It is good to be home!! Bruce was discharged Wed morning around 11am-he walked out of his room and to the car...impressing the staff one last time....he's amazing! We stopped at our favorite place-Macaroni Grill-and had a nice lunch with Amah and Poppy. We said our good-byes, Amah and Poppy headed North, we headed South and ended up at the outlet malls in Woodburn! It was totally Bruce's idea (no joke)-he needed to get out and walk (he has to take four 20 minute walks each day) and hoped to find some comfy, inexpensive, nylon shorts.....he came home empty handed, but MBA found some black dress pants that were LONG enough for only $9.72. It was a good walk! :)
The kids have been farmed out to various friend's houses and we are home resting and recuperating. Bruce is feeling great-a bit tired and working hard to rehabilitate his right hand- and loves being in his own home and in his own bed.
We look forward to a restful week and weekend with the kids. They have been real troopers through this all, are very concerned about their daddy and can't wait to come home and love on him!
Pictures will get posted soon....no claymation, yet.....but great photos of Bruce with his family at the hospital.
Thankful, Encouraged, Hopeful,
The A TEAM!!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
DAY AFTER BRAIN SURGERY
Bruce was moved out if ICU this morning after a fairly uneventful night and in RM 10K24-a regular inpatient room in The Koehler Pavillion. He is eating and drinking small amounts, walking around and trying to impress the nurses.....and is succeeding! He has a headache...no surprise there...and they are keeping him comfortable with oxycodone and some morphine (a little loopy and alot of funny!), steroids to keep the brain swelling down (his ego, you know); dilantin to prevent any seizures and tylenol just because!
He just had a consult with the occupational therapist and was able to also impress her.....more steroids, please! :) He has limited movement in his right hand and was given some bright green "theraputty" to work with. I will take a picture of his best clay creation and try to post it to the blog soon....he wants to impress everyone he can! :)
He is hoping to be discharged on Wednesday. He is SO ready to come home....he is getting bored with ESPN.....yes, I'm talking about Bruce! Well, he now has his theraputty to keep him occupied!
We have been well loved and cared for. Thank you to everyone for your help, support, prayers and words of encouragement.
We will send more info later about our future treatment options. I am now going to take a much needed nap and am trying to encourage Bruce to nap also. There will always be time to impress the medical staff later!
Love,
MBA
He just had a consult with the occupational therapist and was able to also impress her.....more steroids, please! :) He has limited movement in his right hand and was given some bright green "theraputty" to work with. I will take a picture of his best clay creation and try to post it to the blog soon....he wants to impress everyone he can! :)
He is hoping to be discharged on Wednesday. He is SO ready to come home....he is getting bored with ESPN.....yes, I'm talking about Bruce! Well, he now has his theraputty to keep him occupied!
We have been well loved and cared for. Thank you to everyone for your help, support, prayers and words of encouragement.
We will send more info later about our future treatment options. I am now going to take a much needed nap and am trying to encourage Bruce to nap also. There will always be time to impress the medical staff later!
Love,
MBA
Monday, June 25, 2007
Bruce is out of surgery
Hello Everyone,
I just got a call that Bruce is out of surgery and he is in stable condition. The doctors say that he looks good, and he was being wheeled upstairs for a cat scan. Hoping to update you with more news soon!
Carol for the A Team
I just got a call that Bruce is out of surgery and he is in stable condition. The doctors say that he looks good, and he was being wheeled upstairs for a cat scan. Hoping to update you with more news soon!
Carol for the A Team
Saturday, June 23, 2007
OHSU-HERE WE COME!!
Bruce's surgery is set for Monday 10:00am at OHSU in Portland. He needs to be there at 6:30am to check in and have an MRI. SO, the family will go up Sundy afternoon, meet MB's parents, Jack and Mary (Poppy and Amah), and stay the night in a hotel. MB will get Bruce checked in, make sure he is safely taken to his MRI and then find the nearest Starbucks! I know right where it's at! :) Poppy and Amah will bring the kids a bit later and we'll be there all together with Grandma Alexander and "Uncle Kirsten" Alexander-Bruce's mom and sister!
We've received many offers for help while we are up there and we are so appreciative. We are not sure what our needs will be, and it is nice to know that we have options that are just a phone call away. THANK YOU for all the offers....I'm sure I will be calling!
