Wesley's Surveillance Thread

[Kev332]

Great news April about the clean test results!!

Kman, looking forward to meeting you and your wife tomorrow. Should be a good time. Looks like the weather is going to okay. Running around the Charles River is great!

Take care,

Kevin

[amorgan74]

Thanks, Ms. Lanette, that's good with Justin's blood work too. Our first CT in three months is coming up and I will be glad to get it out of the way. I was reading in another thread about the meds for anxiety and I wanted to tell you that Wesley's doctor gave him some that he really didn't use but I went to my doctor and he gave me something different that I did use here and there through chemo. It was so stressful taking care of him and then trying to be a mediator between all of the families and yet keep our house as peaceful as possible. I was also concerned about Wesley's mom because she had a really hard time with his diagnosis and I had to be very delicate with her. Wesley started chemo less than 4 mos after his Dad stopped chemo for Hodgkin's lymphoma, I know she was carrying a lot of stress over this happening like it did. We actually took his Dad up to Emory here it Atl to get his biopsy done and little did we know we'd be working with the same doctor less than a year later. So I know how your ups and downs must go with your son and I am glad every body seems to be getting better. April

[justinsmom]

Thanks for the response April, I just was listening to Christian radio on my way to work this morning and they were talking about the "seasons" of life. In Ecclesiates 3 where the Bible states : "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven, A time to be born and a time to die......." "A time to weep and a time to laugh" and through our lives we all have seasons....Falls, Summers, Springs and Winters.....not just with things we are going through but also with where we're at in life-raising kids; empty nester; retired ect. Anyway, going through cancer is definitely a bleak "Winter" season, and then the Winter gradually gives way to new growth and Spring will come again.....some of us here are seeing the buds of Spring take root as we are pretty much through the "Winter" and for those just entering their "Winter" season the promise of a Summer is what keeps us going...We have Hope as long as there is that Promise of new life....BTW Justin is getting married in 2 weeks!!! God Bless, Lanette

[Jens]

Congratulations on Justins upcomming wedding!
May they live happily and healthy.

Best wishes
Jens

[Scott]

BTW Justin is getting married in 2 weeks!!!

That's wonderful! Best wishes to Justin and his lucky bride!

[Mom]

I didn't realize that Wesley was being treated at Emory. The urologist who treated my husband 25 years ago is now at Emory teaching and practicing. When my son was diagnosed, he was the first person I called. His name is Dr. Peter Nieh. Have you run into him? Dianne

[amorgan74]

Doctor

Ms. Dianne: Wesley's doctor goes to two offices, one in Atl at the Crawford Long division of Emory on Peachtree St and the other at the Georgia Cancer Specialist office in Fayetteville. We can see him at either office but usually we go to see him at the Fayetteville location and I think the other GCS office is in Crawford Long. If he wants special tests done or routine cancer surgery he sends his patients either to the Crawford Long location or the Emory University Hosp on campus. I am more familiar with the hospital on campus because that's where my Dad was treated for the 10 months that he lived after diagnosis. I also ended up there a couple of years ago with a bout of viral meningitis. That's some rough stuff too but very short term. Across from Dr. Carr's office is a hospital that is part of the Piedmont group so we've been lucky that we have been able to stay on the Southside of town for care. Dr. Carr has been adamnant(sp) that if Wesley needs surgery we go to IU. We've also taken Wesley's dad to Emory for his biopsy on his lymph nodes in the neckin 2004. We found out Friday that Dr. Carr is sending Wesley's dad back to his ear, nose and throat doctor to take a look down his throat to see if there is anything there. I think Dr. Carr is a little concerned and quite frankly so am I. What was your husband treated for 25 years ago TC? April

[amorgan74]

Justin

Ms. Lanette: 2weeks, wow, congrats on Justin's upcoming wedding. I know that is usually a hectic time but enjoy it. April

[Mom]

My husband was treated by Dr. Nieh for TC at UCONN Medical Center in 1980. We were living near the Med Center at the time. Had the I/O in August and the RPLND in September. We had never heard of TC. In those days there were no ultrasounds or CT scans to see if it had metastisized. Dr. Nieh and my husband were the same age (35) and each had sons the same age. We did know that the RPLND was a very serious operation and at first my husband would not agree, he wanted to go with the 80% chance that he was cured by the I/O, but Dr. Neih responded, "You know what your chances are, Jay, they are 50-50, either you have it or you don't." Well, not liking those odds he had the surgery. There was no cancer in his lymph nodes, I think they took out 57. Chemo in those days was very, very damaging and a "last resort." The follow up consisted of blood tests and chest x-rays. Dealing with our son's TC was horrible but we had confidence that he would be okay because we had lived with it. Dianne

