Journal entry by Kayla Geister —
Yesterday was the long awaited appointment with Dr. Raflores, dad's oncologist. We got the results of his bone biopsy as well as the results of the PET scan. The news was not favorable.
The most important information we learned from the bone biopsy is that his diagnosis has changed from pancreatic cancer with metastasis to Stage 4 Small Cell Lung Cancer (the most aggressive lung cancer) with metastasis to liver, kidneys, stomach, small intestine, lymphatic system and bones. He does have a tumor in his pancreatic tail, but at this point, they don't know if it is a metastasis, or if it is a secondary cancer. They could do a biopsy, but it is a delicate process, so they are going to hold off.
With all of this news, dad was given a prognosis of 2 weeks to 9 weeks without treatment. As you can imagine, this hit dad hard. And me too. So he asked when we could start treatment and Dr. Raflores told him she wanted to start tomorrow (today). With the treatment that she outlines, if he responds well, and the cancer responds to the treatment, we could get up to a year. 🤞
This chemo is designed to be a heavy hitter. Carboplatin, Etoposide and Tecentriq. Each round consists of 3 days of treatment, then a shot to boost his white blood cells and then 21 days of rest. If he responds well, there will be 4 rounds of this. Between rounds 2 and 3, there will be a CT scan to check for shrinkage. If he is able to do all 4 rounds, then he will come in for maintenance chemo. This will only buy time. He will lose his hair. He will get very sick and be very fatigued. I had the quality/quantity conversation with him. He wanted to just try one round and see if he can do it. We are hoping/wishing/praying that his cancer responds to the treatment and that he can handle it. We want a lot more years with dad, but watching someone you love suffer is one of the most devastating experiences. And it is one that I didn't think I would have again so soon after being my mom's caretaker. But, I truly believe it is the highest honor to care for those who once cared for us and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Now, so far today, we've been trying to manage his pain. Of the chemo drugs, he's gotten the Tecentriq so far. He's so uncomfortable because the cancer is everywhere in his bones - skull to both femur bones. It's hard to keep him pain free. But we're trying. We're also trying to find things he can eat and keep down. Which is also a delicate process. But us Dell's are resilient, and slightly stubborn, so we'll keep at it, for as long as it takes.
I will update again soon.
▪︎Kayla▪︎
The most important information we learned from the bone biopsy is that his diagnosis has changed from pancreatic cancer with metastasis to Stage 4 Small Cell Lung Cancer (the most aggressive lung cancer) with metastasis to liver, kidneys, stomach, small intestine, lymphatic system and bones. He does have a tumor in his pancreatic tail, but at this point, they don't know if it is a metastasis, or if it is a secondary cancer. They could do a biopsy, but it is a delicate process, so they are going to hold off.
With all of this news, dad was given a prognosis of 2 weeks to 9 weeks without treatment. As you can imagine, this hit dad hard. And me too. So he asked when we could start treatment and Dr. Raflores told him she wanted to start tomorrow (today). With the treatment that she outlines, if he responds well, and the cancer responds to the treatment, we could get up to a year. 🤞
This chemo is designed to be a heavy hitter. Carboplatin, Etoposide and Tecentriq. Each round consists of 3 days of treatment, then a shot to boost his white blood cells and then 21 days of rest. If he responds well, there will be 4 rounds of this. Between rounds 2 and 3, there will be a CT scan to check for shrinkage. If he is able to do all 4 rounds, then he will come in for maintenance chemo. This will only buy time. He will lose his hair. He will get very sick and be very fatigued. I had the quality/quantity conversation with him. He wanted to just try one round and see if he can do it. We are hoping/wishing/praying that his cancer responds to the treatment and that he can handle it. We want a lot more years with dad, but watching someone you love suffer is one of the most devastating experiences. And it is one that I didn't think I would have again so soon after being my mom's caretaker. But, I truly believe it is the highest honor to care for those who once cared for us and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Now, so far today, we've been trying to manage his pain. Of the chemo drugs, he's gotten the Tecentriq so far. He's so uncomfortable because the cancer is everywhere in his bones - skull to both femur bones. It's hard to keep him pain free. But we're trying. We're also trying to find things he can eat and keep down. Which is also a delicate process. But us Dell's are resilient, and slightly stubborn, so we'll keep at it, for as long as it takes.
I will update again soon.
▪︎Kayla▪︎
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