Donations

The family has been asked where we would like any donations to go. Based on how awesome the hospice service was, how unique the people are there, and how much compassion they showed us, we would like to ensure they are fully funded to continue to give this awesome service to those who need it. Therefore if you would like to make a donation in the name of Jim Raymond to the Franciscan Health system in Tacoma, WA you may do so by following this link:http://www.fhshealth.org/Ways_Give.aspx

Thank you,
Jeff

Obituary

Born 16 December 1949, in Bellingham, WA; Jim Raymond was a career Grocery Manager having a positive impact on all he managed in Bellingham, Seattle, Kingston, Bremerton, Shelton, and Purdy. He attended and graduated Sehome High School (Bellingham) as well as the University of Washington (B.A in Business). He guided his family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances in the importance of character and had a love of people, the outdoors, billiards and horses, he was a true cowboy. He loved his wife Sherry (6/25/94) and was a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jim was diagnosed with Lung Cancer on March 30th and passed away on 30 July at home. Jim was able to be surrounded by, and say good bye to, all of his friends and family. He passed away at peace, during his sleep. He leaves behind his Father: Jack Raymond. Sisters: Jan (Jim) Morell, Judy (John) Cunningham. Wife: Sherry Raymond. Children: Dustin (Skylyn) Noble, Angie (Travis) Maze, Jeff Raymond, Shannon (Eric) Stanton. Grand Children: Jaycie &  Meadow Noble.  His mother, Juanita Raymond passed before him. Christian burial services will be held Friday August 5th at Stone Chapel: 22272 Foss Road NE, Poulsbo. Jim will be laid to rest at Bay View Cemetery in Bellingham.

Arrangements for Friday

We would appreciate it if you could bring your own folding chairs.
Can bring blankets to sit on, whatever you choose. We are going to
enjoy the day with family and friends. More info to follow.

Pictures, music, pictures

hello again.

Figured I'd send this one out separately as it's pretty simple.

We need any and all pictures that you'd like to be shown at the funeral to be sent to my email: jefflraymond@gmail.com. In addition, any songs that bring fond memories of Dad would also be appreciated.

Thank you,
Jeff

Praise

Good afternoon and Happy Sunday world,

We have booked funeral services for this upcoming Friday, August 5th at 1pm at the Poulsbo, Stone Chapel. We are confirming on Monday.

22272 Foss Road NE
Poulsbo, WA 98370
(360) 779-4474

here is the link for directions: http://www.lewischapel.com/_mgxroot/page_10795.php

We will be doing a reception after the funderal at Sherry's house. Pot Luck style. Our goal is to not be stressed so we are looking for anyone and everyone who would like to assist in the reception. Some ideas that we need help with are:
1. chairs outside
2. main courses
3. bbq
4. desserts
5. snacks
6. salads
7. trash duty
8. yard games for kids
9. setup
10. clean up, clean up, clean up

It's going to be a party, that's how Dad would have wanted it so come on over, and let's start making some great memories together!

The family is doing well locally and I wanted to pass that on to you all. Thank you for giving us space these last few days. We have needed it. I think Monday would be fine for calls to begin. The biggest thing we afraid of during calls, is having to repeat the same story over and over....so let me take this time to let you all know how it happened:

Friday night was a very tough one, as Dad was feeling quite a bit of pain and discomfort. Sherry called Hospice and they had her administer morphine. He quickly calmed and was out of pain. Sherry reported that Dad had been speaking in his sleep and when he awoke she asked him who he was talking to, he replied "everyone." I personally believe this is the point at which Dad had one foot in heaven and was being greeted and one foot on Earth. His earthly body was trying to hold on to him, but his spirit was very much at peace and was ready to be accepted at his reception in heaven. Later through the night Sherry reported that he kept lifting his hands to the sky, as a child would do for a father to pick them up, and then lowering them again. Sherry was up at 3am watching him and she called Shannon to assist to ensure he was comfortable. At 0840 AM Dad took his last breath and passed away in his sleep. It was 4 months to the day that he was diagnosed. His last words to Sherry were "I Love you"...

the day was filled with grieving, lots of crying, but also relief. None of us enjoyed seeing Dad suffer and all of us know where he is at. The evidence he left us only confirms that which we believe. Locally we celebrated his life with a great mexican dinner and a whole lot'a margarritas.

For some of us there was an even more special moment. I'm honored that he allowed me to be there but I also want to proclaim it to the world that this morning at 1204 AM Dustin Michael Noble, my brother, accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Loard and Savior. Having confessed his sins, realizing that he needs Jessus's help to change, and repenting from his ways, all in the presence of his wife and I. I am truly honored, and couldn't be more proud of him. In his own words "the evidence was just all around."

It was a great day to be a Raymond!

Love you all
In Christ,
Jeff

Passing

I'm sorry to announce that on 30 July 2011 Jim Raymond Passed away.

We were told only yesterday that the time was getting close, we just didn't know how close.

We ask that you be considerate of our time and realize that everyone will want to call the house right now or visit. We simply cant handle all of that right now. We just need some quite time as we make final preperations.

Thank you to everyone.

Dad is with Christ now and gets to begin the next part of his journey.

We will be making funeral service arrangements and will post them here. Please pass on to whomever you like.

Still and always In Christ,
Jeff

Home Coming

Good evening everyone,

Haven't been able to update the blog since last Friday, my apologies.

Dad came home on Sunday. We have Hospice setup in the house and they are totally awesome.

Have had some great visits lately and Dad is totally at peace.

We are still limiting the number of visitors coming at one time as it is simply too much for him to handle. That said, we want to ensure that anyone who wants to come by does. Please let Sherry or I know.

He's stable at the moment but coming out of the hospital he did drop quite a bit on the time left scale. I'd estimate his timeline is shorter than 5 months and this is supported by the view of the Hospice nurses as well.

