A House Standing

The intention of this blog was to keep all close to William Michael Gordon abreast of his medical and physical conditions over the last year - give or take.

For those close to our father - it is not news that he left this earth early on January 12th to be with all those who have gone before him.

Our father's obituary was just a brief testament to the extraordinary man our father was and to the many many accomplishments he has had over the past 8 decades of his life.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/01/longtime_journalist_star-ledge.html


We are all deeply saddened and at a great loss for the absence of our beloved patriarch, brother, cousin, uncle and friend.

At this time I would like to thank all those that read and followed this blog for your ongoing support, love and many prayers. We will be forever greatful.

I thought several months ago that the loss of our father might be the most painful thing our family goes through.

I was wrong.

This will be the last blog entitled "141 Brunswick..."
Gordon Out

Matthew 12:25
Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.

Son of a Nutcracker

Greetings All,
And Merry Christmas greetings to you all as well. The day was a joyous one in the ol' Gordon household....how about you? Eat too much? See I told you to lay off that second piece of pie....when will you learn?
Our young William John Maneval (Lynne's oldest) spent the week with pop-pop (and his favorite aunt, but don't tell the others). Young Bill has enlisted in the Marines and is awaiting his departure for bootcamp come January 11th. His desire was to pick the brain of the old veteran for elements of wisdom on how to best be a Marine. After the story of Old Bill ridiculing target practice by comparing it to an old "carnie" target shoot - and his punishment of spending the afternoon and evening on his hands and knees recovering old spent shells - Young Bill stopped taking notes... In addition to those personal one on one reflections - Bill was otherwise kept quite busy. Heaven knows how bored he would have been without his PlayStation and FaceBook However, there were many dinners, lunches, breakfasts - come to think of it that kid eats a lot!
Lynne and Dean surprised us by spending Christmas Eve and Day and that was just absolutely joyous! These two never leave this house without it being structurally more sound and oh so much cleaner! We had a wonderful dinner on the Eve and breakfast on the Day....just lovely.
Well, without further adieu..it is that time again for an update on the dear old pop-si-doodle.
He completed the last of his radiation treatments on Friday - and yes, he did get a certificate and yes he did get to keep his mask this time! His treatment was followed by a quick consultation with Dr. Barba (radiologist). He told Dad that they would schedule a follow-up appointment and an MRI in one month. The MRI would shed light on what effect the radiotherapy has had on Dad's cancer in the brain. The imaging would also continue to evaluate what is going on in the neck and if the cancer has spread any further in the body.
The doctor also emphatically told Dad that he needs to stop driving. The confusion was in his directive to Dad not to drive and then in his Primary care Physician saying it was okay - which one do you think Dad wanted to hear?
So, going forward, Dad will be chaufferred anywhere his heart desires!
In alignment with the last appointment Dad has also been weened off of the steroids and is now only on the Percaset to relieve the pain. Coincidentally, Dad also had an appointment on the same day with his PCP - and he up'ed Dad's dosage just a bit to provide him a little more relief.
After an evening of merriment with Dad's friend Bobbie on Christmas Eve(just church and dinner - how much merriment can one man take?) Dad had a pretty bad night. He woke up early in the morning(3am)in excruciating pain (shoulder-neck-back) - he thought it might have been because he slept in an awkward position on his neck...he struggled to regain some relief with his pain meds and after about 1/2 hour he was able to painfully settle himself in a sleeping position and he fell into a very restful sleep. The sleep however, was short term, and he woke up not quite as he had earlier in the week. It took him most of the day to find his groove, but now, almost 12 hours later - he is sitting in his chair and reading his daily papers....and all is right with the world for at least now.
Dad was told that there might be some additional pain due to the fact that he was no longer taking the steroids, but hopefully with the upped dosage of Percoset - he can find his comfort zone once again...
Other than this ripple - Dad is eating well, in good spirits, and just a pleasure around the house!
Happy Christmas all and enjoy the transition into the new year...
Oh and guess what? Dad decided to obtain a "handicap" tag for his car - (well now my car when he is "shotgun".....who knew,

he likes the closer space!

The Love Bubble

Greetings All,
I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. If you ask me - not having it all together - was horrible!!! I missed everyone. Let's not do that again!

