Day one round 18. That's 36 weeks,or nine months. That's full term isn't it ?I have been through, nausea, the cravings. The mood swings. The cold sweats, The urgent need for a rest room, and failed to make it in time. I know where every rest room is every place I go or find out if they have one before I go. I have monster sized cramps and sometimes I swear there is something moving around in there!! I know how hard it is to get up from the couch or to get in or out of a low car, or how frustrating it is to even reach my feet to tie my shoe. Well maybe that part is just because I am fat. Well you get my point. Is it remotely possible? Could you even Begin to imagine what might come out!!!!!! I proudly humble myself to all the wonderful mothers of the world.
I am going a little whacko. back on the steroids you know, and the week before my big scan and I am both hopeful and worried about what we might find.
I am so close to NEDS, however the longer one is on chemo the more likley that Goliath has built up resistance to the chemo. I am not out of the woods yet.
The weather has been overcast with winds and lots of rain, so my maiden flight has been delayed due to weather. It has given me time to tweak on it and come up with a simple solution to the battery position security, which brought the plane into balance. I have also masterfully diagnosed the flap malfunction. I didn't have the lead plugged in!! I also slightly modified one of the wing retaining pins and can now install and uninstall the wing. This makes for easier storage
It was fun having John helping me put it together. You know what they say about men and thier toys.
The weather looks clear this morning. Maybe I will run down to the airfield and see if there is any flying going on. Think I should give John a call and maybe we both can go out to play!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Flying high
Yesterday was infusion day (round 17) and back on the Oxaliplatin and steroids. Some old side effects are reappearing, ie; mouth cramps. Unable to drink any thing cold, an orange hue to my skin, headache. I feel heavier like I gained 50 pounds. I am feeling the fog rolling in again and I am off my feed. I kept pretty busy today. The steroids kicking in.
I have decided to move on in life and have decided to take up flying model airplanes. Why flying? It's in my blood. I have always wanted to fly. There have been so many pilots in our family. There has been Lt.Charles (Chuck) Porterfield, Copilot, B-24 Liberator. Lt.Robert (Bob) Densmore. Copilot/Pilot B-17, Flying Fortress. Both honorably Serving their country during the hostilities of WWII serving with the 8Th Air Force in the European Theater of Operation. Then there was Ltcdr,Troy Porterfield, USNR ,Pilot, flying A Grumman Avenger off a small aircraft carrier in the Pacific Theater of Operation as well as Lt. Leonard Porterfield, USNR, pilot, F4F-Wild Cat Fighter, also flying off carriers in the Pacific. Also during WWII. Troy and Leonard were cousins of my father. Grandpa David's brothers boys. And we should never forget to honor these men. My Dad took flying lessons for a time. He too has had the joy of controlling an airplane. I spent four years in the Air Force wrenching on F-4 Phantoms and then F-15 Eagles. I have been a passenger in a P-51 Mustang. What a great thrill , a C-130 several times ,and several types of Helicopters when working Offshore. And continuing on in the blood line is now, My sister Karyns son, Chris Murray, Copilot with American Eagle flying passenger aircraft.
So now I am too old and physically unable to take up flying real airplanes, But these models are real airplanes. They are smaller in scale but they fly by the pilots input. I will use a remote controller. I of course will be standing on the ground controlling the aircraft so I have to fly by sight and not feel. However I will need to employ all principles of flight. Responces are quick. The aircraft I have chosen to buy and fly is a Cessna 182 Skylane about 3ft.in length and a wingspan of four feet. It's prop driven by electric motor and made of Z-foam .Z-foam is strong and light and repairs easily with glue. It is a high wing with tricycle landing gear, good for novice flyer's. It has throttle control ,elevators, rudder, ailerons and flaps. It also has running lights and landing lights. The nose wheel has steering and a shock absorber. Sounds way to cool for a novice pilot but this airplane is a trainer. I have also bought a flight simulator and have logged a lot of hours on the sim. Basic flight school. I have upgraded the controller and receiver and the controller has dual rate settings- low and high. Low for novice and high for more experienced pilots. Having flaps seems a lot for a model but it allows for dead slow landings, a good thing for novices. If you are interested in seeing this airplane Log onto http://www.flyzoneplanes.com/ and click on RC planes then click the airplane top right. Cessna 182 Skylane RTF & RXR. Flying one of these small aircraft is not easy and is a challenge. That is why I like it. It will give me a sense of accomplishment to be able to master the skill of basic flight and to continue to improve and master faster and more responsive aircraft. In model aircraft the most challenging aircraft are multi-engines. One of my flying goals is to own and fly a P-38 Lighting. I will name it the Charles L Porterfield II. So in honor of all the fly boys in the family, I am going to sign off now. over and out.
