Gradual improvement is happening.  Kerry says he's molting -- leaving a trail of skin flakes wherever he goes. Most of his mouth sores are better. Food tastes pretty normal.  Kerry is glad have 2 weeks to recuperate before the next treatment.

Maggie                                                                      

Home again

Kerry got home around 1 pm.  Peter was delighted to see Kerry walk in the door -- as he said in the get well card he sent his Dad, it was "very lonely around the house without [him].  There is nobody who will actually beat me in pingpong."  Seth will also be happy to see him tonight when he gets home from the play he is teching for today.

Now its just time to sleep and recuperate.  He's firmly established himself on the futon couch with the dog on his lap giving comfort in the only way she knows how.

Day 5

Today was a day of sleep and recuperation for Kerry.  Though he was scheduled to have 3 more doses of Interluken 2, he did not receive any.  His vital signs and labs were all fine, but the nurses felt he was just too wiped out to have any more. Apparently this is a common occurrence with Interluken 2.  Rarely do  patients get all 14 scheduled doses.  Kerry had 11 of the 14 possible doses. (If  a patient misses a dose, they don't make it up at the end.)  Though this seems disappointing to me, they assure us that this just means the meds are working. And for those of you who want details, the itching is about stopped and his skin is red and starting to peel.  So barring any new developments, he will go home tomorrow afternoon where he will only have a spouse and 2 teenagers to bother him instead of several nurses.

Maggie

Day 4

Today was the day of itchiness.  One of the side effects of Interluken 2 is the effect on the skin which makes it feel sunburned and very, very itchy. He looks like he's been out on the beach all day -- and is now dealing with the after effects.  Despite several oral medications, including Benadryl, and lots of lotion -- the itchiness persists.  The itchiness is primarily on his trunk and makes it really hard for
Kerry to sleep.

He's now had 10 out of 14 doses. Only one more day of treatment to go -- then they will keep him in the hospital for an additional day or 2 until the effects of the treatment subside some.

Half Way Mark

Kerry completed 7 of his 14 doses of Interluken 2 today. He is tolerating it pretty well -- still feels feverish a few hours after the dose, but they are now giving him medication which has stopped the chills. Major pastime is sleeping -- or at least trying to sleep. During the day, there's always a friend or family member here -- and plenty of nurses to prod him and give him meds around the clock.  Seth thought he should have the banjo at the hospital and play it in his free time.  Kerry had to explain that other patients may not feel the healing power of the banjo the way that he does.

For those of you that know about the severe neck problems Kerry has had the last couple of weeks, I wanted to mention that his neck is substantially better.

Thanks for all of your kind thoughts and deeds.  We have felt well supported with meals, cards, e-mails, and friends to spell me at the hospital.

Maggie

The treament starts

Yesterday Kerry started his first day of treatment with Interluken 2 (IL2) in Providence Cancer Center here in Portland.  Its a nice newish facility just a few blocks from our house.  He is in Room 711.  The treatment consists of  getting the IL2 three times each day at 7 am, 3 pm and 11 pm.  He gets IL2 through a port in his neck and it takes about 15 minutes for them to drip it in. The first 2 doses went quite smoothly with the only side effects being a bit of a flushed feeling.  Dose 3 came with some chills that started about 2 hours after getting the IL2 and subsided with the help of warm blankets and Demerol. (Kerry says that one of the nicknames for IL2 is Shake N' Bake.) They are also giving him Advil and Tylenol to stave off aches and pains and chills and fevers -- in addition to an antibiotic to prevent an infection in his port.  

This definitely is not the place to come to rest.  I haven't kept track -- but it seems like someone comes in at least every 15 minutes and they have all been very nice and professional.  They check his vital signs every 2 hours, give him his meds every few hours, and bring him meals. They also come in to take him to the bathroom since his is not allowed to get up without a nurse.  One of the side effects is low blood pressure and they don't want him passing out in the bathroom (so far so good) -- but there's nothing like the pressure of having a 20 something year old nurse stand there watching you pee.

He succeeded in amusing the nurse when we checked in. When asked about his religious beliefs he said he believed in Bluegrass and when asked if he had any special cultural practices, he confessed that he believed in the healing power of the banjo.

Last night the kids came to the hospital for awhile and we all watched a bit of NCIS.  Peter was very impressed by all of the equipment they have -- much of it very colorful. 

Kerry asked me to pass on that the side effects so far are not horrible and have all been managed well. When I am not here, we have friends who have volunteered to come in and sit with him.  Its nice to have someone here to be his advocate -- get him water, get the nurse to bring warm blankets, put on a new DVD or get him his Ipod. Our friends and family have been amazing -- sending moral support, food and love.  Thank you all so much.

Tues. 2/14

Greetings friends!  My endoscopic ultrasound last wednesday was like most endoscopies - a brief nap at the end of a long fast.  Despite the bright spot on the PET scan, there was nothing found on the ultrasound or biopsy, so suddenly I was down to 3 tumors.  This morning I had a Gamma Knife treatment to address a small, 14 mm tumor in my right frontal lobe. If you ever need one, Dr Steven Bader is your man - competent, caring and funny.  The procedure focuses 192 columated beams of cobalt-generared gamma rays on an area as small as 4 mm. (No one has yet been able to tell me where the smoke goes.) Since the energy is divided by 192, the tissues not in the focus area receive very littlle radiation.  It is painless and very quick, except for the part where they screw the indexing box to your skull.  That stings a bit. So now I'm down to 2 tumors.

I plan to start Interlukin 2 (IL2) next monday the 20th. It will entail being in the hospital 5 days at a time with IV treatments 3 times a day, 2 weeks at home to recover and then a second round.  If the melanoma responds, by getting smaller or at least not growing, I will get a total 6 treatments  The side effects include the usual nausea and fatigue, but also blood pressure problems and arrhythmias.  If I don't get a response, there are numerous other treatments - some FDA-approved, most experimental.  I have complete confidence in my oncologist, Dr. John Smith,  We are fortunate to have trmendous melanoma expertise in Portland, and the new Providence Cancer center is quite pleasant. That's all for now, I have pulmonary function testing, apt. w/ Dr. Bader and , PT in the morning.  My spirits are good and my family is here.  My profound thanks to those who have provided meals and those who are taking care of my patients in my absence.  Kerry

                                "The Paddler with the Sucker, and the Plucker with the Pucker!"

2/18

This all started on January 18 when after some abdominal discomfort Kerry's doctor ordered an ultrasound.  They found a large tumor in his liver.  A followup petscan and a biopsy showed that the melanoma he first had 9 years ago has returned.  He  has a total of 4 tumors -- in his liver, back muscle, brain and esophagus. 

The current plan is to treat the brain tumor with gamma knife (a type of radiation), treat the back muscle tumor with radiation, and start chemo on 2/20.  The treatment, Interluken 2, is pretty nasty and requires him to be in the hospital for 5 days.  Then out of the hospital for 2 weeks and then back in the hospital for 5 days for another treatment. If it seems to be effective, this month long treatment will be repeated 2 more times with a month off between treatments.

I'll try to give updates once a week to let you know how things are going.