The Battle Has Begun!

The above photos show my new friend PEG and me. If this visual is too graphic, don't look at it but it is what it is. Just a FYI: definition of PEG--A percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (PEG tube) is generally placed into a patient's stomach as a means of feeding them when they are unable to eat. Now you can see why it is called PEG. The result of the PEG insertion has been considerable pain, much worse than I had anticipated. It is very difficult getting in and out of bed due to the intrusion into one's stomach muscles. However, today is Friday and I feel much improvement.

Yesterday was a BIG day. Diane and I were working on flushing out my PEG tube when the Cancer Care Center (CCC) staff called to say they wanted to meet with us and possibly begin radiation. There was some concern that the tumor was beginning to obstruct my breathing and, therefore, delay the start of treatment. We were scared. But after a brief visit, the decision was made to begin radiation immediatly, so I had my first treatment at 1 p.m. yesterday--the battle begins. As they bolted me to the table, I listened to Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" and "Appalachian Spring"--a CD I brought from home. This first session lasted 45 minutes. And folks, it is not fun as I can't move my head at all. It is so tight that when I come out my face looks like waffle iron. They cut a piece out of the mask over my right eyebrow as it was actually restricting blood flow. Hey, one down, 34 to go!!!

Next stop was oncology. I will have chemo on Fridays after radiation. I will always begin with 2 hours of liquids including a mild steroid and anti-nausea medicine via IV. Then I'll have 3 hours of Cisplatin--the chemo cocktail of choice for my treatment. Side effects were discussed. Then Diane and I toured the chemo room which looks like a Lazy Boy sales room. Can you imagine me sitting in a chair for 5 hours? Not actually, as I am allowed to walk around the room if I take my "cocktail" with me. Every Thursday, including yesterday, I will have blood drawn to make sure my white and red cells and hemoglobin are at the appropriate levels.


The next stop was visiting a nutrionist. Maybe it was just the length of the day, but to sit there and hear that I will be ingesting 9 cans of product per day through PEG was tough. This just seems overwhelming. But absolutely the right decision to have PEG because within the next couple of weeks, I will not be able to eat at all. Currently I eat very little and get my nutrition in calories through Ensure Plus and Boost. The ride home was tough due to informational overload and as usual my ear prevented me from getting any good sleep last night. Hooray for Diane as she managed to sleep pretty well which she hasn't been able to do the last week or so.


A quick bit of information. When all of this began, I had very minimal ear pain. But I did have some so put that down as a cautionary sign as the ear pain is referral to the cancer as it affects the nerve to my ear. Just something to keep in mind: persistent and unexplained pain means something.

It's 7 a.m. and time to head out to Burlington for a new part of this odyssey. We'll be on the road quite a bit and if you'd like to reach us, Diane's cell is 309.313.2106 and home is 309.836.9481.

Good God, Gordy Taylor is having chemo today!!! I'll be listening to "West Side Story."