Quick Family Update (medical)

Bill wanted me to give a brief update about today's events. As some may know, Kaity has been having leg pains which have traveled to her feet and arms. I took her into the doctor a couple of weeks ago and X-rays and blood work was ordered. This morning both Kaity and Zachary had a doctor's appointment. In Kaity's X-rays it showed some indication of lead. We do live in an older house with a flaky kitchen ceiling , which could contribute to it. It doesn't mean she has lead poisoning either. Also, with the blood work she tested positive for Lupus. It doesn't mean she has it either. The doctor thinks she may have a form of arthritis. Needless to say both kids had to have blood work done. Zachary was very scared. started crying in the waiting room. He didn't run out of the building though this time and he did good. Kaity was fine until she saw the chair and she started crying. She did good too. She didn't try to move and I was told that crying is good because it makes the blood move faster. They were both mad at me when I tore off their bandages when they weren't looking. Zachary started to have a reaction and Kaity had one last time so I thought the best thing was to take it off when they weren't expecting it. I am glad my mom went with us. She made it so much easier on me. Afterwards, I rewarded them with lunch and I promised Zachary I would take him to the store to buy him something if he was good.

After that, Bill had his weekly infusion. He slept during a good portion of it but we did have some good conversation with two other patients. Bill is going to skip treatment next week but has an appointment to see the oncologist. He is going to go back to wearing the pump, so the treatments will be every other week again. The nurses suggested he skips treatment on his birthday(which he deserves because last year he had the colon dissection surgery right before his birthday and wasn't feeling that great). Which means he will have another month off chemo. Not sure if the doctor will go for this but I will keep my fingers cross.

Bill is working through this weekend so hopefully at the beginning of next week he will think of some good stories to share.

Zack, Why Why!

Welcome back! I am back on the 12 hour shift starting this weekend. I am involved in a special project this week which means I am on days plus I get breakfast, free snacks, and lunch. I am feeling well. Not digging going in every week for treatments but I do feel better this way. Tonight, I am trying to decide if I want to go back to the pump when I go Thursday or not. I really really despise the pump. Going every week is a pain as well. It will be more difficult to go every week with the 12 hour shifts. I worked 6 days last week and now I am working 9 days in a row. Only half of the days I am working are 12 hours the other 4 days are 8s.

Now for my family life. It's amazing and/or scary (not sure which one) how I am never short of material about my family. Remember last week how I said Zachary told Michael that he smelled like a dead fish? Now Michael is saying his car smells like rotten fish. I couldn't help but laugh when I heard it. Sally told him at least people know when he is near.

Sally was telling me that Kaity is now hitting with a closed fist. Not that we condone violence, but I do want my children to defend themselves. Which is the reason we got into an argument. I was like good for Kaity, she is learning to defend herself. If she is going to hit then she should make it count, go for the jewels I would say. Sally said that hitting with a close fist is wrong and that she should not be taught to hurt others but hitting with an open hand is OK at times. Sally and I bickered back and forth for over an hour. We never came to an agreement( I am right though).

