Thought I would give you an update on the happenings in the Wipperman household. We went to Houston last Wednesday, October 13, 2010 for a CT Scan on the 14th of October. Saw our favorite oncology team on Friday afternoon the 14th. The scan was actually better than Dr. Ravi anticipated since we had not had treatments for a period of time. The tumor is growing, but not at the rate suspected. Since Michael had been out of the hospital for only a month and had not improved very much, Dr. Ravi said he could not start the chemo again with Michael in the low state that he is. He wanted to do a PET Scan so that he could seek the advice of the radiation oncologist to see if the growth was in a location in the pelvic area where they could target with radiation since he was in no shape to start chemo again. They set us up for a PET Scan today. We were going back to Houston this morning for a scan this afternoon, but was called yesterday and told that Blue Cross Blue Shield would not approve the PET Scan and needed more information from Dr. Ravi before making a decision. So, they had put the Scan on schedule for Friday morning. Received another call from the Sarcoma dept. finance office this afternoon and said that Dr. Ravi had talked with BCBS of TX and they needed more information on Michael's cancer and past treatment in order to make a decision. So it's back to the drawing board again ......waiting for a high school drop out probably sitting behind a desk trying to make a decision as to whether my son needed a PET Scan or not in order to treat him. Right now I am on pins and needles waiting for a decision to be made by someone who probably doesn't know what Ewings Sarcoma Cancer is and how aggressive it is. If I were a betting person, I bet they would feel the same way I do if it were their son or daughter.
Michael has no stamina whatsoever. The least little bit of activity wears him out. He went with Andy this afternoon to one of his leases and he has been in the recliner ever since. We are looking to go back to Houston in the near future....they tell us it possibly could be a month before we hear anything from BCBS regarding the approval of the PET Scan.
'
I am sorry you have to listen to me vent....but I am very down tonight regarding the scan..........Looking for a better day tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Just a short update about the Wolfman. He is feeling better each day and his counts are coming up each day. We are having blood work done twice a week to keep tabs on the platelets, hemoglobin, potassium, and magnesium. The swelling in his feet has left giving him some much needed relief when he walks. He still doesn't have much of an appetite.....he has gone from 248 lbs on September 13th to 203 lbs on September 28th.....so you can imagine how swollen he looked. His kidneys are working great and his creatinine count is 2.9 as of yesterday. The doctors told us it probably would not get under 3.5 any more, but we have witnessed another miracle. I am so fortunate to have a son with such a wonderful attitude regarding his illness. There are days it is hard for me to realize my son has cancer, but then there are days that I could crash. But with the support of the town of Olney, it is much easier to hold your head up.
Some of you may be unaware, but some of our friends in town have had t-shirts made for purchase to support Michael in his fight of this terrible disease. They say " 'Team Wipperman' with God all things are possible" on the front and on the left sleeve they have Michael's initials with a wolf. They can be purchased at the First National Bank here in Olney for $15.00 .....Dianna Kunkel is the contact there. The medical expense account has been activated once again to help with medical expenses to and from Houston. Small town living is wonderful and we are proud to call Olney HOME. The past 18 months have been rough, but with the help of our friends who are like family to us, have been made easier because we have not had to worry about financial expenses for meals, fuel, etc. This Friday beginning at 9:00am the town will be having a bake sale for Michael to help with Medical expenses at the First National Bank.
The food that has been brought to the house has been delicious. Michael has a standing order with the Hubbards for brisquet and sausage and Zola Mae Owens for mac and cheese. Thanks to everyone.....
Our hearts are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love from our friends and family. There are no words that can describe our heartfelt thanks for everything our friends have done. The monetary donations, prayers and calls are abundant.....and we can only say God Bless You and we love each and every one of you.
I was praying for a cure for Cancer, but now I am specific in praying for a cure of the cancer my son has residing his body.....Ewing Sarcoma. I think God wants us to be specific, so this is my prayer each hour of the day.
