Bill is actually typing this posting. I wanted to let everyone know that I'm home after a successful operation to expand my right lung. I also learned that my cancer is in remission after 3 ICE chemotherapy treatments. I feel better today than I have since my relapse in September and finally have the energy to type something.
I will start my visits to the Jewish Hosptial this week to initiate my bone marrow stem cell transplant. I will first get one more ICE chemotherapy treatment. After the treatment, the doctors will start harvesting my healthy stem cells from my blood supply. Once they have enough stem cells, I will get a 'knock out' session of chemotherapy. As I recover from the session, they will reintroduce the stem cells back into my body. After 4-6 weeks, the process will complete and my Hodgkin's will be in complete remission.
I thank everyone for the prayers, cards, calls, and meals. It's meant a great deal to me and my family
God Bless,
Bill,
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
October 18, 2010
Change of plans ~
Bill checked in to the hospital tonight so he can receive more blood and then the lung procedure will be performed tomorrow around 1:00pm.
Thanks for the good wishes and prayers.
Holly
Bill checked in to the hospital tonight so he can receive more blood and then the lung procedure will be performed tomorrow around 1:00pm.
Thanks for the good wishes and prayers.
Holly
Saturday, October 16, 2010
October 16, 2010
Greetings from Joy,
It has been a week from Bill's chemo treatment and he is getting out of bed more
and seems to have a stronger disposition. He had a meet and greet with the
thoracic surgeon today and he seems very able and capable.
The surgeon explained that the procedure is much like peeling a hardboiled egg
from its shell. Sometimes the "rind" covering the lung comes off easy in one piece
and sometimes it takes a bit more effort.
So those of you who are able pray seeing the "rind" being removed with ease and
in one piece would be a wonderful prayer request. It was my understanding that
the easier it is to remove from the lung the faster the recovery.
Bill has a breathing exercise class on Monday, Oct 18 and then he is scheduled
for surgery on Tuesday Oct 19. Recovery will be anywhere from 3 to 5 to 7 or so days.
All of this will take place at Kettering Hospital.
The Dr. said this is a pretty straight forward procedure and that Bill being
young and strong should do very well.
My hope is that Bill's procedure is very easy for the Dr. and for Bill.
And that Bill's recovery will happen with ease and very little or no pain.
And that the cancer continues to decrease in volume as Bill heals
from the procedure.
That way he will be able to pass the breathing test and start the
stem cell treatment at the Jewish Hospital.
Thank you for sending your postive thoughts and prayers
to Bill and Our family.
Joy
It has been a week from Bill's chemo treatment and he is getting out of bed more
and seems to have a stronger disposition. He had a meet and greet with the
thoracic surgeon today and he seems very able and capable.
The surgeon explained that the procedure is much like peeling a hardboiled egg
from its shell. Sometimes the "rind" covering the lung comes off easy in one piece
and sometimes it takes a bit more effort.
So those of you who are able pray seeing the "rind" being removed with ease and
in one piece would be a wonderful prayer request. It was my understanding that
the easier it is to remove from the lung the faster the recovery.
Bill has a breathing exercise class on Monday, Oct 18 and then he is scheduled
for surgery on Tuesday Oct 19. Recovery will be anywhere from 3 to 5 to 7 or so days.
All of this will take place at Kettering Hospital.
The Dr. said this is a pretty straight forward procedure and that Bill being
young and strong should do very well.
My hope is that Bill's procedure is very easy for the Dr. and for Bill.
And that Bill's recovery will happen with ease and very little or no pain.
And that the cancer continues to decrease in volume as Bill heals
from the procedure.
That way he will be able to pass the breathing test and start the
stem cell treatment at the Jewish Hospital.
Thank you for sending your postive thoughts and prayers
to Bill and Our family.
Joy
Friday, October 8, 2010
October 8, 2010
Greetings from Joy,
Bill has completed his third round of chemo. He also received a blood transfusion before chemo and then one after chemo.
So his color looks good and he seems to have more strength. Something about the hemoglobin numbers being low and how those cell are the ones that carry oxygen.