Well, that's it for now. We have lots to do today...and we have to get it done before 4PM....it's the first game of the College World Series....GO BEAVERS!!!
FIGHTING HARD, LOVING LOTS, TRUSTING ALWAYS,
THE ALEXANDERS!!
We've received many offers for help while we are up there and we are so appreciative. We are not sure what our needs will be, and it is nice to know that we have options that are just a phone call away. THANK YOU for all the offers....I'm sure I will be calling!
Well, that's it for now. We have lots to do today...and we have to get it done before 4PM....it's the first game of the College World Series....GO BEAVERS!!!
FIGHTING HARD, LOVING LOTS, TRUSTING ALWAYS,
THE ALEXANDERS!!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!
We are all home together and completely pampering Bruce on this day of honoring such an amazing DAD! Bruce is sitting in his recliner, grazing on BBQ chips, drinking his favorite lemonade (Newman's), nibbling M&M's (thinking of his friend, Hugh, who is most likely doing the same), watching golf and the Mariner's (yes, MB gave him the remote today!)and just hanging with his kids! Spencer made the ranch dip for the chips; Mikaela just finished up the fruit salad; Pearce and Ike are waiting on their Dad hand and foot ....and then eating what they just served him! :)
LIFE DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER!!! And the day has just begun!
THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE, LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!!
We plan on doing just that!
QUICK UPDATE:
Bruce will have brain surgery Monday, June 25th. It is tentatively set for 10:00am, but we will confirm everything this Friday....his time could be moved in order to accomodate any last minute emergencies. The plan is for him to be at the hospital for two days and then come home. Bruce did so well with his surgery in Feb and the neurosurgeon anticipates that he will do just as well this time. The kids will be more involved in the process this time....NO-NOT IN THE OPERATING ROOM!!
Our plan is to bring them up on Monday, being there before and after surgery and just being together as a family!
This might sound bizarre, but this brain surgery is very routine. The hardest part for Bruce is all the needle pokes beforehand!! He actually feels better with the tumors removed. Bruce came out of his last brain surgery just talking up a storm, showing the recovery nurses all the things he could do with his right hand (which he had lost mobility of) and was sitting up asking for food!! We were all shocked (including the staff) that Bruce had just had brain surgery! We are hoping for the same results this time! We are so thankful that the tumors are operable and that we have such great surgeons and a great medical staff at OHSU.
We do not have any news on Bruce's treatment plan after the brain surgery. We will post that information when we get it.
We are so blessed by the incredible outpouring of love and support from everyone. We are so encouraged and strengthened by all the prayers, kind words, yummy meals, uplifting emails, generosity and offers to help with anything, the extra effort, energy and attention given to buoy our kids.......indeed, we are blessed.
Well, off to celebrate Bruce some more...and to celebrate our HEAVENLY FATHER...from Whom all good things come!
Love,
MB for The A TEAM!!!
LIFE DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER!!! And the day has just begun!
THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE, LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT!!
We plan on doing just that!
QUICK UPDATE:
Bruce will have brain surgery Monday, June 25th. It is tentatively set for 10:00am, but we will confirm everything this Friday....his time could be moved in order to accomodate any last minute emergencies. The plan is for him to be at the hospital for two days and then come home. Bruce did so well with his surgery in Feb and the neurosurgeon anticipates that he will do just as well this time. The kids will be more involved in the process this time....NO-NOT IN THE OPERATING ROOM!!
Our plan is to bring them up on Monday, being there before and after surgery and just being together as a family!
This might sound bizarre, but this brain surgery is very routine. The hardest part for Bruce is all the needle pokes beforehand!! He actually feels better with the tumors removed. Bruce came out of his last brain surgery just talking up a storm, showing the recovery nurses all the things he could do with his right hand (which he had lost mobility of) and was sitting up asking for food!! We were all shocked (including the staff) that Bruce had just had brain surgery! We are hoping for the same results this time! We are so thankful that the tumors are operable and that we have such great surgeons and a great medical staff at OHSU.
We do not have any news on Bruce's treatment plan after the brain surgery. We will post that information when we get it.