Some of you may be unaware, but some of our friends in town have had t-shirts made for purchase to support Michael in his fight of this terrible disease. They say " 'Team Wipperman' with God all things are possible" on the front and on the left sleeve they have Michael's initials with a wolf. They can be purchased at the First National Bank here in Olney for $15.00 .....Dianna Kunkel is the contact there. The medical expense account has been activated once again to help with medical expenses to and from Houston. Small town living is wonderful and we are proud to call Olney HOME. The past 18 months have been rough, but with the help of our friends who are like family to us, have been made easier because we have not had to worry about financial expenses for meals, fuel, etc. This Friday beginning at 9:00am the town will be having a bake sale for Michael to help with Medical expenses at the First National Bank.
The food that has been brought to the house has been delicious. Michael has a standing order with the Hubbards for brisquet and sausage and Zola Mae Owens for mac and cheese. Thanks to everyone.....
Our hearts are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love from our friends and family. There are no words that can describe our heartfelt thanks for everything our friends have done. The monetary donations, prayers and calls are abundant.....and we can only say God Bless You and we love each and every one of you.
I was praying for a cure for Cancer, but now I am specific in praying for a cure of the cancer my son has residing his body.....Ewing Sarcoma. I think God wants us to be specific, so this is my prayer each hour of the day.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11.2010
I wanted to write a note and tell everyone where we are in the roller coaster ride. First of all, we had the scopes done yesterday afternoon after a 4 hour dialysis procedure that morning. Things are looking up somewhat, and with God grace, we may get to come home next week sometime. I am physically and mentally exhausted and really thought I was hold up pretty good until today and have had a hard time trying to concentrate on anything I try to do.
We had a colonoscopy and and upper GI yesterday after receiving a bag of platelets. Our platelet count was 40 day before yesterday and 27 yesterday. After they transfused the platelets they immediately took him into the unit to do the scopes. He was really scared since he had been passing blood for the past 2 1/2 weeks. The doctors (3) who did the scopes are supper nice guys and really make Michael feel at ease. After they completed the scopes the head surgeon came out and told me that he had found the cause of the bleeding and it was very rare. I told him that didn't surprise me that my son was pretty rare as well. They found that he has Mallory Weiss Tear which is a tear in his esophagus from vomiting so much and so hard.
He was also diagnosed with Ischemic colitiS. I have added what these two conditions entail as it is very difficult to make sense in my own words what they are. Long story short...they anticipate that time will correct both problems.
Ischemic colitis is a medical condition in which inflammation and injury of the large intestine result from inadequate blood supply. Although uncommon in the general population, ischemic colitis occurs with greater frequency in the elderly, and is the most common form of bowel ischemia.[1][2][3] Causes of the reduced blood flow can include changes in the systemic circulation (e.g. low blood pressure) or local factors such as constriction of blood vessels or a blood clot. In most cases, no specific cause can be identified.[4]Ischemic colitis is usually suspected on the basis of the clinical setting, physical examination, and laboratory test results; the diagnosis can be confirmed via endoscopy or by using sigmoid or endoscopic placement of a visible light spectroscopic catheter (see Diagnosis). Ischemic colitis can span a wide spectrum of severity; most patients are treated supportively and recover fully, while a minority with very severe ischemia may develop sepsis and become critically ill.[5]
Patients with mild to moderate ischemic colitis are usually treated with IV fluids, analgesia, and bowel rest (that is, no food or water by mouth) until the symptoms resolve. Those with severe ischemia who develop complications such as sepsis, intestinal gangrene, or bowel perforation may require more aggressive interventions such as surgery and intensive care. Most patients make a full recovery; occasionally, after severe ischemia, patients may develop long-term complications such as a stricture[6] or chronic colitis.[7]
We are still struggling with roller coaster blood counts. He is suffering quite a bit today from the neupogen shots he has been receiving daily for his low white blood count which is very important regarding his immune system. Once his white blood count starts going up, it will help with the red blood count and the amount of platelets. I did not realize how important one count was to the other counts, but when one is out of whack, everything is out of whack. His bones feel like he has the flu so they are injecting pain medication to keep him from suffering so much.