On Monday Oct 4th is when the PET scan news came in. The good news is that there is less cancer than before..
the Whaa news is that it is not disappearing a fast as the Dr. would like. So the prayer is that this round of chemo is even more effective at dissolving the cancer cells.
Other news is that Bill will need to have his lung repaired before he his a candidate for the stem cell process at the Jewish Hospital. As I understand it there are two concerns about fluid in the lower right chest cavity.
One is about the risk of infection that having fluid in the chest cavity would cause as Bill undergoes the extreme chemo, and the other is about needing effective enough exhale abilities so that he would be able to release the toxins of the chemo effectively as well.
So he has an appointment to meet with a thoracic surgeon on Thursday October 14th. There I imagine that Bill and I will get information on how a cool little camera will go inside Bills chest and the surgeon will be able to "scrape" the "rind" off of Bill's right lung so that his lung will be able to extend fully, thus improving his ability to breathe.
Once he heals enough from that. He needs to pass the "Breathing Test" and then he will be on his way to the Jewish Hospital.
On Thursdays meeting I hope to have a better idea on how long Bill will be at the Kettering Hospital and how long after that will he need to recover to take the Breathing test again and then get the okay to go to the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati.
Truth be told I was very disappointed to learn of the need to have Bill go thru the lung procedure.
However after a night of crying I think I have gotten my sad out and am able to proceed with more calm and peace of mind than before.
For those of you who have read Steven Covey's book the 7 habits of highly effective people there is a list that gives example of what you might be focused on if you are not a principle centered person. When that was years ago and mostly I am able to live in
the principle centered place however... in weak moments I can be come very
enemy centered! And so I now repent of my sins from all of the evil eye energy
I was sending to the experts who denied Bill at the Jewish Hospital until his lung is repaired.
May God Bless them
AND may God Bless me!
Because Bill looked so good when I picked him up from WPAFB Medical Center on Thursday
I am feeling hopeful that all will be well.
So other than moving the "This Sucks" meter to "This Really SUCKS"
The Good News is that he is still here and he is still a very strong man.
OH one more good thing was when Pastor Sara from our church Epiphany Lutheran Church
came chatted, prayed, and shared Holy Communion.
During our chatting time we talked about making things suck less and we
got to talking about how Bill enjoys malts and shakes now. And she reminded us
of how wonderful United Dairy Farmer shakes and malts are. Oh yes!!!
very very delicious.
Please continue to keep him in your prayers. And if possible enjoy
the ease of your life just a bit more. And as you are in that place
of appreciation just send a bit of that love, energy, contentment Bill's way.
Thank You.
Bill has completed his third round of chemo. He also received a blood transfusion before chemo and then one after chemo.
So his color looks good and he seems to have more strength. Something about the hemoglobin numbers being low and how those cell are the ones that carry oxygen.
On Monday Oct 4th is when the PET scan news came in. The good news is that there is less cancer than before..
the Whaa news is that it is not disappearing a fast as the Dr. would like. So the prayer is that this round of chemo is even more effective at dissolving the cancer cells.
Other news is that Bill will need to have his lung repaired before he his a candidate for the stem cell process at the Jewish Hospital. As I understand it there are two concerns about fluid in the lower right chest cavity.
One is about the risk of infection that having fluid in the chest cavity would cause as Bill undergoes the extreme chemo, and the other is about needing effective enough exhale abilities so that he would be able to release the toxins of the chemo effectively as well.
So he has an appointment to meet with a thoracic surgeon on Thursday October 14th. There I imagine that Bill and I will get information on how a cool little camera will go inside Bills chest and the surgeon will be able to "scrape" the "rind" off of Bill's right lung so that his lung will be able to extend fully, thus improving his ability to breathe.
Once he heals enough from that. He needs to pass the "Breathing Test" and then he will be on his way to the Jewish Hospital.
On Thursdays meeting I hope to have a better idea on how long Bill will be at the Kettering Hospital and how long after that will he need to recover to take the Breathing test again and then get the okay to go to the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati.