I have decided to move on in life and have decided to take up flying model airplanes. Why flying? It's in my blood. I have always wanted to fly. There have been so many pilots in our family. There has been Lt.Charles (Chuck) Porterfield, Copilot, B-24 Liberator. Lt.Robert (Bob) Densmore. Copilot/Pilot B-17, Flying Fortress. Both honorably Serving their country during the hostilities of WWII serving with the 8Th Air Force in the European Theater of Operation. Then there was Ltcdr,Troy Porterfield, USNR ,Pilot, flying A Grumman Avenger off a small aircraft carrier in the Pacific Theater of Operation as well as Lt. Leonard Porterfield, USNR, pilot, F4F-Wild Cat Fighter, also flying off carriers in the Pacific. Also during WWII. Troy and Leonard were cousins of my father. Grandpa David's brothers boys. And we should never forget to honor these men. My Dad took flying lessons for a time. He too has had the joy of controlling an airplane. I spent four years in the Air Force wrenching on F-4 Phantoms and then F-15 Eagles. I have been a passenger in a P-51 Mustang. What a great thrill , a C-130 several times ,and several types of Helicopters when working Offshore. And continuing on in the blood line is now, My sister Karyns son, Chris Murray, Copilot with American Eagle flying passenger aircraft.
So now I am too old and physically unable to take up flying real airplanes, But these models are real airplanes. They are smaller in scale but they fly by the pilots input. I will use a remote controller. I of course will be standing on the ground controlling the aircraft so I have to fly by sight and not feel. However I will need to employ all principles of flight. Responces are quick. The aircraft I have chosen to buy and fly is a Cessna 182 Skylane about 3ft.in length and a wingspan of four feet. It's prop driven by electric motor and made of Z-foam .Z-foam is strong and light and repairs easily with glue. It is a high wing with tricycle landing gear, good for novice flyer's. It has throttle control ,elevators, rudder, ailerons and flaps. It also has running lights and landing lights. The nose wheel has steering and a shock absorber. Sounds way to cool for a novice pilot but this airplane is a trainer. I have also bought a flight simulator and have logged a lot of hours on the sim. Basic flight school. I have upgraded the controller and receiver and the controller has dual rate settings- low and high. Low for novice and high for more experienced pilots. Having flaps seems a lot for a model but it allows for dead slow landings, a good thing for novices. If you are interested in seeing this airplane Log onto http://www.flyzoneplanes.com/ and click on RC planes then click the airplane top right. Cessna 182 Skylane RTF & RXR. Flying one of these small aircraft is not easy and is a challenge. That is why I like it. It will give me a sense of accomplishment to be able to master the skill of basic flight and to continue to improve and master faster and more responsive aircraft. In model aircraft the most challenging aircraft are multi-engines. One of my flying goals is to own and fly a P-38 Lighting. I will name it the Charles L Porterfield II. So in honor of all the fly boys in the family, I am going to sign off now. over and out.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Clear as mud, or boy am I confussed.
Had an oncology visit with " DOC" and she expressed her concern about having too many C/T scans, saying they pose a risk of generating Cancer!! That the radiation was harmful! I replied in a dumb founded mono syllable fashion, They use radiation to cure cancer, don't they? And the chemo, Oxaliplatin is an internal form of general radiation,Right? She answered yes to both questions. So now I ask ,doe's the risk of getting cancer from the scans pose a bigger risk than not checking on the cancer I all ready have?? Boy I am really confused now. God forbid I might get cancer!!!Holly smolly, this next scan might give me cancer and then what? Do I go and get radiation treatment for it?? Or even worse, I might have to get chemotherapy treatments!!! OH NOOO!!! Wait a minute! Is this a joke or something?. Your pulling my leg ,right Doc? Well that's not exactly how the real conversation went, but that is what was running through my mind. It's all to crazy for me sometimes.
The next scan will be sometime in February,when ever Imaging will call and set up an appointment. It will be a full torso scan from my hips to my neck and we will use it as the new baseline. This scan will check all organs and some bones. I am hoping and believe I will be in NEDS. I have to do a small amount of prep for this scan, like take Banana flavor barium drink!( banana-yuck-gag ) Why don"t they give us a choice. Sir, would you prefer cherry or perhaps chocolate fudge ripple with whipped cream and nuts? Or maybe even bacon flavored. Everybody loves bacon. Anyway I digress.