Last weekend after I finished my blog, I gave Zachary a choice of things to do with me. Sally was helping with suggestions and mentioned ice cream. I just gave her the look. I knew right then and there what was about to erupt. The next thing we hear is a little voice saying "Ice keam! Ice keam!" Sally crushed her heart by telling her that I will take her the next day. She cried and cried. So I came up with a brilliant plan and took the kids to McDonalds for sundae's ( only a dollar) So I bought 8 and got the kids theirs. After wards, I dropped her off at home and she was happy and I took Zachary to the destination of his choice which was Chuck E Cheeses. The first thing he wanted to do was play the basketball game. The very first throw he managed to have the basketball hit a lady in the head. After it hit her the ball went straight in the air. I caught the ball over the lady's head before it hit her again. I looked at Zachary and said "Nice shot Zach!" and then my first thoughts were "Oh crap! what did I just say?" I was expecting a mean glare at the very least and some choice words to be flying my way around with a hand, but the lady acted like nothing ever happened and kept playing her game. That even scared me some more( you know when a women acts like nothing is wrong, there is something wrong and your in it deep poop). So obviously I still didn't feel safe. I kept looking out of the corner of my eye waiting for some buff wrestling dude to come up to me to defend his woman. I was relieved when we got into our car and drove away. I had a vision of the "Ikea" commercial as I opening the door to the car "Start the car! Start the Car", but there was nobody in the car to start it for me, "Oh crap!" I thought. "Did make a clean get away?." As Zachary was in the back saying "Whoooooooo!" Every time a car was next to me and the person would look at me, I would look over and yell " What are you looking at?", and speed a way in my fast looking Impala( teach them to stare at me). This past Sunday, my nephew had his birthday party at Chuck E Cheeses. Zachary again ran up to the basketball game and I held my breath the entire time. I kept trying to redirect him towards a different game but he insisted he needed to practice. I told him that this wasn't the time or place to practice, but not before he ran into a little boy and knocked his cup of tokens on the floor. "No way, this can't be happening to me" I thought. Oh, I just knew some lady is going to jump on me on me now, and hit me with a closed fist. Kaity, Daddy was just kidding, open fist open fist. Luckily, that didn't happen. I picked up the little trouble maker and said be more careful as I scoped the area out. I sent him on his way with a little smack on the back of his head.

I have this fascination with watching bobsledding. Not sure why but lucky me it's on TV tonight. So I am going to cut this short (which I am sure some are relieved) so I can watch it and give Sally her computer back. Even though she is in denial she is addicted to her imaginary mob or are they.Thank you and God Bless.

Checking in

Just checking in again. Last week was a busy week. I had chemo on Monday. It didn't go as I planned. The chemo sessions are still the same amount of time. Now with the infusion I go every week and have to have blood work done weekly as well. It is nice not wearing the pump though. I felt much better to. I didn't have to take anything for nausea this time. Besides chemo, I worked 2 doubles and an extra day. Sally wasn't very happy but I felt like I didn't have much of a choice. I didn't want to let my work down and I always feel like I have to prove that I can handle my job. Plus, we can always use a larger pay check. I felt fine except for being tired on the double shifts. I think anyone would if they only had 8 hours before their next shift.
Starting next week I am going to be on 12 hour shifts again unless it changes again. Eventually, I will go back to the chemo pump I think.

Kaity needed to have some test done because of her legs pains. Since I had to work a lot last week, Sally had to take her. My mother in law went with them. I was relieved I didn't have to go with. I had a hard time when I went with Zachary for his shots and another time when he had to have blood drawn. It breaks my heart. I know as of dad I am suppose to be strong but stuff like that I am a wuss. Anyways, I like when Sally is the bad one taking the kids to be tortured then I can comfort them when they get home and tell them their mom is a big meanie. Kaity though, was fine when she was done. They bribed her with stickers, a lollipop, a stuffed monkey, and pancakes.Which makes me wonder why I don't get those things when I go for my blood work. I would be happy with just a candy bar. Kaity still has her bandage on from one of her pokes. Sally said she is leaving that for me to pull off. I was hoping by the 3rd day it would fall off but nope. I think it's glued on and I don't see a problem with it being on her. If it doesn't bother her being on then I think we should just leave it.

It wouldn't be a Bill Ceiga blog if I didn't write something I felt was funny about my family. So here it is. On the way to mass last week all three of the kids were in the back seat. Zachary said that Michael had bad breath. Michael said he didn't and told Zachary to "shut up". Sally said "no Michael you do", and said that Michael has a unique smell in the morning. Zachary had to add "yeah! like a dead fish". I think it was the first time in history Michael was lost for words. He just walked a head of us in to church with his head hanging low. I don't condone my kids being mean to each other. However, with Michael and Zachary being 11 years apart, Michael is the one that is usually tormenting and saying mean things to Zachary. Zachary being much younger is the one who is left heart broken and in pain. It was just a classic moment to see Zachary in his glory and for once getting his brother back. It is also funny because a few years ago when Michael had braces, Sally and I found the most perfect ornament that reminded us of Michael. It was a fish ornament that had a huge smile wearing braces. How ironic now.

