Sunday, August 30th

I think I've almost caught up on my rest since my dad's funeral because every day I feel a little bit better. I still have a little trouble with my balance, my legs are still a little weak and most of the time, I walk with short, shuffling steps, but the good news is, I can still get around on my own okay and my mind is still working (although some of you probably questioned that before this all began). I'm trying to avoid malts for a few days because I had to buy new "fat pants" while I was in Kokomo in order to have something to wear. Somehow I managed to squeeze into my suit for the funeral. Additionally, I had to borrow a belt because my old one wouldn't go all the way around me anymore. I think when I sit around and watch television all day, I just fill the empty time by eating, and that's not very healthy. I wish I could be more active.
Brian and his housemate, Ben came to Cedar Rapids on Friday night and will return to Minneapolis later today. They did a lot of work around the house yesterday - a huge help to both Carole and me. Andy also came up for dinner last night. I think Andy and Tory are going to come and visit later today as well. Carole stays on my case to be sure to stay rested and does a super job of taking care of everything I need (including reminding me when I shouldn't be hungry again).
Take care!

Thursday, August 27th

Carole and Andy drove me to Kokomo, IN on Sunday to attend my dad's funeral. Special thanks to my brother Mark and his wife, Brenda for letting Carole and I spend Sunday and Monday night with them. We left Kokomo after the funeral on Tuesday and spent the night at Carole's brother and his wife's house in Valparaiso, IN that night. We made a short stop at Fair Oaks Dairy Farm along the way to "Valpo" and tried out their chocolate malt - it was good, but, believe it or not, it was too "chocolatey" for me. Stopping in Valparaiso made the drive back to Cedar Rapids yesterday a couple of hours shorter plus it gave us a chance to spend a little time to relax and chat with Jim and Nancy as well.
All in all, my father's funeral went well. During the visitation on Monday, my nephew, Mike suggested I try a malt from the Frozen Custard in Kokomo, so I did. It was close to a new #1 -really creamy, but not quite as malty as I like. During the visitation and funeral, I think I embarrassed myself by crying too much, but Carole has assured me it was okay. I contend it was because of a combination of all the medications and treatments I've been taking - the radiation, the chemo drugs and the steroids - needless to say, my emotions are a little out of control right now. Several aunts, uncles and cousins attended. It was good to see them all and talk with them. I just wish I hadn't been so exhausted and I could have spent more time to talk with everyone than I was able to spend with them. I'm still having some good days and some "not so good" days.
Thanks to everyone for your kind thoughts, prayers, donations and expressions of sympathy I appreciate all of them.
One last note, for those of you who keep telling me Brian is right that I look like Uncle Fester. I contend I actually look like my real Uncle Jim (my mother's brother). At least he's real family, and I can be proud of that.


My Uncle Jim Schultz

Friday, August 21st

Many of you know that my father was diagnosed with a brain tumor late last year. He went through a similar course of treatment that I just finished, but after the first round of radiation and chemo, his doctors stopped the chemo and switched him to a different kind of treatment - some sort of protein therapy. My doctors are indicating I will probably go through more chemo therapy. Anyway, last night, my father passed away. He had been at home for about a week with around the clock hospice care, and the last few days he was heavily sedated with morphine, so his passing was not a total surprise, but it's still sad, and I know I'll miss him. I also know he was ready to die, and he's in a better place now, but that doesn't mean everybody around him was ready for this to happen or that we were totally prepared for it.
Things have changed a little bit for me - more good days than bad days this week. I guess that's an improvement! I'm still trying to stay as positive as possible, and I appreciate all the encouragement, prayers and success stories all of you are passing along. Thanks!
The funeral is next Tuesday, so I'll probably be in Indiana until next Wednesday, probably not many blog updates until after that.

Tuesday, August 18th

I'm learning to lower my expectations every day. Since last Thursday, there have been a few bad days, and a few "not so bad" days. From everything the doctors have told us, and from everything Carole has read in all of the literature they gave us at the hospital, this is normal. It may take up to two months for the swelling in my brain caused by the radiation and chemo treatments to go down. The biggest problems for me have been my balance and my stamina. Today was actually my best day since the radiation and chemo ended. I was able to work about 7 hours today, and handled it fairly well. After that, Carole and I went to the airport to pick up Andy and Tory who were returning from their vacation. Not too surprisingly, I'm really tired tonight.
Sorry this is such a short update.

