Our Walk With Stage IV Prostate Cancer: Wonderful Weekend!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Wonderful Weekend!

This weekend was Fred & Jana Bartlit's annual fundraiser for the Dumb Friends League which is held at their home at the Castle Pines Golf Course. This year we had a housesitter that could watch our boys for the whole weekend, so we arranged to be there on Friday to attend the Friday night "pre-event" dinner at the Country Club. The entertainment for Saturday was going to be Willie Nelson.

On the way there, we stopped to visit the motorcycle and one more section has been completed:

This is on the top of the "trunk." The eagle has his talons in a map of the United States
and his wings surrounding the United States in a protective mode.

We arrived at the golf course around 3:30 and the Bartlits put us up in one of Castle Pines Golf Course's cottages on the fairway.

So we checked in and oohed and aahed over this room and then went over to the Country Club for dinner. Jana and Fred had brought in a guy from a bird rescue organization called HawkQuest. He had 4 of his rescued birds along with their handlers. Two bald eagles, one golden eagle and one turkey vulture. He explained to our group a lot of facts about these birds that was absolutely FASCINATING. And we were invited to take pictures.

Turkey vulture. Ken explained that the reason the turkey vulture doesn't have any feathers on his head is because when he is eating a carcass he literally sticks his head into the body of whatever he is eating and the feathers would be hard to clean.

The golden eagle started to get stressed so they put the hood on him. Ken told us that these hoods are
very expensive because each one has to be custom made for each bird.

And then Ken asked if anyone wanted to have their photo taken with one of the eagles and Marshall and I each did. You saw his picture on yesterday's blog -- here's mine. I actually cried looking directly into the face of a bald eagle. How majestic. How gorgeous.

Ken was asked if any of these birds showed affection. He said for the most part, the bald eagles do not show affection, but the golden eagle can show a bit of affection. He showed us what happened when he rubbed the tummy of the golden eagle. You can't really tell, but the eagle kind of nuzzled him.

So after this presentation, we had a great dinner and went back to our cottage.

Saturday was breakfast at the Country Club sitting on the 9th hole green (I think that's how it's referred to). We went to the Bartlits at 1:30 for a pool party/lunch. Then back to the cottage for a little rest and then back to the Bartlits for the fundraiser. Cocktail hour we browsed through the silent auctions and I bid on a few things. Ended up winning one of my bids -- a basket filled with cat goodies.

Then we had an awesome dinner prepared by a chef from Buffalo Gap, Texas, who donated his time and all the food. It was delicious.

Then Fred got up and we thought he was going to introduce Willie Nelson but instead he told us that Willie was just taken to the hospital with breathing difficulties. Evidently he has emphysema and the altitude was too much for him. We are still waiting to hear how he is doing. However, I did get a picture of his bus, as well as some of the darling animals up for adoption at this fundraiser.

Willie's bus.

The good news, though, is that I think the fundraiser still raised a TON of money for animals. And more good news -- the crowd of close to probably 500 people who paid $500 a plate to see Willie Nelson, was unbelievably understanding and more concerned with the animals and with Willie's well-being than anything else. That was nice to see. Fred and Jana did an awesome job of organizing this event.

So this morning we had breakfast again at the Country Club and now we are back home with our boys.

This was one awesome weekend. It did wonders to get out of the house and do something so totally different. Cancer went to the background. Marshall had to temper everything he did with rest periods -- and he was inexplicably plagued with hot flashes all through Saturday evening -- but all in all, he did wonderfully well. He was exhausted but he had a good time.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Marshall's Story (condensed)

On 3/14/12 went to emergency room with severe chest pain (turned out to be bone pain)
3/17/12 diagnosed with Stage IV Prostate Cancer (metastasized to the bones), PSA was 49
3/29/12 Biopsy confirmed advanced cancer, with a Gleason Score of 8, PSA had risen to 95
3/29/12 Received a double injection of Firmagon hormone therapy (very painful!)
Early April 2012, within less than a week, bone pain subsided, and he was out of bed!!
4/30/12, PSA had gone down to 9! Hormone therapy changed from Firmagon to Lupron (a 3-month injection) Side effects: fatigue & hot flashes
6/11/12, PSA now down to 3.9! Considering a clinical trial.
6/19/12, decided against the clinical trial.
7/10/12, lab work done at request of VA regarding Agent Orange claim.
7/12/12, evaluation by a private doctor at request of VA.
7/26/12, visit to oncologist. PSA remains at 3.9!!! Very good news. Bone strengthener postponed for 6 weeks. Next appointment 9/13/12.
8/6/12, VA approved Agent Orange-prostate cancer benefits; Marshall is now considered 100% disabled. This decision will be reviewed again in six months.
9/4/12, passed out, chest pain, pale, sweating, clammy, rushed to hospital by Flight for Life. Doctors were unable to find a cause, but it wasn't cancer related. Left the hospital 9/6/12.
9/13/12, PSA went up to 6.6 ... depressing. CT scan, bone scan and another PSA test scheduled for 10/11/12.
10/11/12, Bone scan showed no change from prior bone scan; CT scan showed slight increase in "activity"; PSA up to 10.01. Casodex is started as well as megadoses of Vitamin D2.
10/18/12, Excruciating back pain, thought it was a Casodex side effect; oncologist says it is not SE. Went to clinic, got x-rays of spine, showed nothing, maybe hairline fracture, got injection of "aspirin" and started feeling better.