Since I didn't get to see the kids very much I would try to call them on my breaks. Thursday I called when Zachary got home from school. He was very sad and told me he had a bad day. I was expecting him to be happy because he had Friday off and is going to have tomorrow (Monday) off as well. I asked my pumpkin why is he so sad. He said "I got homework and it's not fair. I never get homework for the weekend". I later found it was 2 math sheets that will take him less them 10 minutes to finish.

Last Sunday we had a birthday party to go to for my two God Children. When it was time for the cake, My mother in law was passing out the incredible edibles. She was going person to person with a smile on her face. When she was all done, I noticed red toe prints all over the floor throughout the kitchen and living room area. I knew right away who it came from. I just started laughing and telling everyone, except the person who made the tracks about the prints. I didn't want to embarrass my Mother in law Mary, so I just did the mature thing and laughed about it for awhile. Finally , my sister in law Sandy told my mother in law to look under her socks and sure enough there it was, a big red blotch. I guess she felt she needed to leave tracks throughout the house so she wouldn't get lost finding her way back to the kitchen.

I slept in today. It felt good. We will go to the evening mass tonight. I decided to write the blog early so I can spend the rest of the day with my family. I am going to do something with Zachary. Not sure what but I am sure if I ask him he can give me lots of ideas what to do with him. Kaity is trying to help me write this so I think that is my clue to get off the computer. Hope everyone has a good week.

Now for the next round!

I see Sally told everyone what was going on. I worked 6 days last week so I didn't have much time to write the blog. Tomorrow, I go back in for chemo. As of this moment I think I am going to try the weekly treatments but if it becomes to much of a pain I will go back to the pump. I might change my mind when I get there tomorrow. Talk about being shocked. I expected the worse, that the cancer came back but I never expected to hear at least another year of chemo. Usually, it is Sally who is the one that is nervous about the test results. This time she was really calm (unless she is learning to hide it well) and I was the one who was a basket case. I was planning on taking Sally out this weekend to celebrate being cancer free (if that was the case) but the 12 more months of chemo doesn't have me doing the happy dance.

When I am home I usually run all the errands with Sally and kids in tole. Usually we end up doing most of the grocery shopping at Meijer( Strack and Van Tils is still the official Grocery Store of Bill's Life with Cancer Blog). The last couple of times I had been stopping in the isles making notes in my handy dandy little note book. Usually, it's one of the kids making a scene or causing embarrassment. However, this particular day it was not the kids, it wasn't even me, it was my wife. My wife always tells the kids to be quiet and not to make comments when out in front of people. She usually nudges me when I slip on a rare occasion but I have to admit sometimes it's hard to keep quiet when I find someone amusing or annoying. We were walking in the freezer section and I heard a "eeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwww". It didn't come from my kids but from Sally. Some reason when there is a fowl odor in the air I am the one always blamed. This time it wasn't me. I saw a couple on the side of me looking at some frozen food items. After Sally made her RUDE very loud comment the lady looked at the man she was with and said something. The next thing I see is them scurrying off. I almost fell to my knees with laughter. Sally usually doesn't insert shoe into her mouth, but this time I think she got a whole boot with wool socks.

A couple of days later we were at Meijer again. This time we only had Kaity. We were Christmas shopping in the toy section. I had the honors of watching Kaity while Sally was looking. Kaity ran up to Sally and had something in her mouth. I knew what it was. It was a gumball. I didn't know where she got it from and I tried to get out of her mouth but there was no way I was going to let her bite me. Anyways, germs are needed to build up her immune system. Sally grabbed Kaity and took the gumball out of her mouth. I was wondering what had more germs the gumball or Sally's fingers. Sally walked away to do more shopping. Kaity was left gum less and a little upset. Then again she went down a toy isle and I just watched her do her thing. She went up to a gum ball machine and there was a package of gum ball opened next to it. So she helped herself to another gum ball. I was proud of her for being self sufficient. After she got her gum in her mouth she was on the quest to find her mom. I think she wanted to prove to Sally that she is going to have that gum one way or another. We started walking towards Sally and about a mile away Sally spotted that Kaity had something in her mouth. Sally ran towards Kaity to save her from the germs in her mouth with her germie fingers. I saved the day and pinned Sally down to tell her that it was perfectly safe since it wasn't on the floor. Then Sally started lecturing Kaity and I that it was stealing and told us we were going to jail.