Truth be told I was very disappointed to learn of the need to have Bill go thru the lung procedure.
However after a night of crying I think I have gotten my sad out and am able to proceed with more calm and peace of mind than before.
For those of you who have read Steven Covey's book the 7 habits of highly effective people there is a list that gives example of what you might be focused on if you are not a principle centered person. When that was years ago and mostly I am able to live in
the principle centered place however... in weak moments I can be come very
enemy centered! And so I now repent of my sins from all of the evil eye energy
I was sending to the experts who denied Bill at the Jewish Hospital until his lung is repaired.
May God Bless them
AND may God Bless me!
Because Bill looked so good when I picked him up from WPAFB Medical Center on Thursday
I am feeling hopeful that all will be well.
So other than moving the "This Sucks" meter to "This Really SUCKS"
The Good News is that he is still here and he is still a very strong man.
OH one more good thing was when Pastor Sara from our church Epiphany Lutheran Church
came chatted, prayed, and shared Holy Communion.
During our chatting time we talked about making things suck less and we
got to talking about how Bill enjoys malts and shakes now. And she reminded us
of how wonderful United Dairy Farmer shakes and malts are. Oh yes!!!
very very delicious.
Please continue to keep him in your prayers. And if possible enjoy
the ease of your life just a bit more. And as you are in that place
of appreciation just send a bit of that love, energy, contentment Bill's way.
Thank You.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Latest News About Bill Richard
Dear Followers of Bill's Blog,
A note from Joy, Bill's Wife,
It was confirmed that there is a recurrence of Hodgkin's Lymphoma for Bill. Thankfully he has already had two rounds of new chemo and perhaps one more before his care will be transferred to the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati. There he will under go some prep work to collect his very own bone marrow/stem cells, the hospital will save his cells in the deep freezer for later, Once the collection is complete he will be checked in for approximatly a 3 week stay as they give him strong chemo therapy for about 5 days and then, when the time is right, re introduce his own stem cells back into his body. Our guess is that this more intensive healing adventure will begin sometime in late Oct.
I will do my best to keep you up to date with accurate information. With special days, times and intentions on what to pray for.
The back story
Something was not feeling right to Bill in late July so he when in for a Dr. check up and had a PET scan scheduled for the next week.
It was about the middle of August that Bill starting feeling more tired and having night sweats. The PET scan info came back with some "hot spots", On the first day of school for the kids Bill stayed home and told me he was not feeling well. After that things moved quickly a Dr. appt at WPAFB with instructions to go to Miami Valley Hospital Emergency Room to prepare for fluid removal from Bill's heart (about a liter) as well as lung(about 5 liters). No wonder he was not feeling well. From that moment every thing was in high gear to confirm that it was Hodgkins so that he could start chemo.. to get the show on the road Bill underwent a biopsy near his color bone with only a local pain killer!! I was so PROUD he got that completed before the Labor Day weekend! That way the lab was able confirm that it was Hodgkin's again and Bill's Dr. was able to get chemo started a.s.a.p. Phew...
For our 20th anniversary experience Bill waited for his chemo port to be installed... unfortunately.. the port thing did not go as planned and a few days later a PIC line was installed in his left arm. That seems to be working just fine. Bill has had two round of chemo. Tuesday for about an hour Wed for a full 24 hours where he is checked in to the hospital for and over night and then one more hour on Thursday and then he is home. The first time over night he ended up in the ICU because of low Oxygen levels and they took more fluid from his chest caviaty. While there they also found a blood clot so now I get to give him shots in his belly everyday. His second round of chemo was easy and he seems to be doing very well. Plus he recieved a blood transfusion and that has helped with his energy levels and well as his skin color.
We have as a family gone thru a wide rage of emotions from shock , deep sadness, to time to pull yourself up by your boots straps and get on with it... Mostly we talk about how it SUCKS that he needs to go thru this experiance again and we come up with ways to make it suck less. (inspired from a quit smoking add) Mostly practicing the power of being in the now. Praying and Giving Thanks for all of the helpful people who are are providing right action and support.