I can't emphasize enough that if you need to say something or hear something from Dad that you make arrangements to do so now.

Thank you all for your posts, prayers, and love.

In Christ,
Jeff

This Cancer is a blessing

To date I've done a great job of letting you all know how much we hate this cancer. I have to apologize becuase it wasn't until Tuesday that I realized that this cancer is actually a blesssing.

Some of you may be saying "Jeff how can you even say that." Well let me tell you why.

Cheated:
First, when this began I felt cheated. There are so many things that I wanted to do with Dad...I'm sure many of you felt the same way and now I won't. But it wasn't until a mentor helped me understand that seldom, very very seldom, do people ever get a chance like this. To hear Dad realize his situation and then pass on his guidance, his final lessons, his memories, to hand over the torch, and to be able to be witness to all of this is nothing short of a once in a lifetime opportunity. Many deaths occur quickly, suddenly, with no chance to do these things. Now think about this...since Dad has had cancer, how many good thoughts have you had of him...how many instances have you remembered that special time, how many times have tears of joy come to your eyes as you remember those times, and then have them turn to tears of grief. Wow! what emotions, what an experience. So I'm missing out on what "I" wanted, what "I" expected, and what "I" thought "I" needed, but have now realized that God knew better and instead of giving me what "I" wanted, he has given me what "he" wanted and what "he knew" I needed. Simply Amazing...Cheated you say...no...not cheated...blessed!

Our Faith
I've been able to witness something great in Dad and that is the growth of his faith in Jesus and his understanding of where he is going. To see him change from questioning if he's going there to knowing he's going there...to have him ask me the questions about what the bible says about death, to see his soul start to be joyful about the next step. I read a book given to me that had a fantastic metaphor for this...imagine you are back in the days of the American Colonies. On one side of the ocean in England there's a group of family members who are saying goodbye to a person. As they say goodbye they cry, the are sad to see them go, as the ship sails away towards the horizon the cry out for them to come back, only to realize they don't have the ability to stop the ship once it as left port. They realize quitely that they have said goodbye for the last time and then the ship is over the horizon and the person they loved is gone, out of their sight. But there's another group of people that the other family members will never see...it's the American Colonies, excited, rejoicing to see that ship coming over the horizon. They have been waiting patientl to see it coming. Years they have waited. And then one day, they see the tip of the mast, the watchmen calls out and lets the town know that the ship is in site. The town gathers as the ship gets closer. The docks are overwhelmed with people excited to see who is on board. The town is a buzz as they prepare a feast to celebrate the new comers arrival. The ship docks and the passengers grief of missing their family back home is replaced by the excitement of what lies ahead. Of seeing the new faces, of seeing the old faces of those that have arrived earlier then they. What an experience we are witnessing folks...and this, this metaphor is what our faith in Christ is all about. I have no doubt that God is in heaven right now crying, scratch that, he's not in heaven, he's in the hospital room as I witness Dad falling asleep to a harp player, he's here, crying, loving, watching over him, ensuring that Dad has everything he needs to be taken care of as he's shown his way to his ship. Amazing...freakin awesome! Our faith is awesome and you can feel it...tangibly, like a pulse going through your body. Amazing

Dad's baptism and then cancer:
it wasn't until yesterday that I realized that Dads cancer began almost immediately after he was baptized (if you do the math). Pretty interesting if you think about it. The words of Paul came to my mind when I realized that Dad has run his race. He has completed all the things that he needed to complete and for that God has awarded him with a beautiful trip to Heaven. The Highway to Heaven you might say. I can see God telling Dad...Jim, you've done great all of your life, you are amazing, I was just waiting for you to come back to me so that I could bring you home. And now, now that you finally allowed me to come into your life, I'm overwhelmed with happiness and I want to give you a gift...I want to have you come home early. Some might think that being a Christian is easy, and that this kind of stuff isn't supposed to happen to us. Dad knew the risk (i know he did because I told him that the reason I believe Jesus is he right way is because becoming a believer doesn't make your life easier, it makes it better, it's a hard road. I also told him that you can expect to be attacked by the enemy as soon as you accept Christ as your savior) and he still decided to accept Christ. In Dad's own words "I couldn't imagine doing this without Christ here with me." Amazing!

the way that this will happen will let him pass away in his sleep:
the nurses for hospice have helped many, many people go through this situation and they have it down to almost a science. they described to us the methods by which Dad's passing will occur and quite simply Dad is going to get something that many of us have hoped for...to die in our sleep. Dad's body will slowly start to shut down as the cancer takes over. he'll get more and more tired, until he eventually sleeps most of the day. the drugs provided through Hospice will ensure that dad is in no pain. with Hospice in the house we are provided professionals who will ensure that when Dad does pass that all of his family is there to be with him. So honestly, who wouldn't want to pass away in your sleep, surrounded by the ones you love. Awesome!

He'll be able to say goodbye and we'll all be able to say goodbye:
Now don't get me wrong, that's going to be really hard for us who are left behind to deal with, but how awesome is it that we get to talk to him all the way through, to hear from him, to get it all out, and to see him go and be completely at peace with him. I encourage you all to do this, to talk to him about the things left "unspoken." Now is the time. This is truly a once in a life time event for many of us.

This was on my heart today as I came into the hospital and I felt compelled to share it with the world. I no longer view this as a bad thing, instead, we (the Raymond's) are dedicated to making this one of our lives most beautiful, emotional, life changing experiences that any of us has ever felt, or seen, or heard of. Our faith in Christ is what allows us to see this, to do this, to deal with this. I hope you hear his words coming through to you as I have, becuase I am filled with hope now and that is truly, truly amazing.

Yours in Christ,
Jeff

A word from Dad

I'm sitting here with Dad and he has asked me to dictate the following message for all of you:

-----message begins-----

I want to let you know that I have entered the hospital due to the following reasons previously
I want to thank everyone at Harrison for getting me back on my feet and taking such great care of me!