So besides the fact that I forgot the leftovers at Jessica's house Dad really enjoyed himself on Thursday and Friday - thanks to all who allowed him to hold court in the Summers Salon!

I will keep this blog short - but try to fill you in on the new skinny - if it is new to you...

Dad had his 3rd radiation treatment today - and that is out of 20. All went well - could be a drive thru if you ask me - no need to even get out of the car. Dad also had his monthly visit with his PCP - Dr. Schlam today. This was just routine - but Dad had a few questions as well.

Dr. Schlam was pleased with Dad's strength(hand grip test) - as was Dr. Barba. This test means his arm is still strong and the growth on his neck is not proving to be any worse than when they first started. So to answer one question you all might have - what about the neck. We asked Dr. S about the growth, its size, monitoring, etc. His response was simple; yes it has grown, outside of surgery there is no way to determine its composition (active v. inactive material), but the one way Dad can monitor it is to pay attention to the pain consistencies and also keep monitoring his strength. Surgery at this point (biopsy) is not recommended as it is a complex procedure for this area.

Dad did ask about the driving element - Dr. Barba (radiologist) highly recommended that Dad not drive any more. Dr. Schlam, although understanding the liability factor, recognizes Dad's driving is almost 100% local and does not see that big an issue for Dad to go on small jaunts. I will still attempt to show up with keys in hand anytime Dad has an appointment, but his going out once in a while does not seem to phase Dr. Schlam. Dad is still on pain medication and steroids (but he is already lessoning the dosage as prescribed).

As we were preparing to leave I asked Dad if he had any other questions about the spread of the cancer to his brain - or questions of prognosis - Dad said he would rather not know and Dr. Schlam piped in saying - "Who can really give a prognosis for something of this nature?" (Got to love him!) They are pleased with his positive energy - and surprised with his strength not only of body, but of spirit.

Dad is in great spirits and had a great weekend. Accomplishing many, many things. He is assisting a grad student from Rutgers on a paper - she will be interviewing him in a couple of weeks regarding his war experience as a reporter. Very interesting.

I think that is all for now.
Keep the prayers coming - they are working - I can tell - the house is surrounded in love all the time!

Smooches to all,
Katherine

_

Radiation Therapy - Reminder of Process - Quiz on Monday

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is an important part of the treatment of high-grade gliomas. In typical situations, patients begin radiation treatments within 2 to 4 weeks after tumor resection. A physician who supervises radiation treatments is called a radiation oncologist.

Following a "simulation" session in which the radiation oncologist plans the shape of the radiation beam as well as dose, treatments are given daily, Monday through Friday, for 4 to 6 weeks. Each treatment takes only a few minutes. During radiation, patients are seen weekly by the radiation oncologist, and a nurse is available for questions every day. Most patients feel better during radiation therapy if they are taking a small dose of a steroid which reduces brain swelling, called Decadron (also called dexamethasone).

There are usually no immediate side effects during each treatment. As the treatment progresses, hair loss will occur over the area where the radiation beam passes into the tumor. Most patients experience some fatigue by the second or third week. For many, a 30 minute nap is helpful every afternoon. There are a number of long-term side effects from radiation therapy, ranging from those that are a minor nuisance to ones that can produce major health problems. Fortunately, serious side effects are rare. Furthermore, the potential risks of radiation therapy are outweighed by the known risk of not treating the tumor. The radiation oncologist will describe these risks prior to starting therapy.

An MRI is usually obtained about 2 to 4 weeks after the end of radiation therapy in order to judge the effect of treatment. Most of the time this scan will show no change from the post-operative MRI, which is good. Some shrinkage is even better. Growth during radiation therapy is an unwanted sign of an aggressive tumor.

