On Monday, Dave and Shari made the decision to transfer his primary care to a physician in Ames, Dr. Merchant. They really trusted his physicians at Mayo and appreciate everything they have done for him, but were started to worry about the drive this winter and with his recent ER visits, decided it was best to have a doctor close to him as he continues chemo and finds a balance with his meds.

After Dave’s visit to the ER Monday, he stopped taking the Olanzipine that was making him so groggy. Although it did help him stay more alert, he continued feeling nauseous, had no appetite and it kept getting worse. By Thursday early morning he wanted to go back to the ER. They gave him fluids and rechecked his bloodwork, which came back okay. He was already scheduled to meet with Dr. Merchant that morning, so he went to that appointment from the ER. Dr. Merchant felt that taking him completely off the Olanzipine caused him to go backwards, so he decided to admit him to Mary Greeley to do some scans and see if he could get his medications balanced so he could get feeling better. Anyone who has had cancer, or cared for someone who did, knows that it is a constant balancing act with medications.

Dr. Merchant ordered an MRI of Dave’s brain (which is more detailed that the CT he had Monday) and a CT of his torso. The scans showed only one tumor in his brain but hasn’t grown and other spots were gone, most likely from the radiation. All other tumors remained the same in size but after 2 rounds of chemo that’s what he would expect. No other new tumors were found. This was as positive of news as we could have asked for! We have learned to embrace all the small victories we can as we continue riding this roller coaster.

After reviewing his medication list, Dr. Merchant is trying a much lower dosage of Olanzipine/nausea med to see if that will help increase his appetite. His hemoglobin was 8.5, which normally doesn’t require a transfusion, but they decided to give him a pint of blood just to give him a boost. He also cut back his fentanyl dosage because that can contribute to less appetite and feeling bad if too high. After some adjustments and adding some anti inflammatory meds, his nausea and pain seem better controlled for now. Dave is now going longer without oral pain meds in the hospital snd starting to get an appetite back. He is due for a chemo treatment this week, so they will do that when the doctor feels his medications are under control.

We expect Dave will be coming home sometime in the next few days, but feel very grateful for the care he is receiving now while they monitor each medication change.

Keep the prayers coming!