The results of the scan will effect how my treatment go's. If there is any evidence of Goliath, then I will remain on full Chemo, with oxaliplatin. If I am in NEDS then I will start a maintenance chemo,What I am on now. It is the same drugs just less the oxaliplatin, and maybe a slightly reduced dose. It,s not perfect, but it is way, way ,way better than the alternative.Wow, the phone just rang and it's Imaging. February 8Th. is the scan day. So lets toast scans, It was scans that found Goliath and maybe it will be scans that show, That Goliath has been defeated. SCANS ,HEAR ,HEAR!!
The next scan will be sometime in February,when ever Imaging will call and set up an appointment. It will be a full torso scan from my hips to my neck and we will use it as the new baseline. This scan will check all organs and some bones. I am hoping and believe I will be in NEDS. I have to do a small amount of prep for this scan, like take Banana flavor barium drink!( banana-yuck-gag ) Why don"t they give us a choice. Sir, would you prefer cherry or perhaps chocolate fudge ripple with whipped cream and nuts? Or maybe even bacon flavored. Everybody loves bacon. Anyway I digress.
The results of the scan will effect how my treatment go's. If there is any evidence of Goliath, then I will remain on full Chemo, with oxaliplatin. If I am in NEDS then I will start a maintenance chemo,What I am on now. It is the same drugs just less the oxaliplatin, and maybe a slightly reduced dose. It,s not perfect, but it is way, way ,way better than the alternative.Wow, the phone just rang and it's Imaging. February 8Th. is the scan day. So lets toast scans, It was scans that found Goliath and maybe it will be scans that show, That Goliath has been defeated. SCANS ,HEAR ,HEAR!!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The never ending war
Yesterday, Dec,8th was infusion day, round 14. It was also bubble burst day! Denise and I had a sit down chat with Dr. Kengla, my oncologist. I was hoping that one day to be Goliath free and never need chemo again. That is the bubble that was burst. It was made clear that being in (NEDS) does not mean Goliath free. It only means that the tools available ie; ct scans and blood markers are unable to detect it. Because I have metastatic disease it means that even if we can't see Goliath by conventional means, it is still there lurking under the surface in the form of micro metastasis and is constantly trying to invade and establish its self in distant organs.
There is two other problems with this type of cancer. The first is that for unknown reasons this cancer leaves no identifiable blood markers. The post oncology tests after my colectomy were blood tests and they showed no markers and we know how that turned out!!! This means that we can not use this method to keep track of Goliath when I am in Neds. The second problem is that if I take a chemo break it is very likely that Goliath will reappear only this time it will be chemo resistant. Seeing that chemo is the only tool that is available we can't take the chance right now to risk loosing that!!!
The plan is to finish this block of chemo which is two more rounds(rounds 15 and 16) with out Oxaliplatin which will take me through the Christmas break then back on Oxycrappin as my son calls it for another block (8rounds) and monitor the nueropathy.This is going to be hard.!!! This also means back on the steroids as well. When I finish this block it will be one year on chemo!! We will continue to get ct scans at intervals and battle Goliath. The never ending war. I will get into NEDS and I will continue on a maintenance program or maybe take a chemo break and prove them all wrong a second time!!!!
There is two other problems with this type of cancer. The first is that for unknown reasons this cancer leaves no identifiable blood markers. The post oncology tests after my colectomy were blood tests and they showed no markers and we know how that turned out!!! This means that we can not use this method to keep track of Goliath when I am in Neds. The second problem is that if I take a chemo break it is very likely that Goliath will reappear only this time it will be chemo resistant. Seeing that chemo is the only tool that is available we can't take the chance right now to risk loosing that!!!
The plan is to finish this block of chemo which is two more rounds(rounds 15 and 16) with out Oxaliplatin which will take me through the Christmas break then back on Oxycrappin as my son calls it for another block (8rounds) and monitor the nueropathy.This is going to be hard.!!! This also means back on the steroids as well. When I finish this block it will be one year on chemo!! We will continue to get ct scans at intervals and battle Goliath. The never ending war. I will get into NEDS and I will continue on a maintenance program or maybe take a chemo break and prove them all wrong a second time!!!!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The great disapearing act.
I have not posted any thing of late just because not much has happened concerning my battle with Goliath. It has been the middle rounds and things haven't changed much the last few weeks. I have had a nice visit from my Mom and some good outings with Cousin John on his boat, fishing,shooting the breeze, and hanging out!
I have felt better these last four rounds without the Oxaliplatin. I found out last round from my infusion nurse Luke, that the platin in Oxaliplatin is platinum, a heavy metal. So the reason I feel so ill on the Oxaliplatin is due to heavy metal poisoning.