His kidneys are improving daily and hopefully we can have the catheter removed for the dialysis before we come home. His feet are swelled so bad the look as if they are going to burst. It is very hard for him to stand on them.
All the doctors have asked me if I really knew how sick my son was when he was airlifted to Houston and I told them I did. They cannot believe he is the same person they saw the first day he was here. God is good and we give him all the glory and honor for the turn around that Michael has made.
Keep on praying......
Terri
We had a colonoscopy and and upper GI yesterday after receiving a bag of platelets. Our platelet count was 40 day before yesterday and 27 yesterday. After they transfused the platelets they immediately took him into the unit to do the scopes. He was really scared since he had been passing blood for the past 2 1/2 weeks. The doctors (3) who did the scopes are supper nice guys and really make Michael feel at ease. After they completed the scopes the head surgeon came out and told me that he had found the cause of the bleeding and it was very rare. I told him that didn't surprise me that my son was pretty rare as well. They found that he has Mallory Weiss Tear which is a tear in his esophagus from vomiting so much and so hard.
He was also diagnosed with Ischemic colitiS. I have added what these two conditions entail as it is very difficult to make sense in my own words what they are. Long story short...they anticipate that time will correct both problems.
Ischemic colitis is a medical condition in which inflammation and injury of the large intestine result from inadequate blood supply. Although uncommon in the general population, ischemic colitis occurs with greater frequency in the elderly, and is the most common form of bowel ischemia.[1][2][3] Causes of the reduced blood flow can include changes in the systemic circulation (e.g. low blood pressure) or local factors such as constriction of blood vessels or a blood clot. In most cases, no specific cause can be identified.[4]Ischemic colitis is usually suspected on the basis of the clinical setting, physical examination, and laboratory test results; the diagnosis can be confirmed via endoscopy or by using sigmoid or endoscopic placement of a visible light spectroscopic catheter (see Diagnosis). Ischemic colitis can span a wide spectrum of severity; most patients are treated supportively and recover fully, while a minority with very severe ischemia may develop sepsis and become critically ill.[5]
Patients with mild to moderate ischemic colitis are usually treated with IV fluids, analgesia, and bowel rest (that is, no food or water by mouth) until the symptoms resolve. Those with severe ischemia who develop complications such as sepsis, intestinal gangrene, or bowel perforation may require more aggressive interventions such as surgery and intensive care. Most patients make a full recovery; occasionally, after severe ischemia, patients may develop long-term complications such as a stricture[6] or chronic colitis.[7]
We are still struggling with roller coaster blood counts. He is suffering quite a bit today from the neupogen shots he has been receiving daily for his low white blood count which is very important regarding his immune system. Once his white blood count starts going up, it will help with the red blood count and the amount of platelets. I did not realize how important one count was to the other counts, but when one is out of whack, everything is out of whack. His bones feel like he has the flu so they are injecting pain medication to keep him from suffering so much.
His kidneys are improving daily and hopefully we can have the catheter removed for the dialysis before we come home. His feet are swelled so bad the look as if they are going to burst. It is very hard for him to stand on them.
All the doctors have asked me if I really knew how sick my son was when he was airlifted to Houston and I told them I did. They cannot believe he is the same person they saw the first day he was here. God is good and we give him all the glory and honor for the turn around that Michael has made.
Keep on praying......