It Takes A Village

Greetings All,
I know - this message comes very soon after my last - and I apologize for that, because with this message I have some more detail about Dad's condition and additional news to share.
Let me start by stating something you might or might not know. Dad is unaware that this Blog about Him exists - Unless you told him! He is aware that I keep everyone up to date, but I am not sure he is aware to what extent.
So, if I might ask you all to be sensitive to this information and not let on how much you know - it would be very appreciated.
So, the news.
Dad had his PET and CAT scans on Monday. He was instructed to call his oncologist Thursday morning first thing to get the summarized results. The oncologist alerted Dad to the fact that the CAT scan (done over various parts of his body) showed an shadowy image in the right brain area. The information was sent to Dad's radiologist for further diagnostics. Dad was instructed to make an appointment with Dr. Barba, the radiologist, today. We both went and here are the results.
Dr. Barba informed Dad that indeed the shadowy image was a small tumor (1.5 centimeters) and it is in the right rear hemisphere of Dad's brain. They will begin aggressive treatment (like they had for Dad's two other experiences). Here is what agressive treatment means: Dad will go in on Monday (Mountainside Hospital) for a staging appointment - they will fit him for a mask (the mask attaches to the table to ensure minimal movement during the treatment); they will assess the dosage and aim of the radiation so that it is most effective in reducing the tumor; he will then begin treatment on Wednesday, Thursday the department is closed and he will resume treatment on Friday and then continue until a total of 20 treatments has been reached.
During the treatments Dad will be put on a steroid again to help in reducing the inflamation (that is actually caused by the radiation) - with the same side effects as before - some retention of water, increased hunger, possible mood swings - the steroids will be dosed so pretty much as soon as he begins his treatments, he will be weaned off of the steroids.
The side effects of the radiation are: possible hair loss (1-2 weeks in, pinkish skin in the scalp area (think sunburn - for which he will be given a cream), and he will continue to experience fatigue.
After 20 treatments they will evaluate the success of the radiology and discuss what will be the next step - as of now - it is too early to say.
Now, you might be thinking, she has not mentioned anything about the neck area, what is the prognosis, what were the results of the radiation on his neck? Dr. Barba, very candidly said, that the results were not what they had expected - the growth did not decrease as hoped, but instead it has "significantly increased". They will continue to monitor this area, but right now their focus is on the brain. The doctor stated they will also have to determine if this growth is "active" or "inactive". I will follow-up with that one as there is not much in the way of information online that is helpful. For right now, despite the increase in size, Dad is not experiencing any other additional pain other than that in his arm.
Okay, I believe that is the up-to-now for now. As we go forward if I have any additional information for you I will share it in this manner. If you have any questions or comments or suggestions, just let me know - you know; it takes a village!
Smooches to all, wishing everyone a most fantastic, love filled holiday!
Gordon-Out

Home and Hearth

It's November already?

Wow, the time flies. Soon we will all be sitting down with our loved ones thanking the universe and/or its Creator for all that we have and for all that we are truly thankful for. I am very thankful for the century filled life of Mary Margaret Gordon...she will be truly missed. Place a glass of beer (just a half a glass luv) on the table for her this holiday season and say one "Our Father" and it will be as if she is right there with you - almost.

The leaves have almost completely fallen from their branches. Thankfully there are very very few acorns remaining - they were HEAVY (not on their own, but get a bucketful and we are talking 20-30#). It is almost time to put away the patio furniture and buckle down for what they say will be a snow-filled winter.

This will be a very short up-to-now on you-know-who.

Dad's three weeks of radiation therapy ended about a month ago. The doctors knew that wasn't enough time, but that is all that this location in his body could handle. Dad was instructed to wait 2-3 weeks before a CT Scan and a Pet Scan (for analysis of the radiation results) because the effects of the radiation therapy keep working even after the radiation itself has concluded.

Today Dad had both scans done - and is now home safe and sound. He was starving, had to fast overnight and most of the day due to the scans - so one nice big bowl of The Pilgrim Diner Manhattan Clam Chowder only with a grilled cheese and he is all set for the night. Needless to say - he is exhausted, but back home and exhausted is better than in the hospital and exhausted!!

Dad will call his oncologist - Dr. Conti - on Thursday morning bright and early to either set up an appointment to discuss the results or he will get the results over the phone - either way - I will follow up and get back to you all with the details of Dad's scanning results.

I will leave you alone for now.

Below are the summaries for the scanning procedures if you would like to continue your education in the area of nuclear imaging.

Blessings to all - Peace and Love and many smooches,

Katherine



About Nuclear MedicineNuclear medicine is a medical imaging specialty that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose or treat a variety of diseases including many types of cancers and heart disease. Nuclear medicine or radionuclide imaging procedures are noninvasive with the exception of intravenous injections.

