radiation

Nicole and I visited the radiologist last week to learn more about my treatment path.  We will continue with chemo for a few more treatments (an unknown amount at this time) and then follow with radiation.  The radiation treatment will be M-F for appx. 5 weeks.  The treatment itself is less than 5 minutes but will require me to drive to their office at I-435 & Holmes everyday.  With the construction at Metcalf is should be an interesting drive each day.

After radiation I will have a 4 week break with no treatments before I have surgery to remove the area of my colon that is/was affected.  I am guessing that this will be late Feb/early Mar but am just guessing.  I should know more tomorrow after my 11th chemo treatment.

Carter just had his 6 month b-day this past Satuday which included new pictures.  Note to self; don't go to the picture studio on a Saturday @ 1:20pm - total chaos!!  Mom and Carter are both doing great and Carter continues to grow & grow.

Cheers,

darin

Unity is Strength, Knowledge is Power and Attitude is Everything

LIVESTRONG

update/status

The chemo is reacting well to my tumor and lymph nodes....reduction in size and am continuing treatments for another 3 months...looks as if surgery may be in the JAN time frame.

I am still waiting for the results from the most recent trip to M.D. Anderson as there is still some debate on whether or not I did/do actually have a spot of cancer in my liver.  I will do my best to keep updates coming in a timely manner.

I also made a recent trip to Austin, TX to participate in the 10th Annual Ride for the Roses weekend.  I was invited because we (Tray Vedock and myslef) raised over $36,000 on behalf of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.  The weekend inlcuded a private bike ride with Lance where I rode beside him for appx 5 minutes.  It was quite the weekend and will be in my memories forever.  I plan on doing another fundraiser for next year and want to exceed the amount raised this year.

Thank you all for your support/concern/phone calls/cards and the meals prepared & delivered to us by Nicole's Tri Delta sisters.

Cheers,

darin.

Unity is Strength, Knowledge is Power and Attitude is Everything

LIVESTRONG

PET/CT results

I had a PET/CT on Monday the 14th and got the results yesterday.  All is well and the tumor is shrinking as planned.  My body is reacting well to the chemo and I will continue with several more treatments.  Another trip to MD Anderson will be scheduled in the coming weeks where I will meet with a medial oncologist and my surgical oncologist.  While at MD Anderson I will undergo a series of imaging scans for them to review and advise.

Thank you to all for your emails, letters/cards, thoughts & prayers as they are much appreciated.

Once again in the words of Jimmy V.

"don't give up, don't ever give up"

Chemotherapy

I have chemotherapy tomorrow and will continue it every other week for the next two months.  After that I will travel to M.D. Anderson in Houston, TX for further evaluation and a potentially revised treatment path depending on how my body reacts to the chemotherapy.

Regarding the Janus Charity Challenge

We are at $32,600, just $2,400 short of our goal.  Please forward the below link to anyone you know that may wish to assist us in attaining our goal.  I do appreciate the donations you have all made on my behalf.  The LIVESTRONG cause is a good one and I fully believe in what they are doing.

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=118656&supid=137183853

"don't give up, don't ever give up" - Jimmy V.

cheers,

jupe

results

Today I have received the best news since I was first diagnosed with cancer.  The biopsy results came back today and are NEGATIVE for cancer in the liver.  This "spot" is from my motorcycle wreck in 1988 was referred to as ancient calcification

I will speak with the Dr. tomorrow and will get a better idea of how we are moving forward from here.

More postings to follow…..

 

liver biopsy

I have been told to expect the biopsy results Monday or Tuesday.  The results will be posted ASAP.

The biopsy procedure was very simple and somewhat painless.  I was under IV sedation but could still feel them fishing around inside my liver.  There was a very small incision where they entered my chest for the tissue samples and is appx. 1/4" in size.

Liver biopsy

I head out to MD Anderson again on 7-11-06 and have a liver biopsy scheduled for Wednesday the 12th..  This is needed to determine whether or not I actually have cancer in my liver.  I am somewhat hopeful that the biopsy comes back negative for cancer but am not banking on it.  It's nice to get some potentially good news and am OK either way.  More to follow when the pathology results are back.

2nd opinion & fundraiser

7-6-06

I have been in Houston, TX for the past two days getting a 2nd opinion at MD Anderson, one of the premier cancer treatments facilities in the US.  My first day was very enlightening as my new surgical oncologist, Barry, said that he and his colleague could neither confirm nor deny that the cancer has actually spread to my liver. Barry is having a biopsy of the suspect liver spot scheduled and I am still waiting for that call.  He said this is the only true way to know for sure.  Barry does not like the PET/CT scan and called it unreliable at best.  He also said that he and his colleague reviewed my films/scans and said that if the spot in the liver is cancer that is would be one of the strangest looking metassis on film that was actually cancer.  This is somewhat good news but can only be confirmed by doing a biopsy.   I have undergone several tests/procedures that will create a baseline established here under their guidelines/specs.  I have one more test tomorrow and expect to return home Friday evening.  As of now it appears that I will have to return for the liver biopsy. 
There will be more to follow as I learn more from my visit.