10/25/12, Lupron injection; Xgeva injection; flu shot. SE from Lupron was pain at injection site for several days.

11/21/12, PSA 10.22, Xgeva injection.

12/17/12, Kavanaugh (radiation oncologist)

12/20/12, 12/21/12, 12/22/12, first 3 radiation treatments

12/27/12, 12/28/12, last 2 radiation treatments

1/1/13, called 911, stomach pain, taking laxatives per instructions of Dr. Yeh, radiation oncologist. In hospital 3 days, diagnosed with radiation colitis. PSA 12.3. Colitis can't be treated, needs to resolve itself. Sent home 1/3. Advised that white blood cell count was low, get it retested.

1/7/13, went to clinic for lab work

1/8/13, appointment at clinic, white blood cell count heading back up but sugar very low and dehydrated. He was put on intravenous fluids for 40 minutes, felt better.

1/17/13, PSA 13.2, Vit D in normal range, Lupron shot, Xgeva shot, discontinue Casodex, white blood cell count almost back to normal after radiation.

1/28/13, went to emergency room with excruciating pain in right leg; no blood clot, no hairline fracture, no sciatica. Advised that fracture was imminent and to get wheelchair.

2/7/13, saw oncologist to get tests after emergency room visit. They do not agree that fracture is imminent and thought pain may be caused by withdrawal of Casodex. We go back on 3/1 for PSA test and discussion of clinical study of GTX (estrogen therapy) added to the treatment plan.

3/1/13, saw oncologist; PSA almost tripled to 31.06; started process to participate in clinical study for GTX-758.

3/4/13, not accepted in clinical study, bloodwork showed "low threshold" for clotting; will start Zytiga & prednisone on 3/12/13, started Zytiga with Prednisone;

3/17/13, FIRST PAIN FREE DAY IN MONTHS!

4/7/13, STILL PAIN FREE

4/8/13, visit to hospital for lab work; all good; PSA DOWN TO 10.23!!

4/22/13, visit to hospital for lab work; all good. Received Lupron shot. Xgeva will be stopped until calcium levels go up. STILL PAIN FREE.

5/8/13, lab work; all good. PSA down to 5.1. Got Xgeva shot.

6/12/13, lab work; PSA down to 1.45. Dehydrated, hemoglobin low. Need to come back in a week to re-check kidney function.

6/18/13, lab work, kidney function back to normal; need to start iron supplement for anemia caused by Zytiga.

7/9/13, PSA down to 1.04 !!!!!

7/31/13, PSA down to 0.88 (woo hoo!)

8/28/13, PSA 0.88, got Xgeva shot

10/7/13, PSA 1.28, Xgeva discontinued because of side effects

10/16/13, CT scan, bone scan, MRI

10/21/13, results of tests showed healing in the bones, no evidence of new metastatic disease

11/13/13, lab work normal, got referral to psychologist

12/11/13, PSA 2.16, doctor says not to worry

1/6/14, saw psychologist, went well

2/4/14, CT scan, bone scan

2/6/14, PSA 2.8, scans look good, CT showed healing, got Zolodex injection, still off of Xgeva

3/5/14, PSA 2.45, all lab work normal

4/7/14, PSA 4.64, lab work normal, doubling the antidepressant, saw psychologist

5/15/14, PSA 3.72, lab work normal

6/19/14, PSA 7.46, lab work normal, bone scan showed new activity in upper spine

7/17/14, PSA 9.4, repeat scans set for 8/12

8/14/14, PSA 11.23, cancer progressing slowly, may start chemo in a few months.

9/15/14, PSA 20.8, new scans set for 10/14, then we find out what happens next.

10/16/14, PSA 33, Zytiga discontinued; started on Cytoxan; radiation scheduled for early November.

11/18/14, PSA 35.6, Zoladex injection, could he be suffering from radiation "flare?" Radiation oncologist says no.

12/1/14, discontinued Cytoxan.

12/22/14, PSA 28.0, he is in nursing home for physical therapy.

1/15/15, PSA 33, scans scheduled for February

2/9/15, scans cancelled; emergency surgery to remove tumor wrapped around spine; PSA 40

3/9/15, PSA 43, spots found on liver

4/13/15, PSA 45.62, spots on liver are probably fatty tissue. We will watch closely. Continue on oral chemo Cytoxan.

5/13/15, PSA 64.9

6/4/15, PSA 65, got quarterly Zolodex injection

7/2/15, PSA 262, will get radiation and will try Zytiga again

7/9/15, Hospice.
7/22/15, R.I.P.