Saturday, August 15th

Yesterday was not a very good day for me physically. Dr. Smith had me tapering off of Decadron (the steroid I've been taking), and I woke up with a booming headache, and not very stable on my feet. When I called the nurse's station at the hospital, I was surprised when they went and got Dr. Smith and put him on the phone to talk with me directly. He had me take an extra 2 mg yesterday morning, then switch back to the dosage I was on before yesterday. That took care of the headache, but I stayed pretty wobbly all day. Carole and I went over to some friend's house last night. It was a nice chance to meet and talk with several other friends. Additionally, there was a homemade "Buster Bar" ice cream dessert waiting to be tasted (or is that tested?) It was awesome! I'm sure everybody thought I wasn't in very good shape, but it helped me to get out of the house for a while and talk with people.

I woke up this morning feeling much like I have for the past couple of weeks, so it seems that the switch back to the old dosage of Decadron took care of the issues I saw yesterday morning.

Carole is back in school now. She started on Thursday. So far she's been able to come home at lunchtime, but starting next Wednesday, when the kids start school, she won't be able to do that. We're both a little nervous about that, but she is reachable by cell phone, and can come home in case of an emergency. Several people have volunteered to be "on call" in case of emergency. I'm still overwhelmed by how many good friends and neighbors we have who have offered to help. Thanks for everything you've done!
Carole wants to get out to school this weekend to put the finishing touches on her room. I'm sure we'll find time to get that done.

Wednesday, August 12th

I left the hospital today with a Certificate of Completion and the white mesh mask they used to hold my head in place during my radiation treatments. I don't know if I'll ever have a need for it again, except for maybe on Halloween, but I thought I would save it kind of as a badge of honor. I take my last round of chemo pills tonight. My next appointments at the hospital are on 9/11 - an ominous date, huh? That day I'll get a new MRI and see both the radiation oncologist and the chemo oncologist. It will be a long day. After that, I will hopefully start another round of chemotherapy.
On the way home, we celebrated by stopping at Dane's Dairy in Iowa City so I could try one of their chocolate malts - it reminded me of The Kool Moo in Cedar Rapids. After that we stopped at Parlor City Pub in the New Bohemia section of Cedar Rapids and tried their version of Jucy Lucy's (I actually tried their Spicy Lucy). For those of you from the Twin Cities, these are not the same as, or as good as the ones from Matt's or The Blue Door Pub. I liked yesterday's Frog Burger much better.
Today I'm the most tired I've been since I started my treatments. The doctor told me it's normal, and that I should expect to start getting my energy back in a couple of weeks.

Tuesday, August 11th

Only 1 radiation treatment left! I was really tired on Friday afternoon and Saturday, but I got some energy back on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. That was perfect timing for having the Lindholms here. On Sunday, we had a great time catching up on all of our news and did a lot of laughing about different things we remembered. On Sunday evening, Andy and Tory stopped by and had dinner with all of us. I did the grilling and I think everybody had a great meal and a great time. On Monday morning, we took a driving tour of the flood area in Cedar Rapids, which is still pretty unbelievable. Then we went to the Red Frog for a Frog Burger (their version of a ½ lb. BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger). If you ever met Bengt, I'm sure you can almost hear him saying it's the best burger in the world - unbelievable! After lunch, Bengt and Gerd left for Thomson, IL. Carole and I were pretty sad to see them leave. Then it was nap time for me. I had a late radiation appointment on Monday because I knew the Lindholms were going to be here until after lunch plus we needed to take Andy and Tory to the airport for a 6:45 PM flight to Vancouver where they are headed on vacation. On the way to the airport, we stopped at a new place for a chocolate malt - Hyne's Dairy in Iowa city. The malt was close to being a new #1, but I've tasted so many, I'm having trouble keeping them straight in my mind.
On the way home today, we had a flat tire on Interstate 80. After all these trips back and forth, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Thanks goodness for AAA. They came fairly quickly, changed the tire and had us on our way home. Unfortunately, the guy reminded Carole that the spare tire (which is one of those compact spares) had a speed rating of 50 MPH. Being the rule following teacher she is, she didn't drive any faster than 50 the whole way home. She was stressed about the trucks on I-380 driving so fast and getting too close to her from behind. She was really tense by the time we got home. Needless to say, we got the blown tire replaced this afternoon. I'm pretty tired this evening, but still feel relatively well. I'm able to go up and down the stairs without a lot of trouble, and I'm not experiencing any major side-effects from the chemo medication. I'm starting to wonder if/when my hair will start to grow again. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Friday, August 7th