I'm pretty much looking forward to going home, and with the help of the Fransican group hope to make that a smooth and comfortable transition.

I like to thank everyone who has stopped by or has sent cards/notes/etc during my stay and throughout this entire journey.

for those that may read this someday...I want you to know that when something like this occurs you really need to trust in your heart and in your faith to lead you in the right direction. 

God bless you all for your continued support!
In Christ,
Jim

Hospice Scheduled to Begin

The time has come for us to start Hospice (not becuase the end is tomorrow but because we want Dad to enjoy every day from here on out to the best of his ability and we need help to do that).

Everyone that has mentored us has told us this is truly a God send type of service and the people in Hospice are freakin awesome! So, Tuesday we met with the pallative care doctor and as of today the order has been issued for Dad to enter home based hospice when he leaves the hospital (scheduled for Sunday, Hospice to begin on Monday).

Hospice will be provided by the Fransican Hospice Group based out of Tacoma, you can read more about this type of care and the provider by following this link:
http://www.fhshealth.org/Services.aspx?id=82&menu_id=10&submenu_id=56

We are so very excited to have Hospice in the home! It provides:
1. A Registered Nurse who visits up to three times a week
2. A dedicated social worker who helps the care givers and family by setting up counseling, training, home care support (people who come take care of Dad when we are out), and other compassion based services
3. A 24/7 phone support group to call and ask questions or get medical info from.
4. Volunteers who come help around the house
5. Transfusions, Medical Equipment, showers, etc, etc

Basically Dad is going to get spoiled rotten, Sherry will be able to spend less time worrying and more time enjoying, and family and friends can rest assured that he's surrounded by people who care and a group of professionals dedicated to his well being spritually, emotionaly, physically, and mentally.

Of course this does mean that the journey towards the end of Dad's life has truly begun. we are blessed to have such experienced professionals that we have basically been given a road map to the end. It is a truly awesome thing to see such high levels of human compassion shown during this time.

Priority # 4 removed

We met with the Pallative care Doctor on Tues and had a fantastic 2 hr conversation regarding the next steps in Dad's journey. She listend very attentively and showed more compassion that I even knew was possible in a human being! These folks are truly angels...Pallative care/Hospice is the care given to terminal patients that increases their dignity, helps the family, provides the in house care, and support we need to give Dad the best days he can ever get...we are really blessed to have this team of folks working for us.

Anyway, point being, this is it for Dad's strength...unforunately his strength will never return and in fact will continue to decrease with every passing day. Our goal now isn't to get it back, it's to conserve what strength he does have to use at the proper time...aka efficently.

So what does this mean for everyone:
1. no large groups of people at the house at any one time (please cooridnate with either Sherry or myself to ensure that this doesn't occur.
2. when you do visit, this is your time to offer the help and assistance that we all want to provide. Offering to get things and encourage him to just enjoy your company is something that Dad is being coached in by the physical therapist and nurses.
3. He'll start to get more and more sleepy and the times between rests (being awake) shorter and shorter. You may come to visit and he'll be sleeping, plan accordingly and please don't get upset. we are on his schedule now...so again please plan accordingly

Not fun to talk about, not fun to say, but needs to be said kind of stuff. I know everyone reading this message totally understands but I guess I just needed to put it out there.

Our Priorities are:
1. Brain MRI
2. Deal with the severe constipation
3. Deal with and solve his lack of appetite
4. Deal with his strength
5. Determine where all the blood he is getting has gone

Priority #3 solved

Well, Dad has been presribed Dexamethason which is pretty much the "wonder drug" if you ask Dad. it's a steriod and while it does have some pretty hefty side effects....well, those don't really matter to Dad any more...so bring it on baby! He's walking on cloud nine and feels really good. the "dex" as we call it gives him a euphoric feeling as well as an appetite.

combine the Dex with Marinol (aka Marijuana in pill form) he is finally getting an appetite. This is our metric for success on this priority. Combined these two drugs with the treatment for the constipation and Dad is eating very well again and that is helping quite a bit. He's talking more and is more alert than he has been almost since this whole thing started back in March (March...wow, this has moved so quickly).

this morning Dad even ate some donuts and coffee with me and that was really cool. Of course I'll put on 10 lbs from it but he can eat as many as he wants

Our Priorities are:
1. Brain MRI
2. Deal with the severe constipation
3. Deal with and solve his lack of appetite
4. Deal with his strength
5. Determine where all the blood he is getting has gone

Priority #2 Solved

well, it's the dirtiest one of them all and I'm happy to report that Dad's Constipation is now "resolved"...think BOOOOOMMMMMM LOL

really had a "fun" night the other day and is now able to eat without that feeling of being full all the time.

Really great to hear and we are continuing to work on finding a combination of treatments for his bowls that will continue as we go home and ensure this doesn't occur again. Part of this hospital stay will be to figure this all out.

Our Priorities are:
1. Brain MRI
2. Deal with the severe constipation
3. Deal with and solve his lack of appetite
4. Deal with his strength
5. Determine where all the blood he is getting has gone

Answer to Priority #1

The Brain MRI was completed on Wed and the results are back....the Brain is clear of all cancer! This is good news and means the Nausea Dad feels is not due to brain metastatsis.

We also had a spine MRI done and it shows no transfer of cancer into his spinal fluid which is also great news.

Our Priorities are:
1. Brain MRI
2. Deal with the severe constipation
3. Deal with and solve his lack of appetite
4. Deal with his strength
5. Determine where all the blood he is getting has gone

Answer to priority #5

Today we met with Dr. Murphy at 0730 and discussed the days plans. He will get enemas today, two MRI's (brain and lower back) and they found out why his blood is MIA.

