John Blom

Welcome to our Caring Bridge site. We've created it to keep friends and family updated. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement during this time when it matters most.

Mid-February 2016 – our dad (John Blom) had a CT scan and things looked fine.

Around mid-March he had a catheter put in with a bag because he couldn’t pee.  About 2 weeks later he started having shoulder pain and loss of appetite. X-rays showed a tear in his rotator cuff.  Therapy did not help and his appetite did not get better. On May 3 or maybe the week prior he saw the urologist, and he changed the catheter and said come back in 30 days for a checkup… things looked fine.

 

Monday,May 9 he went to Dr. Post (his local general MD) and told him about his loss of appetite.  Dr. ordered a CT scan and did a PSA check.  Last July his was 12.5.  I believe normal is 4-5.  His is now 252. Dr. also told us that there was fluid around the lungs and he needed to go to S Falls and have that removed.  The scan also showed several areas of question.  After test results came back it was determined that Dad has Stage 4 prostate cancer.  It is a very aggressive cancer that has spread from his prostate to his lungs, throughout his rib cage, (he has 1 broken rib), in the sternum and in his right shoulder. The right shoulder is giving him a lot of pain.  He had fluid removed from around his lungs which also contained this cancer.  An additional scan on May 13 showed that it is in his legs and hips but not in areas that would be prone to break easily, so he can continue walking as able.(Ya!)   The plan is to start hormone therapy to slow down the cancer.  He will probably have radiation on the shoulder to help with the pain and steroid(s) to help him regain his appetite.  

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Cliff & Alice, Sheryl, Erv & Elaine Blom and Marcene & Tony Travis