Once the paper work is complete I will provide more detailed information.
Thanks for caring.
Peace and Blessings,
Joy
A note from Joy, Bill's Wife,
It was confirmed that there is a recurrence of Hodgkin's Lymphoma for Bill. Thankfully he has already had two rounds of new chemo and perhaps one more before his care will be transferred to the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati. There he will under go some prep work to collect his very own bone marrow/stem cells, the hospital will save his cells in the deep freezer for later, Once the collection is complete he will be checked in for approximatly a 3 week stay as they give him strong chemo therapy for about 5 days and then, when the time is right, re introduce his own stem cells back into his body. Our guess is that this more intensive healing adventure will begin sometime in late Oct.
I will do my best to keep you up to date with accurate information. With special days, times and intentions on what to pray for.
The back story
Something was not feeling right to Bill in late July so he when in for a Dr. check up and had a PET scan scheduled for the next week.
It was about the middle of August that Bill starting feeling more tired and having night sweats. The PET scan info came back with some "hot spots", On the first day of school for the kids Bill stayed home and told me he was not feeling well. After that things moved quickly a Dr. appt at WPAFB with instructions to go to Miami Valley Hospital Emergency Room to prepare for fluid removal from Bill's heart (about a liter) as well as lung(about 5 liters). No wonder he was not feeling well. From that moment every thing was in high gear to confirm that it was Hodgkins so that he could start chemo.. to get the show on the road Bill underwent a biopsy near his color bone with only a local pain killer!! I was so PROUD he got that completed before the Labor Day weekend! That way the lab was able confirm that it was Hodgkin's again and Bill's Dr. was able to get chemo started a.s.a.p. Phew...
For our 20th anniversary experience Bill waited for his chemo port to be installed... unfortunately.. the port thing did not go as planned and a few days later a PIC line was installed in his left arm. That seems to be working just fine. Bill has had two round of chemo. Tuesday for about an hour Wed for a full 24 hours where he is checked in to the hospital for and over night and then one more hour on Thursday and then he is home. The first time over night he ended up in the ICU because of low Oxygen levels and they took more fluid from his chest caviaty. While there they also found a blood clot so now I get to give him shots in his belly everyday. His second round of chemo was easy and he seems to be doing very well. Plus he recieved a blood transfusion and that has helped with his energy levels and well as his skin color.
We have as a family gone thru a wide rage of emotions from shock , deep sadness, to time to pull yourself up by your boots straps and get on with it... Mostly we talk about how it SUCKS that he needs to go thru this experiance again and we come up with ways to make it suck less. (inspired from a quit smoking add) Mostly practicing the power of being in the now. Praying and Giving Thanks for all of the helpful people who are are providing right action and support.
Once the paper work is complete I will provide more detailed information.
Thanks for caring.
Peace and Blessings,
Joy
Thursday, March 25, 2010
All Done! - Feeling Great - Checkups Every 6 Months
I completed my radiation treatments last week. I feel better now than I have felt
in about a year! I only now need to go see the doctor every six months to ensure
that the cancer has not returned. I've also finally started exercizing again.
I appreciate all your thoughts, prayers, and support over these six months. I am very, very grateful.
God Bless,
Bill
in about a year! I only now need to go see the doctor every six months to ensure
that the cancer has not returned. I've also finally started exercizing again.
I appreciate all your thoughts, prayers, and support over these six months. I am very, very grateful.
God Bless,
Bill
Sunday, February 28, 2010
1st Week of Treatment
My first week of radiation treatment has gone fine.
I will get 16 treatments total and I finished my first 5 last week.
A radiation treatment only takes about 15 minutes and it's a piece of cake compared to chemotherapy.
Thanks for your continued prayers and support.
Bill
I will get 16 treatments total and I finished my first 5 last week.
A radiation treatment only takes about 15 minutes and it's a piece of cake compared to chemotherapy.
Thanks for your continued prayers and support.
Bill
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