Pushing the Envelope

Usually most cancer patients push the fatigue envelope, thinking that they are back to the pre-cancer state. Jay is no exception. He keeps trying to do all of the things that he is use to doing and then collapses on the couch. I am constantly telling him to sit down and watch HGTV. He might get some good ideas like painting stripes in the living room!

We go to the oncology office tomorrow. One of the questions for the nurse practitioner is when we can bring our cats home. We are so use to having them around that we are very lonely without them. We won't ask that question of the oncologist because he doesn' t like pets and does not think that animals belong in the home.

We appreciate all that everyone has done for us. You will always remain in our prayers.

Jay's first post!

Been home since Friday and every day I feel a little stronger.

I went to the oncologist on Wednesday and got the very best news possible. I
am now 100% cancer free and in remission. The doctor has removed all restrictions, just take it easy and don’t try to do too much. I will still have to have more chemo the week of August 6th and again a week in September and October. I go in next week for a port and the chemo will be outpatient.

I lost over 20 lbs. This is not a diet I would recommend to anyone. Most of the loss was muscle. My waist is still about the same.

I want to thank everyone for their prayers and support. I know they were instrumental in my remission. Please continue I still have a long journey ahead.

Thanks for all the cards. They certainly helped to keep my spirits up. Please feel free to stop and see me. I would love to have visitors. Just call before 271-5810. You may see me out driving the convertible soon.

Love to all.

Jim/Jay

Home Again, Home Again

Getting home was almost overwhelming for Jay. The ride home from the hospital was exhausting but he was excited to be home. He approved of the changes that had been made while he was on his sojourn, even though he had asked his sister not to let us paint stripes in the living room. (We did anyway and it is spectacular.) He slept on the couch most of Thursday and Friday. By Saturday he had a little more energy and it has increased daily. On Monday we journeyed out to the nurse practitioner in oncology office and learned that his blood counts were all within the normal range except for the hemoglobin, that is close. Jay can only speak slightly above a whisper. The nurse thinks it is because he has diminished lung capacity. We hope that is what the problem is because he cannot go back into a classroom with the volume he currently has. He was taken off the restrictive diet (the cooks cheered) and was told that he could go outside and sit on the deck. He is not supposed to be driving, although he told me this morning that he is going to drive the convertible around the block. Tomorrow we will go and see the oncologist to find out what the next part of the plan is to bring him back to healthy.

Jay has received cards from teachers, friends and students. Each one of them warms our hearts that we have so many people thinking of us and praying for us. We received the nicest gift from some very dear friends. We have lawn service from now until winter. This is such a relief because the lawn and gardens have always been very important to Jay. The service came last Friday and the lawn looked wonderful. Our cooks, Linda Nellans and Cynthia MacWhorter, have made sure that we are not losing any weight. Chris Bishop, a student at Saint Joe, is leading a blood drive in Jay's name. It will take place on September 7th. This is gift that will not only benefit Jay but the whole community. Watch for more news on this event from Chris.

We will keep you posted on Jay's progress. Our love and prayers go out to all of you.

Good News!!

Happy news! We received a phone call at 10 am this morning from Jay who told us that he gets to come home tomorrow!! Thank the maker that our fabulous cleaning crew had been in over the weekend! In preparation for his grand return, Sean and Colleen tackled the final frontier of cleaning - the dreaded refrigerator. We very nearly took pictures to post to the blog but decided we didn't want to be judged poorly on our refrigerator habits.

Thanks to all for their support throughout Jay's hospital stay. He will be continuing chemotherapy treatment throughout the fall so continue to send your prayers and good thoughts his way. Also, in a few days, look for Jay's inaugural post to his blog. It will be more fun than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!

Starting week 3 in the hospital

Jay has been off the chemo for almost two weeks now and the dreaded side effects of fatigue and loss of appetite are finally starting to wane. In fact, he wants all of his blog fans to know that he is once again up for receiving guests. You'll still see a sign on his door asking you to check in first, but he's starting to feel like visiting with family and friends once again. We do ask that you keep your visits short and sweet - he does wear out easily, but he'd love to have some visitors (as long as they're healthy, of course!). So, if you'd like to pop in, feel free to do so!

In other news, the house has been sparkle-cleaned over the weekend. From the top of the refrigerator to the floor boards, everything is being prepped in the honor of Jay's return. A special blog shout-out to Rob, Marianne, Eric and Meredith who spent the better part of their Sunday cleaning the Fitzpatrick homestead. Much to their amazement, they were able to build two cats and a litter of kittens with all of the random cat hair throughout the downstairs. We haven't been able to convince them that we do indeed actually vacuum and dust every now and again! Thanks also to Cynthia MacWhorter who took a literal trip to the house to provide food for our cleaning army and giving Sean and Colleen some gardening tips. Who knew flowers need water?