This morning we went to mass. Kaity is turning into the diva. I helped her get dressed for church. I put her Christmas dress on her and she kept saying "thank you". Then I caught her in the mirror staring at herself while she was putting lip gloss on. She walked into church wearing her silver shoes, a purple flower in her hair, a pearl neckless and bracelet, and a white furry coat. Miss Hollywood she looked like. As soon as we walked in the doors she started saying "Hello" to everyone. We walked in the church which was very quiet and there was Miss Hollywood continuing to say "Hello!" to everyone. Usually she will take off her coat but not today. She had to keep that big fluffy coat on (Thanks Deb). It made it difficult for Sally to hold her during mass. I was lucky because Kaity didn't want to burden me with the extra weight and bulk.

Have a good week everyone. I am off to my two god children's birthday party this afternoon.

Prayer requests and update on Bill

This is Sally. Bill is in bed sleeping since he is working the midnight shift tonight. I would first like to ask for some prayers. Since we have been so blessed with prayers I would like to see others blessed as well. The first person is Gerry. Gerry was just diagnosed with colon cancer. The tumor was so large the colonoscopy couldn't not be completed just like Bill's. Not sure when the surgery will be but prayers are much needed.

The second person is for Lynn's dad. Lynn is a friend of Deb who is one of Bill's devoted blog follower and our good friend. He was recently diagnosed with cancer in his lymph node and lung. He will be having surgery in the near future.

The third prayer request is for a friend. Just like when it seems it can't get any worse for her it does. She is in a lot of pain and has no medical coverage. Plus she is in financial hardship.

As for Bill, well I am happy and he is not. The CT scan and PET scan came out clean. He is still in remission. Thank God. However, there has been some misunderstanding and Bill was caught off guard today. I think one of the hardest jobs in the world is to be an oncologist, even just to work in that department would be difficult. His doctor is very upbeat which I know it's very important in the recovery process. However, his doctor paints a rosier picture and doesn't tell the entire story. I understand the reasoning for it. If he were to tell Bill from day one that he would have at least 3 years of therapy I think Bill would would have given up. It would sound hopeless. Telling Bill he had 12 rounds and then later options will be discussed sounds a lot better.

Bill had the 18 rounds and today the "options" were discussed but not to Bill's liking. Which I don't blame him. At least he has choices (sort of). The first choice is to do nothing. Usually that is what a lot of older people do but for Bill, it's not recommended. The second option is just to have the Avastin therapy. This also is not an aggressive treatment plan and is not recommended for Bill. The other choice he has is to do Avastin and 5-FU which is recommended to help prevent the cancer from coming back. The 5-FU is given to him during the treatment plus he has it in a pump in which he wears for 46 hours. Bill hates wearing the pump and was so looking forward to no more pump. The though about having to wear the pump was not good news to him. The other thing is that 5-FU can be infused to him on a weekly basis. This way there will be no pump. On the other hand though, the effectiveness of this way is not known. The doctors' believe the pump is more effective but there is no data to support it either way. We were also lead to believe treatment would be for another 3 months but was told today it is recommended for another year. After the year and if he is still in remission then he will just have to have the Avastin therapy.

So even though the results were good it was still a gloomy day for Bill. Plus, he had only 3 hours of sleep. It was a lot of information to digest all at once. I want the best possible out come for him but the choice is his. I do not have to walk around with a pump connected to me so I don't know what he is going through. I do know it is cumbersome for him and that it gets in his way when he is at work. The doctor and I both suggested to him to think about it. So he didn't have chemo today but rescheduled it for Monday. On the way home we stopped at one of his favorite places and he had a plate of spaghetti. We talked about his options. As of now I think he is deciding on the weekly infusion treatments and not the pump. When his department at work goes back to the 12 hour shifts he will go back to the pump because then he can plan the treatments so he won't have to wear the pump at work.