We are so blessed by the incredible outpouring of love and support from everyone. We are so encouraged and strengthened by all the prayers, kind words, yummy meals, uplifting emails, generosity and offers to help with anything, the extra effort, energy and attention given to buoy our kids.......indeed, we are blessed.
Well, off to celebrate Bruce some more...and to celebrate our HEAVENLY FATHER...from Whom all good things come!
Love,
MB for The A TEAM!!!
Saturday, June 9, 2007
BRIEF NEWS
Friday was a full day...it is so nice to be home!
We are heading out the door in many different directions today, so here is a brief recap of our doctor visits:
**The brain tumor has grown back in the same place (top left side) and is the size of 1/2 a filbert. This is statistically what happens, so we were aware of this possiblity.
**There is a new brain tumor growing in the back, lower right side and is the size of a pencil eraser. This is near the vision section of the brain.
**BOTH THESE TUMORS ARE OPERABLE...YEAH!!!
**A radiologist is looking more thoroughly at the petscan of Bruce's chest and the rest of his body to get a more complete read of the images. We will find out more next week if the tumor responded to the IL2 treatment (It appears that it did not) and if there is any evidence of new growths.
**So-Bruce will most likely have brain surgery within the next two weeks, have a few weeks off to recover adn then go in for more treatment for his body...either more IL2 OR a biochemotherapy treatment. The treatment will depend on the final read of the petscan.
We are thankful that we have choices at this point. It will be hard, but we have done it before and we can do it again. Our prayer is that we could somehow work the surgery and treatment around our plans to go to Mt Hermon-our yearly family camp in California-without any risk to Bruce's health.
Gotta run. More details to follow later.
Love,
THE A TEAM....FIGHTING HARD...TRUSTING HARDER!!!
We are heading out the door in many different directions today, so here is a brief recap of our doctor visits:
**The brain tumor has grown back in the same place (top left side) and is the size of 1/2 a filbert. This is statistically what happens, so we were aware of this possiblity.
**There is a new brain tumor growing in the back, lower right side and is the size of a pencil eraser. This is near the vision section of the brain.
**BOTH THESE TUMORS ARE OPERABLE...YEAH!!!
**A radiologist is looking more thoroughly at the petscan of Bruce's chest and the rest of his body to get a more complete read of the images. We will find out more next week if the tumor responded to the IL2 treatment (It appears that it did not) and if there is any evidence of new growths.
**So-Bruce will most likely have brain surgery within the next two weeks, have a few weeks off to recover adn then go in for more treatment for his body...either more IL2 OR a biochemotherapy treatment. The treatment will depend on the final read of the petscan.
We are thankful that we have choices at this point. It will be hard, but we have done it before and we can do it again. Our prayer is that we could somehow work the surgery and treatment around our plans to go to Mt Hermon-our yearly family camp in California-without any risk to Bruce's health.
Gotta run. More details to follow later.
Love,
THE A TEAM....FIGHTING HARD...TRUSTING HARDER!!!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
FRIDAY IS A BIG DAY...PLEASE PRAY!
Hello Friends and Family!
It has been awhile since our last post and we wanted to keep you up to date.
Bruce has a had a good month. It has been over 2 months since his last IL2 treatment and every day he feels stronger and less tired as this drug slowly leaves his body. He has enjoyed working in the yard, spending time with MB and the kids, having family down over Memorial Day Weekend, and even hitting some golf balls around. We just celebrated Pearce's 11th birthday today, (Isaac, Mikaela and MB's were in May), and we are so thankful that Bruce has been well enough to celebrate and participate actively in these events. To top it all off, we get to see our oldest son, Spencer, graduate from high school on June 11th. Yes, life has been busy, but FULFILLING and GOOD! Every day is a gift and to be cherished and we are realizing this more and more each day.
We go to Portland on Friday morning (June 8th) for Bruce's full body PET SCAN at 9AM. We then see Dr Curti at 3PM that same afternoon to get the test results and find out "where to from here"! We have had this appt scheduled since last month and have been eagerly awaiting it's arrival. We have had some new, unexpected appts this week and want to share them now briefly:
Bruce had a brain MRI on Tuesday, here in Corvallis. Bruce had a seizure in his right arm and hand over Memorial Day weekend. He was caught completely off guard by this and was careful the rest of the weekend. We watched, waited, called the Dr and nothing happened the rest of the week. Unfortunately, last Sat night he had another arm seizure and 2 more since then.....thus the MRI. The Dr started him on dilantin,(anti-seizure medicine), Tues evening and he has not had any more seizures since then...PRAISE GOD!