Finally, as so many chemo patients before him, Jay has begun to lose his hair (we know there are some snickering blog readers right now!). We have come up with a few solutions for him:
1. Dianne has graciously offered the use of a wig. We are trying to decide whether to go with Dolly Parton's line or with Jessica Simpson's.
2. Colleen has offered to draw lines on Jay's head - either in the curlicue style of Charlie Brown or the more linear fashion of Linus.
If anyone out in the blog universe has some suggestions, pass them along!

We'll pass along more news as we get it. Look for the homecoming date soon! Have a great start of the week!

Yet another day in the hospital.

Jay is wrapping up day 15 in the hospital and is starting to become a little weary of the environment. Everyday, he undergoes a plethora of tests to make sure that he is not catching an infection and to monitor his blood counts. For example, today he had a liver panel test (to ensure that his liver is functioning properly), an ultrasound, and blood draws. The blood draws are imperative to check his blood count. The chemotherapy completely knocks out the red and white blood cells, so after his 7 day round, he was at almost zero on each. His blood count is what will determine when he goes home so we all closely check the numbers daily.

In other news, Jay has become cranky at the lack of ginger ale in this hospital (apparently there was an epidemic of ginger ale lovers there over the last few days). To cheer him up, we brought him a massive frozen coke, two Popsicles, and some gum. At times like these, we like to pretend he's an 11 year old who loves convenience store treats!

Sean and Colleen have finally finished painting the living room. A note to all - stripes are great but very labor intensive!

Enjoy your weekend!!

And the results are in!

A quick update for everyone. The official results of the bone marrow test are in, and according to Dr. Ansari, everything looks good! The chemo treatments appear to have done their job nicely. The current rumor is that Jay will be able to come home next Friday. Everyone is really excited and even the cats Maki and Sushi are looking forward to vacationing with Aunt Melissa. Thanks for all of the prayers and positive thoughts; we are truly blessed with our circle of family and friends!

Starting to look up!

After a rough few days of complete exhaustion, Jay is starting to regain a bit of energy - no more sleep-eating bagels! While little things like showering still are very tiring, Jay has perked up enough to read the area's Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper, The South Bend Tribune. This is quite fortunate as the lead story today was a thrilling expose on recent weather.

As those of you who are devoted followers of the Jay-blog know, Jay and co. have been eagerly awaiting Friday's bone-marrow test. Jay was told that Dr. Ansari would be bringing the results along early Tuesday morning so at approximately 5:35 AM the loyal gang of three took off for the hospital. This was a monumental event as no one among the three could quite remember leaving at such an hour in the recent, and long-ago, past. We are champion sleepers and 10AM is much more our speed. But, this was extremely important news so away we went. And the news? At the moment, we're cautiously optimistic. Dr. Ansari explained that he believes the test results showed that the chemo was effective BUT he did not have the final results as the specimen still needed to fully dry. So keep your prayers and good thoughts coming and we'll post more as we know more.

In other news, Jay's appetite watch of 2007 has a new update. Because of the exhaustion of the last few days and the inedible nature of the hospital food, Jay has lost over 10 lbs (for the metric fans among us, he has lost approximately 4.5 kg). Very few things have sounded good, but today Jay requested a small caramel waffle sundae blizzard (undoubtedly falling prey to the tempting on-going advertising campaign). He will get this delicious treat along with his clean laundry this evening.

Finally, in preparation for Jay's triumphant return home (date forthcoming), Colleen and Sean have been painting the living room. As some might recall, it was previously a vivid pink almost the shade of a particular gastrointestinal medication. It is now the shade of butterscotch pudding to remind Jay of the hospital food he loves so much!

Keep your cards, well-wishes and emails coming! Jay and co. love to read them!

Monday, July 9, 2007

This was a tough weekend for Jay. We had been told that the side effects of the chemo would kick in on the tenth day and they did. He suffered from the fatigue that most cancer patients are familiar with, and then had it topped off with digestive issues and a headache that was a killer. Dianne came in on Saturday afternoon (she is spending every afternoon with him) and immediately went to the nurses' station to get some relief for him. It is really a good thing that she knows all of the nurses and patient care givers. By late Saturday afternoon, the headache and the digestive issues were solved. The fatigue will be on going until his immune system starts on its way up.

In the news from home, Cynthia did not make must progress on the woods, so you can hold off bringing your shovels to help. The oncologist has mandated that prior to bringing Jay home, the house has to be cleaned from top to bottom, all of the windows have to be washed, the carpet has to be cleaned and the pets have to leave. We are lining up the cleaning service (Le Fine Cleaning Service if you ever need an outstanding cleaning service) and have made the decision to re-carpet the living room and family room instead of cleaning it. The living room is being painted (painters Colleen, Sean and Melissa) so things are upside down at home. The kitties are going into foster care and will be able to return when Jay is better.

Please continue to pray for us -- The power of prayer has kept me alive for nine years so I know it works.

