GEORGE ALLEN WILLIAMSON

FEBRUARY 4, 1951 - NOVEMBER 11, 2012

Just a quick update- George is now enrolled in hospice care as of today. He was hospitalized for a week, and it was determined he needs regular care. He plans to still do a couple a treatments, and thankfully he can take advantage of hospice at the same time. What a relief to have them involved to help with all his needs.

Please pray for him. Every day he seems to lose a little more ground......

Thank you all!

Wow. once again- I need to say- it has been a really long time since posting anything on here...

A LOT has happened since my last post. I will try to briefly bring this blog up to date.

In December, we needed to enroll George in hospice to try to get some increasing pain under control. He had developed Radiation Recall (if you have never heard of this and you or a loved one is receiving radiation- educate yourself!) and Lymphedema and somehow that all then morphed into a horrendous fibrosis that has hardened to a brick-like mass on his upper left thigh and buttock area. It is PAINFUL. It presses on nerves, and everything he does hurts it. He can't sit, lie, walk, etc. without agonizing pain. And to make us feel even better, every doctor says "I've never seen anything like this before". So, yeah.... good times.

He spent a week in the Hospice Hospital trying to get a handle on his pain. Basically, their solution was to drug him mindless. He may not have felt much pain- but he also thought he saw spaceships and animals coming down off the mountain. Not our idea of pain management for the long haul....

Finally he was referred to a pain clinic and started receiving nerve blocks. Those helped somewhat, but their relief was short-lived, and it was like being on a nightmare of a roller coaster. He would go weeks with extreme pain until the next nerve block could be arranged. It was such a hassle.

So then finally- after jumping through a dozen hoops- having to DISenroll from hospice since it seemed they were the ones not requesting the surgery (most people have good hospice experiences.... I can't say I was loving it....) - he was approved for a pain pump that was being recommended and he badly wanted. He had that surgery 3 weeks ago.

We are now in the process of getting that titrated to the proper dose that will give him some actual relief. We're definitely not there yet. Pain has become the primary focus of our entire life. He deals with it constantly. Every minute of every day without a break. It is EXHAUSTING.

On top of that- we learned about a month ago that George had a terribly broken hip socket. Apparently, he had been walking on it for some time not realizing that was what was causing some issues. It is beyond repair, and because his pelvic bone area is pretty invaded with cancer, surgery to replace the hip is not an option.

So now my poor husband has to walk permanently on crutches.

That was a MAJOR blow, as he had such high hopes for getting the pain under control and having some return to "normalcy". We will never see normal again- whatever THAT is....

And of course, there is still the relentless fight of the cancer itself!

George continues to take Protocel regularly (a cancer-fighting supplement. google it).

He will most likely be resuming some radiation and possibly an oral chemotherapy soon.

Please keep us in prayer as we are in a true valley right now. Every day feels like slogging through quick sand, and the world feels like it is spinning out of control.

I am trying so hard to care for him, keep up with the house, AND somehow run a business. All 3 require more focus than I seem capable of and it is very overwhelming.

I have gone from having a very independent capable husband who could do anything he put his hand to, to a man who struggles to get dressed by himself, in very short order. The adjustment has been difficult- for both of us!!- and we haven't figured out completely how to do this thing.

So again, please pray!

Thank you so much!

I will try to keep more regular with updates....

Today we have a Guest Blogger! His name is David Haas- a contributor to the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance blog.  He contacted me with a strong desire to share some very important information for those who are fighting cancer, surviving cancer- and their caretakers. I hope this information is helpful to you:

Exercise is Important for Cancer Patients and Survivors
by David Haas

The benefits of exercise for maintaining good health are well accepted. Experts working in conjunction with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) agree that exercise also has several benefits for cancer survivors and people undergoing cancer treatment. The panel of researchers convened in 2010 to establish exercise guidelines for people with various types of cancer. Their key message is that cancer survivors and patients should avoid inactivity. The benefit of even modest levels of exercise, such as brief walks, leads to improvements in health.