So remember what I posted just earlier this morning regarding our five priorities. Number five was to find out why all the blood he was getting was going through him so quickly. Through a series of blood tests they found that Dad is suffering from (due to cancer) hemolytic Anemia...see this link for more info: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001597/

What that means in my simple guy terms is that his body is pulling apart his red blood cells. So they should normally last up to 120 days but now they won't last nearly as long (more tests will figure out full extent).

This IS treatable. Using steroids he the effects will be tempered and thru infusions he will have more energy. We knew last night that he'd need to get infusions through the end, now we know why...nice!

Answers are coming

Thank you Jesus,

Jeff

Bad News

good morning world,

yesterday was a very tough day for us so it's time for another blog entry. Sorry for such a long delay in postings but I wanted to let you know that the reason for that is that we were pretty much doing fine until about a week ago.

Bottom Line Up Front: We have received comparison PET results from Dad's original PET scan to one done after chemo series 1 completed and have found that not only was the chemo not effective but the cancer in his bones has spread further into his spine and is now moving into a rib.

How did we get here: about two weeks ago we got the new PET scan and decided to put chemo on hold until we knew if it was working or not. Dad's condition has steadily deteriorated since that time. His pain level has increased and as of yesterday morning he was at an 8 out of 10 (10 being the pain he felt when he first went in back in March). In asking Dad what he felt was going on before we got the PET scan results he felt that the cancer was spreading as well. No totally huge surprise there. His appetite is gone and we are only able to get him to drink two ensures a day and about three glasses of water (totally inadequate, but all we can muster). He is severely constipated due to the opiate drugs that he is on and potentially some other chemo/radiation related issues. He was also very anemic.

Where are we at now: Dad has lost another 10 lbs in two weeks and can no longer get out of bed or his chair without help. We decided to go into the ER yesterday morning to address the severe dehydration, anemia, constipation, pain, and to get a new brain MRI. Why the new MRI? because he has started to get nausea 5 weeks after chemo has completed and the oncologist is worried that, even though the previous scan was negative, that the cancer may have finally moved into the brain (this, by the way, is a very common place for lung cancer to go). I've already broadcasted the really bad news up top but this piece of info is critical in determining the timeline of how much time does he really have left and what do we need to watch for. Dad was in ER for most of yesterday and was admitted to Harrison Oncology Ward (2 West) around 6pm and will be there for quite a few days.

Treatment plan: First, we have a new oncologist, Dr. Ann Murphy, who is based out of Poulsbo (almost right down the road from Dad's house), you can read more about her by following this link: http://www.harrisonmedical.org/home/doctor/ann-e-murphy. Let me tell you, she is totally a breath of fresh air and has really helped us to understand where we are at in the journey. Chemo is on hold indefinitely as Dad will be undergoing a strong series of tests starting this morning and lasting a couple of days while in the hospital. The idea isn't to track down where the cancer is, but instead, to find out what is causing the pain he is in so that we can attack that, if this were football it would be the equivalent of shifting from offense to defense. What we are trying to defend is his quality of life for the time remaining. Brain MRI, lower back MRI, urine tests, blood cultures, etc, etc...he'll be getting the works.

Our priorities right now for Dad's QL (quality of life) are:
1. Brain MRI
2. Deal with the severe constipation
3. Deal with and solve his lack of appetite
4. Deal with his strength
5. Determine where all the blood he is getting has gone

Items 1-4 will be figured out in the days to come. Item 5 was partially answered yesterday when we met with Dr. Murphy. Dad has "more than likely" become permanently anemic and will require transfusions for the rest of his life. This condition is due to the amount of radiation that he required in order to reduce his pain level in the lower back and pelvis regions. Since so much bone surface area was radiated, and since once bone has been radiated (in doses that Dad required) it no longer produces blood correctly this condition has resulted.

When items 1 thru 4 on the QL list are addressed Dad will come home. Most likely we will find out that the cancer has spread (1), that he will need medication for his constipation (2), that he will need medication for his appetite (3), and that his strength will return to some "better than now" level but will only last a short while (4) due to the spread of the cancer.



How much time do "I" have: For those of you who do not live in the local area i believe you will have approximately two to three more trips possible to visit and say your goodbyes :-( We can't handle any visitors this weekend, but starting next week I'd ask that you coordinate with Sherry or Myself to ensure that we can make the visits work and that you can have quality time. Once Hospice has been brought in they will be here to the end and are a critical part of knowing how much time we really have left (it's what they do). They will ensure that no family member will be absent for the end and Sherry and I will pass on all information asap as we have done in the past and continue to do today...you will all be kept in the loop.

My cell phone is 360-304-3055, you may call at any time. If I do not answer please leave a voice  message. my email is jefflraymond@gmail.com.

Finally: God has been so good to us through this entire experience, our family and friends have gotten closer. Stories of love and happiness abound. All of our prayers have been answered except the healing and this is obviously not Gods will. You all are answered prayers in Dad's life!

Take care, and until next time,
In Christ,
Jeff

How can i help: letters, emails, communications, stories, phone call, memories, etc. These are the things that Dad would like to hear and that help him cheer up. They are warm! and he needs that. Doesn't mean there won't be some tears, but that's what he needs. My suggestion is no cards, but instead if you can't make it here, write down your thoughts so he can read them.  for those that like to cook a word of warning: his taste buds are shot, even his most favorite of dishes now taste like "old sandpaper." So if you do cook, which he will appreciate, please don't be surprised or offended if he doesn't like it. We have to keep looking for new ways of putting flavors together to help him eat so it's no small challenge. I"d suggest smaller size dishes, but multiple dishes to allow him variety. But even with all of that he still may not like it.

Chemo Series 1 Completed

What a big day and a big milestone.

Dad completed Chemo Series #1 of 3 today and we received good news. It appears to be working!