Terri
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9,2010
Sorry I haven't posted anything on the blog in a few days. Things are beginning to look a little better from Houston we thought. We have slowly improved since we started dialysis, but things are still not really good. We were to have some scopes done this afternoon. He drank 1/2 gallon of the colon prep solution GoLYTELY last night and has not had anything to drink or eat since 10PM last night. We got up this morning and went to dialysis and came back thinking we were going to have the scopes done. Much to our surprise, the GI doctors came by and said that the platelets had bottomed out again and were not high enough to have the scopes done this afternoon. So guess what, another night of the wonderful drink "GoLYTELY" beginning at 6:00pm and nothing to drink or eat after that until after the scopes are completed tomorrow. Hopefully in the morning. This has been one more trip. I am so tired of this place. This little 12X14 room is beginning to get the best of me. I am looking forward to seeing my bed. We have been told that they may kick us out of here next week.....depending on what the counts do between now and then. We appreciate your continued prayers for Michael and I am looking forward to bringing my son home. When I left Wichita Falls on Monday after the ambulance crew left the hospital with him, I really had a doubt that I would ever talk to him again, but God is so good to him and we give Him all the glory and praise for this another miracle in Michael's life.
August 23, 2010 to September 1, 2010 Our Roller Coaster Ride
This has been one week that I wish I didn’t remember. On Monday, August 23, we began our second week of chemo in Wichita Falls. We were taking the IV chemo that we had taken several cycles before with the addition of an oral chemo called Temador. We thought Michael was tolerating it pretty well until we took diarrhea and vomiting on Monday, August 23, 2010. We were not feeling real well when we went to see our oncologist that morning and he authorized us to continue the chemo for the second week. Tuesday wasn’t too bad with the diarrhea and vomiting, but Tuesday evening things got pretty bad. Michael was sick all night Tuesday evening and was just a little scared and slept with me. We didn’t get but about 1 hour sleep that night. Talked about taking him to the emergency room in Olney that night, but decided we would be going to get chemo on Wednesday morning and we would make them aware of Michael’s sickness. The diarrhea got so bad, we had to stop at Target and buy clothes before we could go on to the cancer center.
Michael could not walk he was so week, so we wheeled him in to the center and he was immediately place in a bed. Counts were low on Monday, but extremely low Wednesday. When we saw the doctor he sent us directly to the hospital next door where Michael was admitted. They immediately started pumping his body with fluids to stop the diarrhea and vomiting, but had no success. By Thursday morning he was throwing up bile and his stool had some darkness to it. They called in a kidney doctor as his output was not good, and an infectious disease doctor. Ran some cultures on him, but was unable to determine any infection so they started him on a broad spectrum of antibiotics. Wednesday night he was given some phenergan IV injection and had an allergic reaction to it and he was so bad I didn’t know if he would make it or not. They called the doctor four times during the night because of his condition.
Saw our oncologist on Thursday and was told that another oncologist would see him on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday while he was away. Michael continued to lose ground through the weekend and on Sunday; the kidney doctor suggested we put him on dialysis as his kidney function was bad. At that point, I contacted Dr. Ravi, our oncologist at MD Anderson and he said to have one of the staff at the hospital in W.Falls get in touch with him immediately, which we did. They advised me we would have Michael transported to Houston on Monday which I agreed.
On Sunday afternoon, they transfused a unit of platelets to Michael and he had an allergic reaction to them and had whelps come up all over his body. His body was on fire and he was clawing like he had poison ivy. We finally got him calmed down and he slept most of the night due to so much Benadryl . This whole two weeks, he had not eaten solid food. He was getting weaker and weaker.
To make a long story short, he was transported by a medical airplane from Ok City and took him to Houston where his medical team met him at MD Anderson. He was placed in CCU where they observed him until Tuesday afternoon and they moved him to a private room. Had a pretty good afternoon on Tuesday and Tuesday night he started bleeding. They have give him numerous units of platelets and blood and the diarrhea has slowed down and the vomiting has stopped, but the kidney function is less than 10%. We will start dialysis on Thursday morning, and when his counts are high enough he will have some scopes done to see where the blood is originating. Hopefully when his platelets come up, the bleeding will stop.
God is so good and has performed another miracle in Michael’s life. Please continue to lift him up in prayer as we are going to get through this with God as our Great Physician.