This will just be a quick update. Carole and I met with Dr. Smith, my radiation oncologist today. My blood pressure was up a little, as was my weight (up about 8 lbs since I started radiation and chemo). Obviously, those things haven't had a negative effect on my appetite. All of my blood counts are within normal levels, and I continue to be tired every afternoon, but I feel pretty well overall. I know my balance and motor skills are better now than they were before the treatments started. Starting tomorrow we're going to cut back on decadron (the steroid I've been taking to reduce brain swelling caused by the radiation). I'm hoping that change will help me sleep better through the night and suppress my appetite a little bit. I have completed 31 radiation treatments, with just 3 to go. After next Wednesday, I'll get a month off from both the radiation treatments and the chemo capsules I've been taking every night.

No chocolate malt today - the pants keep getting tighter. I did, however, get a good sandwich from Jimmy John's. It was way better than the Weight Watchers meals I used to eat every day for lunch.

Yesterday afternoon, Andy and Tory came up and helped do some work around the house, then they went to school and helped Carole start getting her room ready for the start of the new year. In the middle of it all, Tory took Carole for a massage. They both came back saying they felt much more relaxed. During that time, Andy stayed here and trimmed some bushes, touched up some spots that needed painting and a few other odds and ends while I napped. Tough life for me, huh?

Today was a rainy day in Iowa, so Carole went to a movie with a friend while I napped for a while. We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Lindholms, our old neighbors from down the street and friends from Finland. They should be here on Sunday afternoon. I know we have a lot of news to catch up on.

Brian thinks I look like Uncle Fester. Say it ain't so! I'm definitely not ready to agree with him.
There's not much new to report here, just five radiation treatments to go, then a month off. I still get tired in the afternoon, and I'm working about half time. I'm ready for the daily ride to Iowa City to be over, and I'm sure Carole is ready for the daily drive to be finished. Everyone at the U of I Hospitals & Clinics has made the experience as good as could be expected, but that doesn't mean I'm not ready for the treatments to end. On the way home today, we stopped at Whitey's. They're still at the top of my chocolate malt list, and for those of you wondering, it's always chocolate. I know what I like best, and I don't get the urge to switch (I do wish they had Leffe Bruin on tap, though).
Carole and I have been watching a lot of TV on DVD's the past few weeks. We've made it through the first seasons of "Lost" and "The Unit", and we're hooked on both. Now we've started the second season of "Lost". Hopefully it will be as good as the first season. We also just finished watching the Reds beat the Cubs. I don't quite know how that happened because the Reds have spent the last two weeks making everybody they play look like World Champions. What can I say, in spite of the way they've been playing, I'm still a Reds fan.
I'll post another update after Friday's visit with the doctor. Hopefully, there will be nothing new to report.

Monday, August 3rd

I got what was left of my hair cut yesterday. What remains is my "old man" look. You can see the field of radiation is fairly large because that's what has caused all the hair loss. The doctors have told me the chemo drug I'm taking does not typically cause any hair loss. I sure hope they're frying the real target with the radiation, and not just my hair. I'm still feeling pretty well, and I just have seven more radiation treatments left, at least for now. Once the radiation is finished, I know I'll have a month without any radiation or chemo. After that, it's another MRI, then evaluate it and decide the best course from there.
This weekend was relatively restful. My lovely bride and I ran several errands on Saturday morning and went to dinner with friends on Saturday evening - veal parmigiana - and I had heartburn all night.
Carole has been a real trooper through all of this. She has basically given up her whole summer (a big deal for a teacher) to take care of me, and she's managed to do it complaining a lot less than I have.
Because of my weight gain (and tight pants), I decided on Friday afternoon that I wouldn't have another chocolate malt until at least today, but last night a friend brought one to my house. Of course, I couldn't turn it down. I didn't have one today to make up for the "extra" one I had yesterday.
Thanks again to everyone for the cards and comments that seem to keep coming every day. Every single one is appreciated.