They track a chemical called ALK PHOS as the amount of this chemical in your body is a sign of cancer growth. Dad's was very low before cancer (old blood tests) and skyrocketed once he was diagnosed (the new blood test). It is now trending downwards (slowly but surely). Not much to get excited about but we'll take all we can get (remember the fight isn't with cancer, it's to live every day to the fullest) and celebrate the small things.

So to celebrate I took dad out to get some fresh Tereyaki Shrimp and Chicken, and we had a beer and watched a movie! nice!!!

We had some questions going into this treatment and here are the results of those Q&A
1. dad has gotten a little louder at night (lol, sleep apnea)..is this a problem..No
2. The previous sessions blood test showed abnormally high sugar levels close to being diabetic...is this a problem...No, while it was high it isn't diabetic high and is most likely a result of taking the steroid dexamethason.
3. His voice and sinuses are acting up constantly...is this a problem...no, his white blood cell counts are up which is normal for cancer patients so he's probably fighting a small infection/flu/cold/allergy etc..most people wouldn't be affected but due to the chemo he is weakened and therefore is impacted
4. Dr Kim is leaving this month so when will our last appointment be and who will be the new doctor...today was the last appointment with Dr. Kim, Dr. Churchilla will be the new doctor and he met with her today...very nice
5. what are the next steps since series one is completed...get imaging done...confirm results...start series 2 adjust fire as needed
6. when will the imaging be (two weeks from now)
7. when will the next series begin (three weeks from now, same schedule as right now)
8. Blood work results...hemoglobin was very low, White Blood Cells was very high, Red blood cells were low....as a result Dad was administered a drug that helps the blood marrow develop more hemoglobin on it's own...if it works he won't need a transfusion like before
9. Due to the good news and the lowered pain level dad was directed to start weaning his way off of the drug meds, he is now down to only two 5mg prescribed Oxycodones per day (remember only 6 weeks ago he as at 20mg, 3 x a day.

Dad had great spirits today and was giving the nurses a hard time, all in fun. Laughing and enjoying the environment and people as best as he knows how.

That's about it. Thanks to all of you for your prayers...keep them coming...we serve a great God, scratch that...we serve and AWESOME God!

In Christ,
Jeff

Just another day

Well, another day past chemo S1R2 and things are making a turn upwards.

As you know the first week after chemo is the hardest as you have to go down before you go up (or better said "things always get messy before they get better"). Dad is doing well and with the exception of a pulled neck muscle is feeling relatively good.

He was able to get out on the porch yesterday and take a little stroll to get the muscles moving and remind them that they can in fact do stuff :-). Sat in the sun and wore his hat to keep the ol' cue ball from turning to the 3 ball (which of course is red).

I'll be heading home today so will post more if anything happens in between my rotations but otherwise stand by for the next post to occur after Chem S1R3 which is the last of this first series...that means only 6 weeks left until we find out how this all went.

Dad is a clean man now (meaning no hair on the top side) and since that has been done you can really see the resemblence between the two of us...so due to popular request...here is the picture of the clones.

As always I want to conclude by saying how grateful we are for all of you and your prayers, as well as how thankful we are to serve such a marvelous God.

In Christ,

Jeff

Chemo Series 1, Round 2 (S1R2)

Well, came to the doctors clinic this  morning at 0845 and got the labs done, visited with the doc, and are now getting the chemo going. Dad is doing great. His blood cell counts are up, he feels better than he did 3 weeks ago when his first chemo treatment was, and his pain level is down.

Bone pain is there, but much more manageable then before. He's down to 5mg of Oxycotine 2 times daily, a third mid day if needed, and 2mg of Dilaudid as needed (max twice per day)...which is a huge change from the 20mg of oxy 3 times a day with dilaudid in between and 10mg of Dexamathoson on top of that...so looking really good

Wanted to put a big thanks out to everyone who has helped out around the house. It's great having the chores done and is a huge stress relief to Dad and Sherry. So THANK YOU

Dad is starting to look more and more like me now (hair)...having fun with him on that one. lol we really are the clones now. If only i could donate my fat to him to help put the weight back on LOL LOL

His vitals are good, pulse is high but doc took an EKG and thinks its just becuase his body has lost so much weight and muscle, so no concern there. Weight has stablized at 152lbs.

All in all things are looking great! God has been gracious and answered all of our prayers. Pain is down, suffering is down, chores are getting done, insurance is working, and the sun even came out today.

In Christ,
Jeff

Hospital Stay

Good evening everyone, or morning to those of you on the other side of the planet.

Wanted to give everyone an update on how Dad is doing.

As you know he had his first chemo treatment last thursday. He is doing ok, but we had some pretty rough learning to do. Even though Dad has been eating regularly and drinking normally he still got extremely dehydrated. When we saw the Oncologist on Tuesday he admitted Dad to the hospital to go on fluids and receive two units of blood becuase of the dehydration.

Dad was discharged today from the hospital (only two nights) and is now home.

It's very stressful going through these roller coaster of emotions. On Tuesday things were looking really bad. Really bad! but then we got the news that oh hey, it's just dehydration...wow, from the low parts to the high parts. What a ride. Basically anything that we used to think was strange, abnormal, or dangerous is now just the new norm.

Wanted to say thanks to the church group for coming over and scouting out the list of chores we have. Also wanted to say thanks to John and Evy, for helping around the house and always stopping in to say hi.

Finally, and as always, I wanted to say thank you to Jesus for having answered more of our prayers and for putting all of you in our lives. This is not a journey that I would wish on any of our enemies but it's one we are in and I'm thankful that he has given us the strength, family, and friends to do it.

We don't have control over our time, but we do have control over how we use it. I've been working on trying to answer this question...perhaps you could reply with what you would do...the question is...if you only had 24 hours left to live, how would you spend it, what would you do, who would you do it with...how would you live every moment to its fullest potential? The reason I ask this question is becuase honestly I don't know how to live every moment, or every day to it's fullest. Perhaps there are more of you out there that may feel the same now that Dad has given this opportunity to learn the lesson?