Michael could not walk he was so week, so we wheeled him in to the center and he was immediately place in a bed. Counts were low on Monday, but extremely low Wednesday. When we saw the doctor he sent us directly to the hospital next door where Michael was admitted. They immediately started pumping his body with fluids to stop the diarrhea and vomiting, but had no success. By Thursday morning he was throwing up bile and his stool had some darkness to it. They called in a kidney doctor as his output was not good, and an infectious disease doctor. Ran some cultures on him, but was unable to determine any infection so they started him on a broad spectrum of antibiotics. Wednesday night he was given some phenergan IV injection and had an allergic reaction to it and he was so bad I didn’t know if he would make it or not. They called the doctor four times during the night because of his condition.
Saw our oncologist on Thursday and was told that another oncologist would see him on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday while he was away. Michael continued to lose ground through the weekend and on Sunday; the kidney doctor suggested we put him on dialysis as his kidney function was bad. At that point, I contacted Dr. Ravi, our oncologist at MD Anderson and he said to have one of the staff at the hospital in W.Falls get in touch with him immediately, which we did. They advised me we would have Michael transported to Houston on Monday which I agreed.
On Sunday afternoon, they transfused a unit of platelets to Michael and he had an allergic reaction to them and had whelps come up all over his body. His body was on fire and he was clawing like he had poison ivy. We finally got him calmed down and he slept most of the night due to so much Benadryl . This whole two weeks, he had not eaten solid food. He was getting weaker and weaker.
To make a long story short, he was transported by a medical airplane from Ok City and took him to Houston where his medical team met him at MD Anderson. He was placed in CCU where they observed him until Tuesday afternoon and they moved him to a private room. Had a pretty good afternoon on Tuesday and Tuesday night he started bleeding. They have give him numerous units of platelets and blood and the diarrhea has slowed down and the vomiting has stopped, but the kidney function is less than 10%. We will start dialysis on Thursday morning, and when his counts are high enough he will have some scopes done to see where the blood is originating. Hopefully when his platelets come up, the bleeding will stop.
God is so good and has performed another miracle in Michael’s life. Please continue to lift him up in prayer as we are going to get through this with God as our Great Physician.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
We started our new round of chemo yesterday in Wichita Falls at the Texoma Cancer Center. Saw our Wichita Falls oncologist and then to chemo. Received word that the MRI taken last Thursday did not show any cancer in the knee. We are so thankful. Started the oral chemo of Temador and then through IV's we got the Ifosfamide, Irinotecan, and Vinicristine. The only new one is the Temador and we think maybe it is the one that is causing Michael's loss of appetite. Yesterday was a rough one, but think the sickness was from them having to try to hit a vein so many times before they actually got one that wouldn't leak. The iv chemo causes killing of the tissue around the place of leakage if it leaks, so we definitely have to be careful so that the iv doesn't leak.
We are so thankful that we found the new little activation of the sarcoma when we did as we can get a handle on it.
We will be making daily trips to Wichita Falls Monday through Friday of this week, next week and then will have a couple of weeks off before we start the next cycle. We are scheduled to go back for scans the end of September, but will probably have to reschedule since we are going to have two weeks off chemo instead of one as planned.
We are so thankful that we found the new little activation of the sarcoma when we did as we can get a handle on it.
We will be making daily trips to Wichita Falls Monday through Friday of this week, next week and then will have a couple of weeks off before we start the next cycle. We are scheduled to go back for scans the end of September, but will probably have to reschedule since we are going to have two weeks off chemo instead of one as planned.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Well, the CT Scan was done this morning to see about the situation in Michael's right let. We had it done in Wichita Falls and they will mail it to Houston for Dr. Ravi and the radiologist there to read it. We are to begin round 1 of 2 of the new chemo on Monday if we get the oral chemo pills. So far they have not been ordered or shipped to us. I guess i am just an over anxious mom wanting to get the ball rolling to kill out this stuff.....I am working very hard in trying to swallow my pride for this weekend....Michael has asked to do several things and I am really not comfortable in doing some of them, but am trying to swallow my pride so that my son can do some things that other boys his age have done. Please pray that God will give me some peace and allow me to swallow my pride and let my son experience some things he wants to do.