[amorgan74]

Our Son

I worry about this, I try not to but knowing what we know now with our little boy and him having the I/O a little over a week old it bothers me some. I am requesting his medical records from that surgery and specifically want a pathology report to see what was in that testicle. I try not to think about it and know that if we go down this road again then at least we will be well prepared and very optimistic under the circumstances. It's good know that we've got drs like Dr. Nieh and Dr. Carr to help take care of our men. I find a certain amount of comfort in knowing that your family has fought this and seems to be doing well. It does ease my mind to know this type of cancer is pretty curable and that my faith in God will have to take care of the rest. You know that "tie a knot and hang on when you are at the end of the rope" thing. I kind of picture His hand in mine instead of that rope and know it's going to be okay. Thank you so much Ms. Dianne and you may be hearing from me for a long time to come. April

On a brighter note: After three days of the Georgia rain we have sunshine and clear blue skies. I could pull my desk and pc out to the front lawn and work there today. I know it will be darn, near cold again before Spring hits but today is definitely a "hooky" day here. Lord help to make it until five and to come back after lunch!!!!

[Mom]

Had we known there was a genetic link we would have had our son banking sperm and having blood tests at 18. I am praying now that he will be able to have a son of his own even though the child might inherit the gene. When my son was feeling really sorry for himself I asked if he would rather not have been born than face the diagnosis and treatment. He looked at me as if I was crazy. He is really having a good life. He will be a year post chemo on January 29. Dianne

[amorgan74]

Another Child

We were talking about trying to have one more child but I am not 100% sure about it. I feel like my son will have close friends and extended family but I also see how much we depended on Wesley's sisters when we needed them. I will be 32 in Sept and Wesley will be 35 in June so I wouldn't want to wait more than a couple of years to have another baby. He got mad and told me that if I wanted one more I should have already had it when the doctor talked about sperm banking. I kindly reminded him who did the child birthing and that I had a little more say so. I told him that as long as he could upload then I could download. End of discussion. I am giving myself a five yer grace on that "all children on the way by 30" thing. We are not in a hurry to make this decision given that we were advised to wait at minimum one year post chemo before trying and with all of the issues with low T that we have been battling I don't think it's going be a problem taking our time on the baby decision. One year post chemo will be 7/20 and I guess we'll still be taking it one step at a time.

[justinsmom]

April, I just came from seeing an ultrasound of my first grandchild...my oldest son & his wife are finally pregnant (she has lots of female problems) In fact I looked in my journal and it was actually the day after Justin's final chemo that Josh called & said they were pregnant, so it was really a blessing to get that news! I hope & pray that some day Justin & his bride Candice will be able to call with that awesome news. So keeping in mind your desire to maybe have another baby someday, I will pray God's will in that, Lanette

[amorgan74]

Ms. Lanette: It's really turning into a much harder decision than I thought it would be. I feel in my heart we will either try once more or adopt in the next couple of years. I'm okay with either one but I am so glad we have plenty of time to think about it and I guess I can look at it like if we had a passle of children running around already it would be a moot point. I know God will lead us in whatever we decide. And a big Yee Ha!!! on that grandbaby. I remember my grandmother being so fascinated by the ultrasound images and she talked about not having them in her day. I think she was as excited as we were to have little feet running around. I will never forget when she was in the hospital right before she passed away and she said she had to get better and I asked her why, she replied in a very serious tone, "Nobody else can take care of him better than me." I don't know how many times I have relied on all that I have learned from her and even whispered, Okay, What Would Granny Do? WWGD. I know you will be a top notch grandmother too!!! April

[justinsmom]

Thanks April-I hope I will be a good "grandma" (sounds really funny-the fact that I'm only 45 makes it sound older than I am) but that will be nice cause hopefully I will have lots of energy. Anyway-the one BIG thing I really learned through all this is that God IS in control. And I could SAY it & I could BELIEVE it but, He really allowed me to LEARN it. Don't "worry" about your son, you have to totally turn him over to God and know that He is a really big God and He knows our tomorrows, He knows your sons tomorrows & He knows his future. Whether his future contains siblings or offspring.....And He knows your husbands tomorrows and He knows your tomorrows. He is an awesome God, He promises us peace through Jesus Christ & most of all He loves us. He allows us to go through trials so we can draw alongside others in similar situations-as everyone here does SO WELL! God Bless-Lanette