After a long, relatively painless week of chemotherapy, Jay is finally starting to feel some of the ill-effects of the drugs (and for those in the family who have gone through the trials and tribulations of better living through chemistry, it has been a great opportunity to say, "I told you so!). He's starting to feel the promised fatigue and loss of appetite. We all are encouraging him to continue to eat; the experts recommend mashed potatoes. So last evening, Jay enjoyed a beige meal of mashed potatoes and a vanilla milkshake. This family firmly believes that a milkshake is the solution to all of life's ailments.

In other news, the daily visitor count remains high, and the sibling tally is now 6 out of 7 with only Mary Lou remaining. We'll cut her some slack since she's down in Florida! Jay continues to love to mingle with all of his guests; he tried to prevent Bob and Linda from leaving with his witty repartee. But, it is now even more important than ever to call before visiting as he will tire easily (don't have the phone numbers? send an email to sean.fitzpatrick@mail.wvu.edu and we'll get them to you!). The nurses are now acting as bouncers when the "No Visitors Please" sign is posted. If you come to visit and are turned away, please remember that it isn't that Jay doesn't want to see you; it's that his family doesn't want him to see you ;) In all seriousness, while guests are very welcome, we don't want to wear him out, and there are going to be more times in the next two weeks when this will be a distinct possibility. Consider sending him a note instead!

Finally, Jay has his bone marrow test tomorrow. This test will measure how effective the week's treatment has been. Please send your prayers and good karma into the atmosphere! More updates to follow!

July 4th

Jay is now done with Chemo!!! Well at least until August! To celebrate the 4th Jay was moved to the largest room on the floor, 663. It’s big enough to hold a town hall meeting for a small town. He now has TWO windows, TWO recliners, and an exercise bike; besides living within the confines of a hospital and being subject to the less than gourmet food that comes with said living arrangement, he is living large. The new view allowed Jay to watch approximately 6 of South Bend famed fireworks shows simultaneously last night with his late night guests.

Though the drugs are no longer pumping through his veins, he will still be on a saline drip and might need more transfusions of blood. You still can't tell that he's sick from his appearance, but the doctors say that day 10 (Saturday) is when he'll start to feel the side effects.

One of Jay's colleagues from St. Joe, Cynthia MacWhorter, has graciously volunteered to come over to garden today, and Sean has decided to give her an old electric chain saw and tell her that his dad wants the small woods behind the house cleared. Once she finishes that task, all subsequent volunteers will be given shovels to build a new backyard pool.

That's it for now. You can post well wishes on the comments section of this page, or send an e-mail to the Fitzpatrick family member of choice. We've been printing them out and taking them to Jay who thoroughly enjoys reading them all.

Tuesday, July 3rd

Tonight is the last bag of chemo, and Jay continues to do very well. His appetite is good, even with the rather bland hospital food (take note, the omelets are surprisingly tasty; the cheeseburgers not so much). He even made a special request for a Butterfinger Blizzard yesterday and muffins today. As you can see, his sweet tooth hasn't been affected. Visitors continue to drop in - Jay comes from a huge family and at last count, he has received visits from 5 out of 7 siblings with promises of visits from the remaining two. His work colleagues and family friends have also been stopping in and sending their best wishes. Jay loves having company to pass along the time, but as always, if you'd like to visit, give a call first especially through the next few weeks as he will tire easily.
Doctor Ansari, Jay's oncologist, has come by twice this week and has delivered the news that all carpets need to be cleaned before Jay's return. We're all very excited at home because we are using this as a great time to replace the carpet in the family room which has taken on a life of its own. We really are pushing for hard wood floors; we'll see if the chemotherapy knocks out some of Jay's legendary frugalness! We also found out that the cats, Maki and Sushi, will have to go on vacation for a few weeks up to a few months when Jay returns. They will certainly be quite sad to leave their favorite napping partner for a bit. If anyone would love to be a backup foster for the two "grandcats," let us know!!
We're looking forward to watching the 4th of July fireworks from the hospital, which has an incredible view. You can see the fireworks over the Cove, the local minor league baseball park, from the room. The room also has a great view of the South Bend skyline - from the 6th floor, you'd think you're looking over a major metropolitan area. Other views make South Bend look oddly mountainous. It would be a great shot for the chamber of commerce as it makes the city look far more scenic than one would guess.
Have a wonderful fourth!

Sunday, July 1

Yesterday Jay received a whopping 16 visitors. Family and friends were welcomed guests as Jay completed his third bag of chemotherapy. 3 down, 4 to go! Jay is doing well, aside from the pesky leukemia. His spirits are high, he still has more of a tan than the rest of his family, and he's made no progress on his novel or watching movies with all of the visitors coming to bear good wishes and greetings. Visitors are more than welcome but please do consider giving a call first as he will likely become more tired as the next few weeks progress. Check back in for another update tomorrow!