The radioactive materials used in nuclear medicine are called radiopharmaceuticals or radiotracers. A radiotracer is either injected into a vein, swallowed or inhaled as a gas and eventually accumulates in the organ or area of the body to be examined, where it gives off energy in the form of gamma rays. The energy is detected by a gamma camera, positron emission tomography (PET scanner) and/or probe. Those devices work in combination with sophisticated computer technology to create detailed pictures of the structure and function of a human organ or tissues.



About CT TechnologyCT scanning is a painless, non-invasive testing method widely used by doctors because it provides the most revealing images of internal organs, bones, soft tissues and blood vessels. Computed tomography (CT) combines special x-ray technology and sophisticated computer technology to create high-speed, cross-section images of the inner workings of the human body. The images are electronically reconstructed to create two and three-dimensional illustrations that can reveal a wide array of medical conditions.

My Kingdom For Some Sleep

My dear family. In the past year this blog has been intended to keep you informed of Dad's progress regarding his healing after his diagnosis of last spring. Over the course of this year I have attempted to share with you, in as humorously a light as possible, Dad's daily goings on and anything else that might keep you "in the loop" as it were.

This blog that you are presently reading has a slightly different end result in mind. Although, it will continue in the same vein, this blog will also include more detail and medical information than those past. The reasoning is, as it was all along, to insure that all family members have the same information that I have been exposed to and no one feels "out of the loop".* It also then permits you to have a conversation with Dad where you do not feel its necessary to pepper him with questions as 4 other people today have already done.**

*If any information I have presented to you here is different than when we spoke personally - it is because it is the most recent and the most researched.
**In your personal conversations with Dad if he provides you with information that I have not, it is possible I am not aware of that information - if you feel I should be please just send me a message.

With that said...

CAST OF CHARACTERS
Katherine Gordon - Narrator
William Gordon - Beloved father, brother, uncle, friend, man of steel
Dr. Schlam - Gordon's Primary Care Physician/Family Practitioner (PCP)
Dr. Barba - Gordon's Radiologist
Dr. Conti - Gordon's Oncologist
Dr. Clemente - Gordon's Neurologist/Neurosurgeon

All but Dr. Clemente are intimately familiar with Dad's history.
Various other Dr's, nurses and medical staff

Over the past 3 months (Dad will say 6 weeks!) Dad has been experiencing increasing pain in his shoulder area. He had attributed this to a possible weight-lifting incident. So, working on the premise that this was shoulder isolated and it was an athletic injury - it has been addressed as so by the doctors, by me and by "himself". No prescribed remedy was helping. In the last month he has attempted to get his doctors on the same page as he is in "agony" (and when Dad uses that word you know it's BAD). Pain medication was prescribed, ice packs, rest, movement, therapy, stronger pain medication was prescribed,etc.

In the last two weeks an MRI was prescribed by his orthopedic surgeon (knee replacement doctor) to determine the severity of his shoulder injury. The MRI results have not been addressed or assessed due to Dad's most recent experiences. Dad's biggest challenge amidst all of this was that he could not sleep; no position was comfortable and the pain was unbearable. On Thursday, this past week, Dad woke up again with agonizing pain. He called his Primary Care Physician (PCP) - Dr. Schlam. Dr. Schlam told him to go immediately to the emergency room. Dad was able to reach me at school - and I was able to take him to the ER.

The ER tech - who also knew Dad from the past - performed the Xray and discovered some degenerative sightings (areas of the back that show areas of degenerative changes near his spine) and requested a CAT scan. Cut to the chase; the CAT scan revealed that his Melanoma had metastasized and has become attached and part of the spinal column, in the neck area, in the C4/C5 area of the vertebrae. Although, the growth itself is small in size (3mm) - that is considered large when it is a re-ocurrence and in this particular location.

Dad's radiologist - Dr. Barba - prescribed immediate treatment in the form of radiotherapy (radiology). Dad was fitted for a mask to hold his head still on the table, he was scanned (CAT) to determine the precise location of his growth and these results were sent to a fastidious mathematical genius to determine the dose of radiation, the exact location the radiation needs to be focused on and the specific angle of the ray to be most effective in this treatment. It was short of miraculous to see this team work - it is best compared to a most extraordinary ballet.