Almost a year ago he was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. It didn't seem possible to get where we are at now. But by the grace of God, prayers and support of family, friends, and strangers he had came a long way. Maybe, it's not what Bill has hoped for but he will be fine after a good night sleep. He is a very lucky man.

Just a quick note

One last post before I go back to work. I start tomorrow night working midnights. I am thankful for having a job and being able to work, but I am not ready to go back. I enjoy being home. Plus I wanted to do so much more when I was off but the flu bug put a damper on things.

This afternoon, I went in for the PET scan. Not really sure what the difference between a CT scan and a PET scan. Not sure why I need both done but from what Sally had read it's normal to have both of them for colon cancer. I will admit I was very nervous about the test. I woke up feeling sick to my stomach.I contributed it to my nerves. Yes, probably every thing will turn out fine. Yes, I do trust in God and have faith. But until you have been in my shoes (I hope no one ever has to) it's really hard to understand what I am going through. Really, I am not whining or complaining but just trying to express what it is like to go through this. In 5 days I will be getting the test results. In a matter of seconds the results can change my life again and then again in a matter of seconds a large weight will be lifted from Sally and I for the time being.

After the scan, Sally and I went out to lunch. I was told to wait at least an hour before I can home because of Zachary and Kaity. It was just a precaution because of the chemical they injected me with before the scan. I was hungry and it was nice to get some alone time with the wife. When we got home, Zachary was in the living room. I went to give him a pat and he ran away from me yelling. He said "Don't touch me! I don't want to glow." The rest of they day he avoided me like the black plague. Sally's mom was watching the kids. She was teasing Zachary that the reason why we couldn't go home right after the test is because I was glowing. We often forget how serious Zachary takes everything.

New Years Eve we celebrated like we normally do. Sally made lots of snacks for us toasted raviolis, buffalo wings, sweet barbecue wings, onion straws, vegetable pot stickers, Mexican dip, weenie wraps, pineapple cheese ball, and dip with chips. Why did she make all of that for just us? I have no idea. She does it every year but you won't hear me complain. Funny thing is that a lot of the stuff she makes, she won't even eat. Zachary now is becoming like her and is getting where he doesn't want to eat meat either. I watched "UP' with the kids while she was cooking. Every year I take the kids to Main Square to watch the fire works at midnight. I would take Michael when he was younger and now I take Zachary. This year though, Sally offered to take Zachary. I really wanted to go but the cold really effects me badly because of the chemo side effects. I would have taken Zachary if Sally didn't want to because I don't want the kids to miss out because there dad is sick.

Last night I rented "Julia & Julia" for Sally and me to watch. If you haven't seen I highly recommend it. Sally said she will be posting on the blog Thursday evening to let everyone know what the doctor has said.

Hope everyone has a good week.
God Bless
Bill

But seriously folks

First off I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and I hope a year with hope, love and triumph. Keep positive thoughts and everything will be OK. Don't sweat the small things This is my mentality and I am living a happier life because of it. Like I have said before, cancer has been a blessing in many ways. God will close a door and open another one up. You just have to have the foresight and want to go through it. 2009 didn't get off to a good start but it did end up being a good year. I have learned and grown a lot over the year. Cancer has been a life changing event but like I had said before I am a man with cancer but cancer doesn't have me. I have also learned not to plan my life away but to live it now. I thank God for blessing me with humor. I don't think I would have been able to make it this far without it. Sally or myself always find something to laugh at when things don't always go our way. Usually it's Sally finding something about me to laugh at but never the less one of us is usually laughing but usually both. The kids are a riot too, and help me through some of the tuff times.