I will tell you about it next week. It is a surprise for Michael so will have to wait until it has happened.
Terri
I will tell you about it next week. It is a surprise for Michael so will have to wait until it has happened.
Terri
Friday, August 6, 2010
We traveled to Houston on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 for scans. We were 300 miles from home and received a call from MDACC that BCBSTX would not approve the PET Scan that our oncologist had ordered. They would approve a CT Scan, but not the PET Scan......cheap insurance company! We had the CT Scan last night about 8:00pm and when Michael came out of the scan, he told me, "Mom I just feel like something is wrong." Don't know if he heard them talking about the scan or what,but he was definitely a little worried. We met with Dr. Ravi this morning and he advised that the scan showed some active sarcoma in the pelvis area again and we told him about the on and off pain Michael had experienced in his right knee area. He immediately went to schedule a MRI for that leg, but couldn't get one done until next Friday, August 13, 2010. So we got a x ray of the knee and he wrote orders for us to get it done in Wichita Falls next week and to start chemo again asap. So we faxed the orders to Dr. Reddy in Wichita Falls to start asap. We have been on the mountain top for the past 3 1/2 months, so God saw that we were a little less dependent on Him and thought we needed some discipline. We are continuing to trust in Him for another battle and know that He is in control.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Thought I had better take the time to post on the blog. We have had a very busy summer. It is very hard to do anything outdoors as the heat just nearly wipes Michael out. He has gone through a week or two with pain in his back, and we were really scared, but seems as though it is lessening daily so feel is is probably some sore muscles. The least little bit of pain will really get me worried. It is wonderful to get back into the swing of things. Life is so much better when things are pretty much normal if you can call it that.
We are so excited for Christmas and then January to get here as we have scheduled a Carribean cruise out of Galveston for the 8th of January. I will have some mixed emotions about the cruise and this is something that Marc and I talked about taking before he passed, but Michael is excited and the time will we wonderful as we make some memories. We will be traveling to Cozemel, Progresso and then back to Galveston. Michael is very interested in history so we thought a tour of the Ruins in Cozemel would be something he would enjoy.
We will be leaving next week to make our trip to Houston to visit Dr. Ravi and Nurse.
This week we plan to go to the Ranger game on Friday night with some friends from Olney and spend the night. Go Rangers!
It is so nice that God has blessed us with Michael's good report and he can enjoy some things. He has never been much of a person to want to do any sightseeing, but God has opened his eyes and he is now ready to enjoy what God has given us. It is sad that we have to go through what he has been through the past year to make us realize the beauty that God has laid before us.
Hope you all are having a wonderful summer and rested for another good year at school. We are ready for some cooler weather but then we would be wanting it to warm up. Have a blessed week.
We are so excited for Christmas and then January to get here as we have scheduled a Carribean cruise out of Galveston for the 8th of January. I will have some mixed emotions about the cruise and this is something that Marc and I talked about taking before he passed, but Michael is excited and the time will we wonderful as we make some memories. We will be traveling to Cozemel, Progresso and then back to Galveston. Michael is very interested in history so we thought a tour of the Ruins in Cozemel would be something he would enjoy.
We will be leaving next week to make our trip to Houston to visit Dr. Ravi and Nurse.
This week we plan to go to the Ranger game on Friday night with some friends from Olney and spend the night. Go Rangers!
It is so nice that God has blessed us with Michael's good report and he can enjoy some things. He has never been much of a person to want to do any sightseeing, but God has opened his eyes and he is now ready to enjoy what God has given us. It is sad that we have to go through what he has been through the past year to make us realize the beauty that God has laid before us.
Hope you all are having a wonderful summer and rested for another good year at school. We are ready for some cooler weather but then we would be wanting it to warm up. Have a blessed week.
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