Based on this new development, we will also be seeing the neurosurgeon on Friday in between the 9AM PETSCAN and our 3PM appt with Dr Curti.....the day just didn't seem full enough, so why not? It will be a long day for us, but do-able, cuz we will be together. We are thankful that the waiting period is over and that we will get a complete picture of any cancer activity-not only in Bruce's chest and lungs but also his brain. We hope to get very thorough information from both tests that will help us with any future treatment decisions that we need to make.
As mentioned before, EVERY DAY IS A GIFT! We are so thankful for the support and love we get each and everyday. We couldn't do this without your prayers and committment to our family.
God's tells us: MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU.....MY LOVINGKINDESS IS NEW EVERY MORNING....DO NOT FEAR, FOR I AM WITH YOU....I AM YOUR GOD, I WILL UPHOLD YOU WITH MY RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND.....DO NOT FEAR, FOR I AM WITH YOU....BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS.....TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART....PEACE I GIVE YOU!!
We couldn't do this without our GOD!
We will post again as soon as we can.
Blessed and Encouraged,
Bruce (Superman), MB and the A TEAM!
It has been awhile since our last post and we wanted to keep you up to date.
Bruce has a had a good month. It has been over 2 months since his last IL2 treatment and every day he feels stronger and less tired as this drug slowly leaves his body. He has enjoyed working in the yard, spending time with MB and the kids, having family down over Memorial Day Weekend, and even hitting some golf balls around. We just celebrated Pearce's 11th birthday today, (Isaac, Mikaela and MB's were in May), and we are so thankful that Bruce has been well enough to celebrate and participate actively in these events. To top it all off, we get to see our oldest son, Spencer, graduate from high school on June 11th. Yes, life has been busy, but FULFILLING and GOOD! Every day is a gift and to be cherished and we are realizing this more and more each day.
We go to Portland on Friday morning (June 8th) for Bruce's full body PET SCAN at 9AM. We then see Dr Curti at 3PM that same afternoon to get the test results and find out "where to from here"! We have had this appt scheduled since last month and have been eagerly awaiting it's arrival. We have had some new, unexpected appts this week and want to share them now briefly:
Bruce had a brain MRI on Tuesday, here in Corvallis. Bruce had a seizure in his right arm and hand over Memorial Day weekend. He was caught completely off guard by this and was careful the rest of the weekend. We watched, waited, called the Dr and nothing happened the rest of the week. Unfortunately, last Sat night he had another arm seizure and 2 more since then.....thus the MRI. The Dr started him on dilantin,(anti-seizure medicine), Tues evening and he has not had any more seizures since then...PRAISE GOD!
Based on this new development, we will also be seeing the neurosurgeon on Friday in between the 9AM PETSCAN and our 3PM appt with Dr Curti.....the day just didn't seem full enough, so why not? It will be a long day for us, but do-able, cuz we will be together. We are thankful that the waiting period is over and that we will get a complete picture of any cancer activity-not only in Bruce's chest and lungs but also his brain. We hope to get very thorough information from both tests that will help us with any future treatment decisions that we need to make.
As mentioned before, EVERY DAY IS A GIFT! We are so thankful for the support and love we get each and everyday. We couldn't do this without your prayers and committment to our family.
God's tells us: MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU.....MY LOVINGKINDESS IS NEW EVERY MORNING....DO NOT FEAR, FOR I AM WITH YOU....I AM YOUR GOD, I WILL UPHOLD YOU WITH MY RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND.....DO NOT FEAR, FOR I AM WITH YOU....BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS.....TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART....PEACE I GIVE YOU!!
We couldn't do this without our GOD!
We will post again as soon as we can.
Blessed and Encouraged,
Bruce (Superman), MB and the A TEAM!
Fishing Expedition
Yes, Isaac and Pearce had a great time fishing with their Dad and some friends last night!
Continue to pray for the Alexander family!
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