I have a PET scan scheduled tomorrow at 12 noon(Jan 2). I will be having my CT scan on the 6Th starting at 3. Then, depending on the results, will start back up with chemo on Thursday. So I will have the results back by the end of next week. I am praying for the best, but will take any result with stride. Even if it may not be the best result, I will be OK, about a day or two afterwards. So remember me in your thoughts and prayers in the coming week.

Often family and friends make comments on how well I look and how well I am doing. As if I am fine and cured. The truth is I am doing well. The other truth is there are many days I get out of bed not feeling so well. I push myself to get dress and go to work and try to live a normal life. I don't want cancer to stop my life. Plus, I need to take care of my family sick or not sick. I also have a feeling people think that since I am in remission I made it. The fact is I made it this far. The longer I go the chances of my survival improves. The other truth is the longer I go the harder it is on me at testing time. I know the probability of something showing up is great. The longer I go cancer free, the more nervous I become thinking these results will be the dreaded ones. Yes I am positive as positive as I can be. I am realistic and that is important as well. I am not taking my life for granted but even when I didn't have cancer I should have never taken it for granted. Like most people out there,I thought it won't happen to me, guess what!

I haven't posted as often as I would have liked since I have been home the last 2 weeks. I have been trying to shorten my blogs a little so I didn't get to finish about my Christmas. Sally and I are often easily amused and Christmas night was one of those times. I went to bed earlier then usual. Sally followed a little later. A few minutes later Sally had gotten out of bed and came back shortly later. She mentioned about hearing some sounds. I heard silverware in the kitchen fall but I thought Michael was up. Michael was in his room. Sally also notice a curtain that we never open was opened. A lamp in our room was turning on and off. I actually had to turn it on, thinking maybe it was between on and off, it wasn't. Michael said his lamp was also turning on and off. So I decided to use my fine ghost busting skills to figure out what was going on and I couldn't figure anything out( my fine skills at work). So I went back to bed scratching my head. Sally and I were lying in bed and we than heard Michael in the bathroom. First he had the hiccups which lead us to the giggles. Then he starting coughing like he has been smoking 3 packs of cigarettes for the last 20 years. Then we calmed down a bit and heard Michael dropping deuces so we started laughing again (we are so mature).

After all of that we tried to go to sleep, by this time it was after midnight. Sally asked me if I heard music playing from outside. I couldn't hear anything. She was becoming annoyed because I couldn't hear it. So she had Michael lay in bed with us to see if he could hear it and he couldn't either. I finally kicked Michael out of bed and went to use the washroom. When I came back Sally was laughing again. She said not only she hears music but it sounds like either a cat in heat or the neighbor next door trying to sing. I listened again and I finally heard it. Sally sent Michael outside to investigate. We heard Michael on the neighbors driveway coughing away. Talk about trying to be secretive. Michael came back to report that in fact it was our neighbor trying to sing. So then Michael decided to prank call them. I told him to ask them if they can carry a tune. If they said yes, tell them if they can carry it somewhere else, so we can sleep. He called and blocked his number . They picked up and said "hello" the Michael said "Uuuuuuuu Hi can you uuuuuuuu carry uuuuu a tune?"." What did you want me to say?" I thought you got to be kidding me. It's not like I was asking him to recite the Declaration of Independence. Then we heard a click. Michael called right back the he heard another click. Soon after the singing stopped. In the mean time Sally and I laid in bed laughing at our neighbor's failed attempt to be the next American Idol. We laid in bed pondering if we should be the "good" neighbor and act like we didn't have a clue or do we be the ones that will never let it down. So we decided it was to good to let it rest. The next day is snowed so I spent a good deal of time shoveling the snow. I kept waiting to see them and when I did I had to say something. Our neighbor did inform me that their son got "Rock Band" for Christmas and that night his wife thought she was the next super star. I didn't ask how many drinks she had prior but I am almost certain alcohol had to play a factor for her singing debut. He also said that Michael better watch his back because he is going to get him good. If you know Michael, you know that isn't hard to do. Love you Michael.

I don't know why, but my coat smells like chicken soup. That's all I am going to say about that. Thank you for visiting and God Bless you all. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!