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
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
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!
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Congratulations Graduating Spencer!
Spencer is graduating from high school in June, and they threw a big party with Amah and Poppy, great aunts, great uncle, aunts, uncles, all the Seattle cousins, and a load of friends!
There is a whole set of pictures on yet another slideshow, and you can view them all:
Spencer's Graduation Party.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
The "A" Team's California Adventure
Enjoy a slideshow of the "A" Team's trip to Southern California!
Click here: Alexander's California Adventure.
Then click on "slideshow" in the upper right corner. You can view it on slow, medium, or fast.
Enjoy!
Monday, May 21, 2007
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Guardedly Good News
Due to computer complications, this message was not posted yesterday like we thought. We apologize for the delay.
It can be overwhelming to relay melanoma cancer information, test results and suggested treatment plans. Our hope is to give just enough information to be helpful and not too much to make things confusing. With that said, here is Bruce's first post with some editing and additons from MB.....all with Bruce's ok, of course!
HERE IS OUR MOST RECENT NEWS:
We saw the Neurosurgeon and the Immunotherapy doctor on Friday, May 11. Both scans were inconclusive, but encouraging.
The Neurosurgeon said that the MRI lit up where the previous brain tumor was. It could be post-operative scarring or evidence of something small growing. Because I do not have any symptoms that would indicate otherwise, his final words were "there appears to be no new tumors, keep an eye on any physical changes (weakness on the right side, seizures, speech difficulties, etc..), and let's do another MRI in 3 months". Bruce said, "Yahoo"!!!
Dr Curti, the Immunotherapy doctor, said that he saw no significant difference between the scans of February and those of May...which puts us in a "static mode". This is not a bad place to be, because the chest tumor, even though it didn't shrink, seemed to have stopped growing. Initially, we were told that there were four new growths in the lungs, but upon further review of the previous CT, the same spots were there in Feb., with no change. This is "guardedly good news" because the IL2 seems to have at least retarded the advancement of the tumors.
The next step is to wait and have another PET scan in 4 weeks. The reason for the wait is that the IL2 from the last treatment is still present in my system, and it will make a PET scan inaccurate if they do it now. The PET scan will expose any active cancerous tumors in the body, and if the spots in the lungs do not "light up", it will mean that they are likely not melanoma tumors but are "leftovers" from previous illnesses. We don't mind left-overs!
We are in another waiting stage but breathing a bit easier. Bruce is excited to keep feeling good for another month and continue to increase his strength and stamina for whatever lies ahead. The kids are doing great and relieved that we did not receive "the worst news". MB is thrilled that we can plan and make it through birthdays, holiday weekends, Spencer's play and graduation and everything else on the calendar with some sort of "normalcy"...as if the Alexander's know what that is!
We want to thank you all for the prayers and acts of serving and kindness you have shown us - they are making a difference in the lives of all of us!! In the past week, friends have gathered twice to pray for us and over us specifically, and we feel that the results of the 2 tests above were radically affected by your prayers!!! We continue to trust, taking one day at a time (is there any other way?), living, loving and laughing and knowing that each day is an incredible GIFT FROM GOD!
In a constant state of THANKFULNESS,
Bruce and MB for A TEAM!
It can be overwhelming to relay melanoma cancer information, test results and suggested treatment plans. Our hope is to give just enough information to be helpful and not too much to make things confusing. With that said, here is Bruce's first post with some editing and additons from MB.....all with Bruce's ok, of course!
HERE IS OUR MOST RECENT NEWS:
We saw the Neurosurgeon and the Immunotherapy doctor on Friday, May 11. Both scans were inconclusive, but encouraging.
The Neurosurgeon said that the MRI lit up where the previous brain tumor was. It could be post-operative scarring or evidence of something small growing. Because I do not have any symptoms that would indicate otherwise, his final words were "there appears to be no new tumors, keep an eye on any physical changes (weakness on the right side, seizures, speech difficulties, etc..), and let's do another MRI in 3 months". Bruce said, "Yahoo"!!!
Dr Curti, the Immunotherapy doctor, said that he saw no significant difference between the scans of February and those of May...which puts us in a "static mode". This is not a bad place to be, because the chest tumor, even though it didn't shrink, seemed to have stopped growing. Initially, we were told that there were four new growths in the lungs, but upon further review of the previous CT, the same spots were there in Feb., with no change. This is "guardedly good news" because the IL2 seems to have at least retarded the advancement of the tumors.
The next step is to wait and have another PET scan in 4 weeks. The reason for the wait is that the IL2 from the last treatment is still present in my system, and it will make a PET scan inaccurate if they do it now. The PET scan will expose any active cancerous tumors in the body, and if the spots in the lungs do not "light up", it will mean that they are likely not melanoma tumors but are "leftovers" from previous illnesses. We don't mind left-overs!