Clinical studies demonstrate that exercise conveys the same health benefits to cancer patients that it provides to the general population. According to the ACSM panel there is abundant evidence that exercise significantly improves your quality of life because it enhances physical functioning and reduces fatigue caused by cancer treatment. Exercise also reduces your risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. A cancer diagnosis generally leads to depression, stress and feelings of illness from the cancer or the treatments. People who exercise have more self-confidence and optimism.



Exercise also improves body composition and body image in patients with various cancers. Treatment for breast cancer can cause excess weight gain. Exercise is instrumental in helping those patients lose the excess fat, control weight and achieve a healthier body mass index.



Regular physical activity is also beneficial in patients with cancers involving the head, neck or gastrointestinal system. This class of cancers causes loss of muscle mass and weight. These changes can make physical activity a challenge. Physical exercise increases your level of fitness, muscle strength, lean muscle mass and energy levels.



You should consult your physician regarding the ACSM panel’s cancer-specific exercise recommendations. The ACSM panel modifies various exercises based upon the risk of the activity causing health problems, such cardiovascular side effects and fractures. Patients with cancers that reduce lung capacity, such as mesothelioma, may find that short walks improve their disposition, appetite and relieves minor body aches.



The American Cancer Society, ACSM, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the YMCA are helping fitness professionals meet the unique needs of cancer survivors and patients. You can contact one of these organizations to learn more about their training initiatives and to learn whether there is a certified trainer in your area. 

It's been a crazy year, 2011.  George has had one setback after another.... exhausting and discouraging. We try to maintain a positive attitude, but it's hard sometimes. The crazy thing is- MOST of these setbacks aren't even cancer related!! The latest one is an after-effect of chemotherapy and radiation: Radiation Recall.  It's awful.

Anyway!

On the upside.... George recently came across a book that is very encouraging and full of hope- and we thought we'd share it with all of you to share with anyone in a cancer situation.

You can find it on Amazon.com. Worth a read!! It could save someone's life!!

Hello Friends!

Time for another update on George....

He has opted to stop the chemo after nearly a full year of taking it.  His body was reaching its limit of tolerance, he was feeling worse and worse on it, and so he finally made the decision that he couldn't take it anymore.

Thankfully, the doctor concurred and felt it had reached its maximum effectiveness, so there was no "duking it out" to get him off. haha!  He felt such a relief to not have to take it anymore.

It's a little scary- the next step... but there are other options available for him, and research continues, so we stay hopeful.

He has revved up his nutritional/supplemental approach and is trying to rebuild his body and immune system. Overall he is feeling better- some struggles that are keeping him from being as productive as he'd like, but we are working to get him feeling better on those matters soon.

We spent a few days at a lakehouse with his oldest daughter and her family, and had a fun, relaxing, much needed time of play.
Cancer's a drag- but every now and then you can kick it aside..... and just laugh!

Laughter and Play are great for the soul!! :-D

Keep playing, friends! and laughing! in spite of it all.....

Last year about this time, George and I were facing the decision to begin chemotherapy- a decision we had always dreaded, and always thought we'd choose not to.... however, life and circumstances and the will to live can change a lot of preconceived ideas about things, and it's very true that you never really know how you will choose to respond to anything until you've faced it yourself.
His PSA was at 147 and rising fast. Our wonderful doctor at Cleveland Clinic made it very clear that if we didn't do something drastic soon, George's days would be numbered.
So, here we are- over a year later.... I think about 15 chemo treatments later (he goes once every 3 weeks for an infusion)....
and his PSA is 8!!!!!!!!!!
Chemo is not a walk in the park... and my husband has lost a lot of his thick, curly hair, his face is always puffy, his eyebrows are sparse, he hardly has any facial hair, his long beautiful eyelashes are short and sparse and his eyelids puffy, his nails have thickened, his skin has aged... essentially- he looks about 10 years older in a mere year's span.....
However, he's ALIVE and tolerating things pretty well, so we really can't complain about all the "minor" cosmetics things.
and for that- we have to be very, very thankful.
:-)

We made it another year for our FIFTH Cancer Survivor Riverboat Dinner Cruise on the Ohio River!! Hooray!!

