after treatment.
We are only thinking about ourselves as the 50% that it will work for! Please do the same and send positive energy in our direction. We appreciate all the help you have given us so far and it looks like we will be needing some more in the next few months so thanks in advance again!!
If you would like to read more about what Pam's current condition is then go to this link: http://www.vccm.net/content.aspx?section=typesofcancer&id=753 or go to www.vccm.net and click "Type of Cancer", Hodgkin Lymphoma, and Relapsed/Refractory.

We will keep you posted throughout the week,
Troy and Pam.

Post Holiday Catch Up

Post Holiday Catch Up

Hi, hi

Pam here. So, I thought I’d update the blog. It’s been a bit. First, I have to admit, I hadn’t read it in entirety. Yikes! I sound like I’ve been through hell. I’d forgotten about some of that stuff that had been going on in the first few months. How quickly you can adjust and acclimate to new routines and “environments” …like chemo and cancer. J

We had a really great month of December. I went into my Fri., Dec. 8^th treatment rested and rejuvenated after a day of sisterhood. Jen, Beck, and Mom came up on Wed. night. Thursday was a day to celebrate Beck’s 40^th. We had spa treatments, lunch, and shopping all with lots of laughing and SNOW falling. (I can say that now with BOLD letters because we haven’t had it since.) We scheduled my next chemo three weeks out (Dec. 29^th, so I could be human for Christmas.) I caught a virus a few days after chemo though that carried on for a few weeks. My mind masked most of symptoms by day so I could enjoy and do all the stuff during the holiday weeks, but my body would crash hard when each thing was over. We had a blast with our annual holiday parties at the Coles’ and Meyers’. And we were able to still host Robinson’s holiday party here! It was so wonderful to have it.

I had had my surgery on my neck the day before our Robinson party and bounced back much better than from the port surgery. A few good hurls on the front lawn getting out of the car, 15 hrs.of sleep, and I was good to go.

Caroling with the kids and friends, lots of cookie baking, and a beautiful Christmas Eve dinner with my folks visiting, was my gift this year, and yes…made me feel human again. As always with three little boys, Christmas morning was magical (and…early!) By mid day, we headed north to Troy’s folks for Christmas with the Paradees’. And by Tues. morning, I couldn’t get out of bed! Both my mind and body had hit the wall. That virus hanging on blew up full blown. Wed. we went to Bethel for a 24hr. whirl wind Chase Christmas, and I actual took two, two hour naps there in the middle of it all.

I went into chemo on Fri. 29^th pretty sick. In fact, we weren’t surprised at all when Dr. Nunnink wasn’t sure if we should do it or postpone. But…we’d already pushed a week, and staying on schedule is so critical, so we said “it’s going to suck, but we’ve got to do it.” And it did. Loaded on antibiotics. Tues. was a bit scary with in and out of fever. By Thursday, I was able to get out of bed and putts and by Sat. I was starting to feel like myself again (relatively). …. And only because “somebody” greater than me has a strange sense of humor, thought that during all of this, wouldn’t a massive tooth-ache on a crown….potential root canal be funny? Luckily a quick visit to my dentist and x-rays showed no root canal needed, just grinding a bit off the crown would stop the swelling and ache. …

Quick update when they biopsied the lymph’s removed on my neck, yes, still diseased. This region (neck and collarbone) might be responding slower than the rest or potentially not at all. Hodgkin can be known to take a twist, Nunnink said. Another PET at the end of cycle 6 (end of Jan. / first of Feb.) will give us more info. and next steps.

As always…..thanks to you all, love to you all

Our door is always open

Pam and Troy