To get those juices flowin'...here is a picture that makes me think of some things I'd like to go do again...you might recognize that strikingly hansome man on the right:

In Christ,
J. Raymond Jr., Jr.

Chemo Confirmed - it's game time

We received word that the insurance company has approved Dad's chemo treatment so in less then 24hrs we will start that portion of this journey.

I can honestly say that I never thought I'd have to prepare Dad for Chemo as I was growing up. But here we are. It's a very solemn occasion to be briefing Dad on chemo and providing his meds to prep for it. Tonight he got an extra nice dose of Dexamethason to prepare him for chemo (5x original dosage) and will get another 5x dose tomorrow morning.  I'll admit...it was not fun delivering it to him especially since he had to go all day without it and was in extreme pain....huh...extreme, if only we could all understand what that meant to him right now. Does extreme mean "on a scale of 1-10" or does it mean "I can't roll over in bed without it feeling like I just ran a mile." Funny how situations change our perspectives isn't it?

Dad and I watched Pale Rider tonight...a totally awesome Clint Eastwood Western. Brought back a lot of memories of riding in the mountains with Dad and learning how to be a cowboy from one of the toughest around. But watching the old westerns with Dad was totally awesome.

Soooooo...a lot of you have asked if you can help and well, the time has come for me to ask for help. We have some things to do around the house this weekend and those of us here now are a little tapped as far as time, energy, and emotion go. If anyone out there is willing to come by and help out we have some basic chores that need to be done and your assistance is appreciated

We need to:
1. pressure wash the lower area of the home
2. have a wood stacking party...Sherry is in charge because she loves doing it
3. If anyone has a moss thatcher we need to do that too
4. If anyone knows someone who wants to buy a F250 we are selling dads for $3000 Obo, we need to get that up on craigslist
5. I have a small address sign that needs to be fixed
6. Some boxes to move in the house
7. Pressure wash the downstairs cement
8. we need help selling their property in Tenaskit, WA...any recommendations or expertise, or interest are welcome
9. I could use someones help to scan all of our medical documents in for record keeping purposes
10. I need Shannon to take Sherry out and have a blast on the town so maybe someone could make Dad dinner on Friday and Saturday night? Also need people to go out with them and P A R T Y Sherry is totally awesome and right now, a good break is in order...she'll deny it all day long, and those of you who know her, know exactly what I'm talking about, but it's time for her to go get pampered, party hard, have fun with the girls, drink a beer, go shopping, or whatever it is girls like to do (one can only fathom LOL)
11. is someone good at trimming fruit tree's without killing them, because I'm not, so if you have time, we could use the help.
12. Cherry and Lemon Marange pie are always welcome


Well, we aren't normally the ones who go out asking for help but after the emotional stress of today and what we will be going through tomorrow...I really don't have a problem asking :-)

Beyond that I have two closing remarks (well one question and one remark)

first, tonight it occurred to me that maybe, juuuuust maybe, Dad has impacted your life in someway...I think it would be a great thing if you could post at least one comment to this post as to how Dad has impacted your life.

second, tonight while helping Dad (in that emotional state I was in) I heard the rain come down and God had me pause and realize that the rain drops i heard were his tears and they were pouring out for Dad. For some reason that thought brought me peace. God IS with us. God IS with Dad. And that simple notion, that simple reference, and that loud sound made me realize how deep God's love runs for us!

No matter what Dad goes through, it pales in comparison to what Jesus went through. In 48hrs Jesus will be crucified for my sins, for Dad's sins, for your sins and in three days hence he will rise again. His resurrection is the ultimate victory, the ultimate assurance, and the ultimate sacrifice. Make this Easter more than bunnies and candy, Easter was never meant to be that anyway. Instead, recognize and see the truth...Christ was, Christ is, and Christ has risen!

Thank you to John today for helping take care of some chores around the house...you are truly appreciated!

In Christ,
Jeff

Chemotherapy delayed

Chemo was delayed until thursday, insurance still needs to approve the procedure...ahh bureaucracy

He was walking quite a bit today. He felt better but was not able to get comfortable in any position for extended periods of time.

On a really positive note, radiation series number 1 completed today! We should start to see positive results within 6 weeks time if not sooner.

Thank you for the love,

In Christ


Ps ...He has risen!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Chemo Therapy Plan

Good evening everyone,

Brain MRI Results show no cancer in the Brain!!!! Thank you Jesus!

Dad will start Chemo Therapy on Tuesday.

Treatment will include two treatments:
1. Monclonal therapy
2. chemo therapy

Monclonal therapy includes: Avastin

chemo includes two drugs: Paclitaxel (aka Taxol), Carboplatin (aka Carbo).

Treatment begins on Tuesday and will continue for 9 weeks (1 treatment every 3 weeks for a total of 3 chemo treatments)

I'll post updates as we get treatment.

Love you all

In Christ! Hooah

4/11/11 A Good Day

Slept in this morning and it felt good. I got up and took the morning pills and got dressed for the day. Fixed a simple breakfast and enjoyed. Check the e-mails and hope to see you Sunday Andy. Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. It was bath day and I had to get ready for an extra radiation treatment as they had been missing a spot on my right hip. Treatment today was about an hour due to the change but it will be worth being able to sit upright comfortably again. Sherry is home and we are getting ready for dinner so that is a wrap for this Monday. I am surrounded by great group of friends and family as i continue my journey. Thank you all Love Jim

Oncology Appt #2

I hate this Shit! Cancer F*^$ing sucks and when i get to heaven I'm going to personally go down to hell and Kick Satan's ass (me and the entire army of God)!

yeah, that about describes this day.