Now for the good news! The chemo treatment is working very well. We have beaten Goliath back and eradicated most of his troops. I had a CT scan Thursday the 12th of November. The results are amazing. The tumor in my lung has shrunk since the last scan in August and is now being called a lesion. There is very little of that tumor left. All the tumors in my Lymph nodes are gone!!!!! The report from Kaiser states "Decrease in size of left lower lobe lesion compared to 8/29/09. It also states "No significant Lymphadenopathy is identified." If you remember the report from August said that Goliath was reduced by around half. Now the report is telling me that four tumors are gone and I am left with only one small tumor in the lung .
This makes the hope of reaching NEDS ( No evidence of disease.) very realistic. This is a huge emotional swing from being told that my cancer was incurable to the thought that I might be cancer free in a few more rounds of Chemo. Goliath his met his match!!!!
I have felt better these last four rounds without the Oxaliplatin. I found out last round from my infusion nurse Luke, that the platin in Oxaliplatin is platinum, a heavy metal. So the reason I feel so ill on the Oxaliplatin is due to heavy metal poisoning.
Now for the good news! The chemo treatment is working very well. We have beaten Goliath back and eradicated most of his troops. I had a CT scan Thursday the 12th of November. The results are amazing. The tumor in my lung has shrunk since the last scan in August and is now being called a lesion. There is very little of that tumor left. All the tumors in my Lymph nodes are gone!!!!! The report from Kaiser states "Decrease in size of left lower lobe lesion compared to 8/29/09. It also states "No significant Lymphadenopathy is identified." If you remember the report from August said that Goliath was reduced by around half. Now the report is telling me that four tumors are gone and I am left with only one small tumor in the lung .
This makes the hope of reaching NEDS ( No evidence of disease.) very realistic. This is a huge emotional swing from being told that my cancer was incurable to the thought that I might be cancer free in a few more rounds of Chemo. Goliath his met his match!!!!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
About Face
I must have jinxed it. The very day I post that I am sleeping all the time and how good it is ,is the last day I have sleep well!!!! I wonder if all that sleep was a prelude to my seeing double and falling over three times and another trip to emergency. The doc's don't know what caused it but suspect a small stroke. I have felt pretty good since then. O' crap,I opened my big mouth again. I hope I haven't jinxed it twice.I need to learn to keep my mouth shut, but I am a Porterfield, I have the motor mouth genes!!!!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Sleeping Beauty with a beard.
There has been good news treatment wise. I have been taken off Oxaliplatin or Oxycrappin as Curt calls it and the steroids. I feel much better and I don't feel that gut wrenching sick any more. I was taken off that drug because it causes nerve damage if a person stays on it for too long. I still have nerve damage symptoms and we hope they are not permanent. My feet feel cold and tingle up to my knees and my legs are very week. Standing up is always a big effort and I am a bit shaky for a few seconds. I was hoping that I would have more energy and be able to get up and about a little more. The opposite has been true. I have been sleeping a lot and very soundly. I have never known such fatigue. I am not complaining, I just didn't expect this. I will get a good 9-10 hours at night then within being up 2-3 hours I am fast asleep again, this time for a couple hours or so. By late afternoon I catch a short nap. You would think after this much sleep that I would not sleep well that night. Not so! I will crash and be in bed for 8:30-9:00 ready for 10 more hours. I just think that this is my body's way of dealing with this raging battle that is going on inside and the steroids and Oxycrappin were not allowing my body to go into sleep mode.
The other change is that oncology will only book 1 round of chemo at a time instead of a block of 8. The reason for this is my blood count is now very low and they won't infuse me if my count is too low. This is the other reason I am sleeping so much now. My body is working very hard to reproduce red blood cells. This condition is called Anemia. I am glad to be feeling better but this battle has just moved into another phase. I use my blanket a lot now. We moved the big blue recliner upstairs and brought the little one downstairs. I sleep in the big blue recliner with my blanket alot these days. I just hope I don,t wake up to find seven dwarfs hanging around.
The other change is that oncology will only book 1 round of chemo at a time instead of a block of 8. The reason for this is my blood count is now very low and they won't infuse me if my count is too low. This is the other reason I am sleeping so much now. My body is working very hard to reproduce red blood cells. This condition is called Anemia. I am glad to be feeling better but this battle has just moved into another phase. I use my blanket a lot now. We moved the big blue recliner upstairs and brought the little one downstairs. I sleep in the big blue recliner with my blanket alot these days. I just hope I don,t wake up to find seven dwarfs hanging around.
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