Kenny Update--May 13th

Sorry for a very late update. Between the doctor appointments and trying to get some work done at the office it has been a little hectic the last few days. All of the doctor appointments last week were very good. There were a couple of appointments that we did have some new twist added that we were not expecting.

Kenny is healing and doing very well. The forms and mask have been made for the Proton treatments. He should be starting those in a couple of weeks after they complete their setups. This is going slower than we had expected but we have been assured is the normal pace. Meeting with the Oncologist of Friday he is advising that we need to start a new chemo cocktail in conjunction with the Proton treatments. The chemo will be different than he had been receiving. He will not have to be hospitalized as he receives it BUT it will need to be in-patient and will be spread over a longer time span with careful monitoring. Chemo will be a Monday – Friday for 2 weeks followed by 1 week off for 3-3 week cycles. Proton treatment will be Monday – Friday for 7 to 8 weeks straight. Chemo will be in Carmel and Proton will be in Bloomington.

We had been looking at Kenny and me moving to Bloomington for a couple of months but with this new wrinkle we have tossed that idea aside. So we are going to be doing a commutes between the 2 facilities. Both doctors expressed their concern about the drive we will be doing but in the end it really does not matter. We will work with any schedule for his treatment. Besides, if we can do an Indy to Pensacola trip in a day this will be a piece of cake. It may not be what we had planned in our own heads on how this would work but it doesn’t matter. Maybe 3 hours in the car with 4 hours of treatments/check-in time.

More than once last week we have heard the general statement that Kenny’s case is unique and rare. The scheduled treatments do not have enough statistical data behind it to have standard protocols in place. We had 2 appointments where there were a long list of side effects and inherent risk that we will be facing. New waivers were written up and signed. What it boils down to is while they are doing everything they can to beat the cancer there are more risk than normal treatment would have and a lot of unknowns.

Tuesday we are heading back to OSU for a checkup so this is going to be the last quiet week we are going to have until sometime in August. This will probably be the last follow-up we are going to be able to do at OSU until after this Proton/Chemo tag team match has finished up.

Prayer concerns
Treatment side effects do not appear. It was sobering to hear them but there are no alternatives.
Kenny’s white cell count stays high enough during chemo treatments that he does not have to be hospitalized. There are plans being put in place for an ambulance ride between facilities with an accompanying nurse aboard from the hospital should this happen. I’m not sure if there is enough Dramamine on the shelf that I can get in my system for this option.
Stamina for Kenny and the family over the next several weeks.
Jo is working on schedules to get everyone where they need to be this summer.

Praises
The report that we received is that there is signs some of the center tumor mass DID show signs of starting to die off even as it had increased in size.
Jo is so good at being the organized one in the house.
Kenny is still Kenny. All smiles and no complaints.

~Ken and Jo~