Soooooo.....this ain't easy so lets do it together.

Saw the Oncologist today for appointment number two where he provided us the results of the PET scan. Bottom line up front (BLUF): Dad's cancer is lung cancer and it has spread to all the major bones in his body. We are thankful that we now know the full extent of it's spread with one exception...the brain. We will have an MRI scan next week to confirm that.

Dad will start chemo therapy on 4/19. Treatments will last about 4 hrs and will be done once every 3 weeks. He has started his xgeva bone medication which is meant to halt the consumption of his bones by the cancer. This is the first Smart Bomb...so Nuke it baby...Nuke it. The cancer has more than likely been with him for at least 12 months and has already weekend his bones to the point where his pelvis has fractured because of it.

The goal of the chemo is to strengthen his bones but even with the chemo the best and most statistically accurate (note the usage of the words) is anywhere from 6-24 months. Anything over 24 is a gift at this point. no...wait...everything from now on is a gift, we should all be so lucky to truly understand that. Perhaps this is a lesson that we all have observed in our lives but never truly learned...there is a big difference you know; between lesson observed and lesson learned.

Our plan going forward is to fight the battle of trying to enjoy every day to the fullest extent possible and to improve his quality of life. This diagnosis will change his lifestyle. We aren't looking back (except for the good times) we are only looking forward and trying to find new ways for Dad to get out and enjoy life.

On the family conference call tonight I brought up the importance of realizing the true extent of the situation Dad(we) are in. In the military we had an acronym that helped us understand the physcology of what people go through when faced with this type of situation. The acronym is D.A.B.D.A. I bring it up so we can all be aware of the range of emotions we are going to feel and I want to encourage anyone reading this blog to express those feelings as they manifest to the ones you love and recognize that it's happening to you. We want it to happen so that everyone can get to the acceptance phase and we can move forward as a family as friends. I also want to encourage everyone to go have a great cry....I'm looking forward to the time when I can finally sit down and just let it out. Please don't hold your emotions in, it doesn't help anyone. Don't worry about having to be strong, just call and talk to Dad and if you cry then that's awesome! We need more of that. Compassion heals the soul and brings people closer to one another.

Well anyway, sorry for the little soap box but I care for you all and I care for Dad the most out of all of this and it's truly is in our best interest to express our emotions...that's it now :-) soap box is done. lol

Alrighty...if you have questions...call...call, call, call. My cell is on. If I don't answer, just leave a message and i'll get back to you asap!

Still and Always in Christ,
Jeff

Radiation Treatment (S1N2) & PET

phewwwww....we are exhausted! We started this morning and just got done not more than an hour ago. We had to go to Tacoma today to get a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan. The procedure involves injecting a nuclear (becuase it's radioactive) chemical cocktail that contains Flourine and Glucose. Basically the cancer absorbs the sugar more rapidly then the normal body cells so when the scan is completed the cancer will show up like a christmas tree. After the injection you get to sit for 45min by yourself with no talking or thinking (pretty much impossible for Dad LOL). After that they did the scan with the machine below...

They did a detailed lung scan and then they did a full body scan; total time for the appointment was 2hrs. Afterwards we hit Burger King and had some milkshakes (booyah) and then we went back to the scanner facilities and grabbed the CD with the imagery on it.

After that we rushed back to Poulsbo to get S1N2 and that only took a few minutes. No ill effects from either event today.

Becuase he wasn't able to take his full set of meds this morning Dad did feel a little more pain than he has been feeling. He's also had some night sweats over the past few evenings.

By the way, please ensure you review the Q&A page for a list of all the questions that have been submitted and answered.

In Christ

Radiation Treatment (S1N1)

a very good day for Dad.

We started the day trying to get into the meds regimen, he ate a great breakfast (cereal and toast/peanut butter with some coffee), we then went to the Radiologist at the Peninsula Cancer Center. We met with the Nurses and Dad was put through another CT scan. This one is part of what they call a "simulation" where they basically take the data to create the treatment plan/model.

We left there and came home where Dad had a great lunch (meat loaf sandwich). Throughout the day he also had two ensures...I say all this not becuase I want to share his daily meals but becuase it's an indication that his appetite has returned. :-) This is important becuase if we go into the Chemo he'll need all the strength he has. So things are looking up there.

We returned to Radiation Therapy at 2pm and it took about 45 minutes for them to complete the "simulation" which consisted of taking another "quick" CT scan and then a series of very specific XRays to compare with the earlier CT scan that had been marked by all the appropriate PhD's to ensure Dad is getting the right treatment. Once the comparisons were done the radiation therapy was given to all the areas of his spine. It's amazing how accurate they are now a'days less then 1mm of accuracy...which is awesome! Certainly made me feel good as I watched "mission control" launch Dad into radiation therapy.

The care at the center is fantastic...they really make us feel welcomed, they show a ton of compassion, and encourage any family and friends who want to know more to come by and ask questions...really felt good there.

Side effects of radation include nasuea and fatigue. Dad should start to feel pain relief very soon. But of course, this depends. (I hate that answer but I've come to accept it)

In Christ

Prayer meeting

If you'd like to pray for Jim please join us tomorrow at 6pm pst.

Call 18884826001 use the code 4936817 when prompted

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Oncology Appt #1

Well, thanks for all the great prayers folks...God has answered our prayers.

going into today we wanted to know what the cancer is, how long he's had it, and what the path forward is. In addition we also wanted to find a way to reduce the pain he is feeling in his back.

God answered!

Today we met with the Oncologist Dr. Kim...we all felt pretty comfortable with him. He reviewed Dad's files and his imagery (Xray, CT Scan, MRI), he gave us a thorough diagnosis and confirmed what Dr. Sy had told us previously...Stage IV Andocarcinoma...aka Lung Cancer.