 

 

On another note be sure to check out the below link.  This is a letter from Tray Vedock, one of the owners where I work.  He is doing an Iron Man competition at the end of this month and we are using it as a catalyst to raise money on my behalf for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.  Please take a moment to follow the below link if you haven’t already had a chance to read the letter.

 

www.skccom.com/darinjupe

 

Thank you to those of you who have already made a donation.

 

I appreciate all of the thoughts, prayers, and support.

 

Cheers,

darin

sorry for the break between updates

6-15-06

Visit with Oncologist at Research Medical Center went great – was told the cancer was contained to the colon and had not spread

 

6-16-06

My primary Oncologist called and wanted me to come in later that afternoon for an appointment.  During this visit he told me the previous Oncologist read the scan incorrectly and the cancer had indeed spread.  A small spot was detected on my liver and was confirmed by the staff over at KU Medical Center the following week.

 

6-20-06

I underwent surgery to install a PORT.  The port is a small, bulb-like device surgically attached beneath the collarbone. The port is used to give medications or to draw blood.

 

6-28-06

Went to Kansas City Cancer Center – South for my first chemotherapy treatment.  I was there for 7hours and left with a body pack that will infuse me for 46 hours with 5FU.  I feel fine, just a bit tired today (the day after my first treatment)

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Treatments/Chemotherapy/Individualdrugs/Fluorouracil

 

I leave July 4th to head to Houston, TX where I will have a 2nd surgical opinion at MD Anderson.  My schedule is pretty busy there from the 5th -7th with appointments and procedures.  They are repeating several tests that have already been performed but want to establish their own baseline.

 

My hopes are to more frequently update my BLOG but needless to say my life is a bit hectic right now.

 

In the words of Jimmy V  - “Don’t give up, don’t every give up”

 

Peace out,

Darin

Jimmy V

On March 4, 1993, Jim Valvano was awarded the inaugural Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award at the first annual ESPY Awards. Following are some of my favorite quotes from his acceptance speech.

"To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."

"It's so important to know where you are. I know where I am right now. How do you go from where you are to where you want to be? I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. You have to be willing to work for it."

"Cancer can take away all my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.  I thank you and God bless you all."

""Don't give up, don't ever give up."

courtesy of:  http://jimmyv.org/

 

Oncologist appointment today

After visiting today with the Oncologist I will now undergo a PET scan this Thurday for further evaluation of the cancer.

Positron emission tomography, also called PET imaging or a PET scan, is a diagnostic examination that involves the acquisition of physiologic images based on the detection of radiation from the emission of positrons. Positrons are tiny particles emitted from a radioactive substance administered to the patient. The subsequent images of the human body developed with this technique are used to evaluate a variety of diseases.

PET can help physicians effectively pinpoint the source of cancer. This is possible because many cancer cells are highly metabolic and therefore synthesize the radioactive glucose (sugar) that is injected in the patient prior to the exam. The areas of high glucose uptake are dramatically displayed in the scan imagery, as opposed to the anatomical imagery of CT or MRI, which cannot detect active, viable tumors.

A whole body PET scan may detect whether cancer is isolated to one specific area or has spread to other organs before a treatment path is determined.

More postings to follow.......

Once again, I will beat this!

 

thoughts of the day

Just know that I'm OK with everything that is going on and I will beat this, even if I have to go to the 10th round via TKO.   Eye of the Tiger baby!

my motto that I have lived by since my motorcycle accident in 1988:

Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you choose to react.

All will be OK.

-jupester

The start of my story

June 1st - a colonoscopy revealed I had a 7cm "apple core" shaped mass in the distal sigmoid colon

June 6th - biopsy was confirmed as cancer

June 8th - I met with my surgeon (Dr. Rex Joyce) and he laid out the plan

        - a collaborative team approach involving him, an Oncologist, and a Radiologist

        - Dr. Joyce's thoughts on treatment

                 - Start with surgery on June 20th to install a Groshong for chemotherapy

                     (http://um-jmh.org/body.cfm?id=1578)

                  - Administer radiation in conjunction with the IV drip of chemotherapy

this is all to shrink the tumor before surgery later this summer (date TBD)

All of this is not 100% confirmed as I have a Monday appointment (June 12) with the Oncologist and a Thursday (June 15th) appointment with the Radiologist.

I will continue to post so check back whenever you wish.