We are in another waiting stage but breathing a bit easier. Bruce is excited to keep feeling good for another month and continue to increase his strength and stamina for whatever lies ahead. The kids are doing great and relieved that we did not receive "the worst news". MB is thrilled that we can plan and make it through birthdays, holiday weekends, Spencer's play and graduation and everything else on the calendar with some sort of "normalcy"...as if the Alexander's know what that is!
We want to thank you all for the prayers and acts of serving and kindness you have shown us - they are making a difference in the lives of all of us!! In the past week, friends have gathered twice to pray for us and over us specifically, and we feel that the results of the 2 tests above were radically affected by your prayers!!! We continue to trust, taking one day at a time (is there any other way?), living, loving and laughing and knowing that each day is an incredible GIFT FROM GOD!
In a constant state of THANKFULNESS,
Bruce and MB for A TEAM!
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Happy Anniversary Bruce and Mary Beth!
I stopped by the A's house only to discover that today is the big
TWENTY-FIRST ANNIVERSARY of this lovely couple!
Just thought you all should know!
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
AN EXTRA DAY TO PLAY!!
Well, it's Wednesday and we are still here in CA! Our plan was to fly home Tues evening, but due to my rushed on-line reservations, I had Spencer & Mikaela flying home on the 1st and the rest of us flying home on the 2nd. Thankfully, I realized this BEFORE we went to the airport. Unfortunately, we had already checked out, ran around both parks that morning doing our "last minute" rides and souvenir buying, and arrived back to the hotel totally exhausted. We had our huge pile of luggage waiting curbside for the shuttle when I realized my "little" mistake.....the date was only off by 1!
Anyway, I had less than 20 minutes to call the airlines, change reservations, check with hotel availability, get online to verify info, round up the kids, make sure the luggage did not get loaded on the shuttle and then nicely ask bell services to load back up our huge pile of stuff. Our friends-the Labossiers-had a good laugh with us as they headed to the airport with correct tickets to catch their plane!
We were definitely having a "California Adventure"...the Alexander way!
The kids asked (really begged) if we could NOT do anymore Disney that day. They immediately went to their room to lay down, kick their feet up and chill out while Bruce took a much needed nap. We had a nice dinner together as a family, a walk through Downtown Disney and all had a good night's rest.
We had a great brunch this morning with some fun Disney characters, loaded and packed up everything AGAIN, Bruce and the boys went to do "last-minute" Disney rides, MB called bell services (with much fear and trembling)and we will be catching the shuttle in an hour. We made the best of our extra unexpected 24 hours together, and we look forward to being home tonight....really, we are coming home today!
We had an amazing time as a family...so many laughs, doing fun things, making special memories, with Spencer & Tracy catching most of it on camera. Bruce was Mr. Sunscreen and Mr. In-The-Shade, being very careful with any sun exposure. He was glad to have the time resting in Palm Desert prior to Disneyland. He had to take a break everyday and rest, but did pretty well keeping up with the rest of us. He now needs a vacation after our vacation. :)
We have many more fun stories and pictures.....keep posted for more details of The Alexander Adventures!
As Tigger would say,
TTFN (ta-ta for now),
MBA for the A Team
Anyway, I had less than 20 minutes to call the airlines, change reservations, check with hotel availability, get online to verify info, round up the kids, make sure the luggage did not get loaded on the shuttle and then nicely ask bell services to load back up our huge pile of stuff. Our friends-the Labossiers-had a good laugh with us as they headed to the airport with correct tickets to catch their plane!
We were definitely having a "California Adventure"...the Alexander way!
The kids asked (really begged) if we could NOT do anymore Disney that day. They immediately went to their room to lay down, kick their feet up and chill out while Bruce took a much needed nap. We had a nice dinner together as a family, a walk through Downtown Disney and all had a good night's rest.
We had a great brunch this morning with some fun Disney characters, loaded and packed up everything AGAIN, Bruce and the boys went to do "last-minute" Disney rides, MB called bell services (with much fear and trembling)and we will be catching the shuttle in an hour. We made the best of our extra unexpected 24 hours together, and we look forward to being home tonight....really, we are coming home today!
We had an amazing time as a family...so many laughs, doing fun things, making special memories, with Spencer & Tracy catching most of it on camera. Bruce was Mr. Sunscreen and Mr. In-The-Shade, being very careful with any sun exposure. He was glad to have the time resting in Palm Desert prior to Disneyland. He had to take a break everyday and rest, but did pretty well keeping up with the rest of us. He now needs a vacation after our vacation. :)
We have many more fun stories and pictures.....keep posted for more details of The Alexander Adventures!
As Tigger would say,
TTFN (ta-ta for now),
MBA for the A Team
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