They took blood today for labs and then while we there Dr. Kim stepped out and called the radiologist and got us in today for our initial consult. Which was freakin' awesome! Blew all of our expectations away.

The path forward is what we prayed for as well...to remove the pain in the back/hip/tailbone and restore his normal quality of life. The bad news is that the Dr. did confirm that L1, 3, 4, 5 and the Sacrum (aka tail bone) have been attacked by the cancer and are damaged because of that process (cancer eats the bone). So Radiation will help that. We left the appointment feeling better than going in because the Dr. provided answers to all of our questions. We will see Dr. Kim (Oncologist again on Thursday to review the labs and PET scan). We have to be careful and make sure that even though Dad feels better that he doesn't start getting too active because the cancer makes his bones brittle and thus he could suffer secondary effects.

As soon as we left the Oncologist we went to the Radiologist Dr. Madsen in Poulsbo. She was great. Got all the paperwork filled out and then she came in and saw Dad in his pain and said...we'll see you first thing tomorrow and "oh by the way" here's some new drugs to help with the pain...so bring on the steroids baby...it's party time. Dad should be feeling right as rain tomorrow. I'm calling this radiation series 1 which consists of 10 treatments spread out on the upcoming business days. Radiation treatment Series 1, number 1 (S1N1) is tomorrow and will continue every business day until the series of 10 is complete (S1N10). Dad should feel pain relief by this Friday and then serious pain relief by next Friday. Side effects of radiation will be feeling tired and some nausea.

I got the PET scan setup for Wed at 1000AM. This is an important appointment as it will allow us to know the full extent of the cancer...folks..this is the next surprise. But the nice thing is once we are done with it then we'll know the full extent and can make better plans.

Thursday is our next really big answer session (hopefully...need those focused prayers to provide the answers on Thursday). We'll find out the results of the blood work and should also get the full read on the PET scan and thus know what we are dealing with.

Going forward....

Chemo..yup...there are apparently some really new "smart bombs" as Dr. Kim called them that are very effective at attacking the cancer and aren't as bad as what we normally know. Xgeva and Avastin. We'll know more about chemo on Thursday and after Radiology is completed. But it sounded good.

As always I'll ensure that you are all kept in the loop as we move forward.

I'm going to be setting up a prayer conference call this week as our faith says that praying in mass is the way that God can hear our requests. If you are interested please reply to this post so I can pass on the dial in information. I'm thinking Wed night PST would be good so we can focus on getting good answers on Thursday from the Dr.

In Christ!

The joy of family & friends

Dad wanted me to pass on to everyone his thanks for all of you. To those who couldn't make it, he totally understands and looks forward to talking/seeing you in the future.

He really thought having the family together was awesome and felt that it was really special to have his Dad here as well sitting next to him.

I think there's still enough food in the house to feed 5,000. LOL and there's certainly enough cake here and cherry pie to last a while.

Dustin had a great idea to do a brisket so we made that happen and I think between it and the super BBQ sauce that everyone left thoroughly over stuffed. ;-)

Today we go to the Oncologist for Appt #1. I'll post as soon as we know more.

Love you all

In Christ,
Jeff

Family arrives

Good morning everyone, Dad had another good day yesterday. Pain level was medium. We are learning to make sure the pain meds keep flowing on a normal schedule as to stay ahead of it. Had a pulled muscle in his neck that bugged him most of the day...seems to be better now.

The entire family will be here today and that's freakin' awesome! Dad wants to pass his thanks on to everyone for taking the time to drive down/up and realizes times are tough right now so he truly appreciates the sacrifices people are making to come and say hi.

The journey is just beggining and I know we are getting anxious for tomorrows Oncologist appointment. It will be nice to get more questions answered...though I know we'll just end up having more questions for every one answer.

For those that don't know how to use the blog to leave comments...do the following...on each posting (that's the written text like this posting) right below the last entry there will be the word comments followed by parantheses (##) with a number inside. Just click on the word comment and you'll be able to see what others have posted and will be able to post a comment yourself.

In Christ,
Jeff

A good day

Dad had a good day today. Didn't have to take an oxycotin until this afternoon. Idea say the pain has subsided slightly, probably due to the relaxing we've been forcing upon him :-).  All the kids were here for the first time together in a long time today and he really enjoyed that. He's looking forward to being surrounded by friends and family this weekend, and it makes him feel great to know that so many people care and have/are taking the time to be with him throughout the coming days.

Thank you to you all

Thank you Jesus

Diagnosis

The combination of the MRI results and the Biopsy provided the following diagnosis:

Stage IV Adenocarcinoma Cancer

The cancer appears to be started in the lungs but the Dr. isn't sure yet. What we do know is that the cancer has spread throughout his body (the definition of Stage IV) and is also in his bones and spine...this is what is causing his leg/hip pain.

A PET scan has been scheduled for 4/11 but we are hopeful to get in next week. We meet with the Oncologist who will oversee Dad during this time (Dr. Kim) on Monday 4/4 in Poulsbo.

The PET scan will provide the full extent of the cancer throughout his body

What's happening??

1/16/11 - fell at work
3/7/11 - finally went to his Dr. reporting hip pain: we suspected bulged disk, Dr. diagnosed abnormal lung sounds and requeseted CT Scan
- CT scan completed and showed pnuemonia and partially collapsed right lung
- Scheduled a lung biopsy for 3/29
3/8/11 - had a check up on his knee replacement and reported significantly higher back pain
3/16/11 - transferred to Dr. Christen, occupational therapist, for pain
3/21/11 - diagnosed back pain as clinically stable by Dr. Christen
3/29/11 - Lung Biopsy completed
3/30/11 - MRI completed, showed no bulged disk, no broken hip, no broken tailbone...did show metastatic lesions on his spine (L1, 3, 5, Sacrum, and Hip Bone)
3/31/11 - Biopsy results were in...