After these results were released - by this most unassuming and shy 'genius' - Dad got his first radiation treatment. All this is still before even being admitted to the hospital!! After admission - Dad was put in a nice corner room. He was given an intravenous steroid - Decadon - to control the swelling and reduce the pain as well as Dilaudid (for the more severe pain). Dad then spent the next evening attempting to regain some of the rest he had lost as a result of the long term pain he had been tolerating. This rest was not to be (even with the help of a sleep aid). Despite their best intentions - the staff at the hospital must interrupt Dad's sleep - or catnaps - to obtain vitals, give him his next meal (which he chooses from a menu!), offer him the newspaper, administer medications (every 3-6 hours) and just to basically check on him and assess his comfort level - it's kind of a big ol' Catch-22 (he is not comfortable without sleep - and they need to interupt that to assess his comfort level- ugh!)

Dad was scheduled to go home the next day as it was deemed his pain level decreased enough to allow him an oral version of the Decadon that he could self-administer. He did have a 2nd radiation treatment then on Saturday and Radiotherapy was prescribed for the next 3 weeks (4 visits each week). The reason for this length of time (for his back he received 6 weeks) is predominantly dependent on the area being treated. Due to the sensitivity of the area of Dad's cancer - 3 weeks is all this area can safely be exposed to radiation.

Dr. Conti visited Dad as well on Saturday and reviewed the next steps; of course, all work in sync with the radiation therapy and Dr. Conti, Dr. Barba, Dr. Schlam and Dr. Clemente all work together as a team to stay informed of Dad's condition, his progress and the next steps. Dr. Conti did talk to Dad for a few minutes about the possibility of chemotherapy being introduced after his radiation. He discussed oral chemotherapy which due to advances in medicine can have the same success rate as IV chemo - it would just permit Dad to have this all done at home - all while being observed by his medical team. Dr. Conti will see Dad in 2 weeks to determine the possibilities of this next course of action.

Dad decided that he wanted to stay in the hospital one more night - mainly because the staff was so readily available to ease any discomfort he might have and the last thing he wanted was to go home, have a bad night and need to return the next day. So he was permitted to stay. On Saturday evening Dad was also surprised to finally meet the last player in his world of doctors, Dr. Clemente (pronounced Clement). Dr. Clemente is Dad's neurologist. He is brought into Dad's case to evaluate when and if surgery will be necessary. Dad was very comforted by his visit, his manner and his being fully up-to-date with Dad's history. Dr. Clemente is a specialist in the area of Laser and Cryo technologies and he spoke to Dad about these less invasive, safer methods of extracting and/or reducing the size of any cancerous material in a patient. He also mentioned that after consulting with dad's doctoral team (they consult once per week per patient - to all stay on the same page) it might be possible that surgery is recommended even before his prescribed radiation therapy is complete. We will keep you up to date regarding this.

Dr. Schlam will speak with Dad within the week to determine the success of the steroid (Decadon) - and to evaluate the possibility of lessening the dose. Dad also always has available the pain medication of Dilaudid - which he has not taken since his first day in the hospital.

Okay, I think everything is on the proverbial table.

Dad is home resting comfortably - he is in considerably less pain (Thursday on a scale of 1-10 he was a 12; now he is a 2). His spirits are good (Thursday 2; today 9.3). He is comforted by the calls of his family - his schedule will most likely return to what it was earlier (wake after 9a - and sleep by about 9p). He is up to his old antics - reading incessantly, he is out in the backyard, on his new patio, under the umbrella attending to today's papers.

For those of you who want all the details possible regarding Melanoma, metastasized cancer and the medication you can read up on most of the medical information on the Internet. The most useful site might be-

www.cancer.org

I have a list of questions still to ask the doctors this week as I put all the pieces together. When I receive this information - anything that I feel is valuable to everyone will be shared. Thank you all for your love to me - it is felt and provides me with the strength to assist in caring for our beloved patriarch (of course all this is while he works under the illusion that he is caring for me! - which he can't help but do).

Smooches to all,
Kath