Our good friends joined us for their 4th year.....

Hello!
Well- here it is May already!! Can you believe it??
Quick update on George- he is still toughing out chemo treatments. For the most part, he handles it pretty well. He does have some ups and downs, as would be expected. Over all- he's a real trooper- and as he says "I'm still here!" :-)

This is how he feels a lot of days:















On April 20th, we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary!! We opted to stay local and celebrated at LaComedia Dinner Theatre in Franklin, OH. We saw "7 Brides for 7 Brothers" and had a great time!

A dear family member celebrated his 40th birthday this year, and his wife threw him a Disco Birthday Bash. We showed up in style....

George had been having some increased pain in his leg, and we were really worrying that it was a tumor area getting "ugly" again... but after an MRI we had some great news- he needed back surgery! I know, that's not usually good news, but when you get a NON-cancer diagnosis for something you fear IS cancer-related, and it can be FIXED, you tend to get excited anyway. :-)

A couple weeks after the surgery, he is already noticing a huge improvement. Yay!

So... I think that's about it for now. He's not feeling great this week- but after a month of chemo, then back surgery, then chemo again, you can't blame him. Please pray he is feeling better soon, and that he can SLEEP- that seems to be an issue lately, and it's starting to really take a toll on his quality of life right now.
Thank you for all your care, support, and prayers.
xoxo.

Well, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Sorry it has been so long since I've posted anything (that's a recurring theme, isn't it...)

We have had a rather eventful few months. Between my graduating from school to be an esthetician, and George's chemo, and then the holidays, I have gotten behind.

We had a lovely Christmas Brunch with George's daughters and their families.

Then, we took a Christmas Vacation of a lifetime! A 2 week cruise to the Caribbean. Blue skies, sunshine, clear water, warm sand... just what the doctor ordered- and a really nice break from reality.

George needed to get a couple spots radiated before the cruise, as he was starting to get some pain.

The chemo seems to be having an effect in reducing his psa (down to 12 from 147!) but the bone tumors are very persistent- and painful.

Since getting back, he's had 2 more chemo treatments, but the pain is escalating. So it has been determined that he is a good candidate for a treatment known as Samarium. It feels a bit scary, but it is supposed to relieve the pain and hopefully reduce the tumors. It is a radiation therapy that is administered via I.V.

Actually, he was supposed to be getting a bone scan today, and then the treatment tomorrow- and was really looking forward to getting it done so he can start experiencing the promise of relief it holds!- but Winter had other plans, and we have to reschedule. :-( We are both feeling bummed by that, but trying to stay positive.

On a happier note- George turns 60 on February 4th! He is very excited and thankful to be able to celebrate not only another birthday- but another entry into a new decade!! 60 may feel old to some... but to him it means LIFE, and life is good.

George embraces life, and all it offers, with such a cheerful spirit, it's inspiring. We have a lot to be thankful for, in spite of the heartaches that life sometimes brings.

We are looking forward to spring and continuing some projects on this old house of ours'- having things to look forward to and live for is where the joy is found.

Blessings to you all!

Hello everyone!!
Sorry for the delay in the updates here lately- we have been so busy!! I feel like I hardly have time to check emails much less post anything on my blog.
But- let me bring you up to speed...
George is tolerating his chemo treatments very well- much better than expected, I think. I wasn't sure what to expect, so of course I always imagine the worst.
He has lost some hair- as you can see his thick head of hair has thinned considerably- BUT it's not all gone, and we look forward to its return when he is finished with treatment.
He had a port implanted last week to make his labs and treatments go easier. The picture here is just after getting the port put in, and then wheeled down to chemo to give it its first go-round.
Look how cheerful he is in spite of it all! George's attitude is great. The medications he is on are making him a bit moodier than usual, which can be challenging, but overall he is enjoying life and thankful for every day of it. I am thankful for him- and that he is still with me.
The good news is that his numbers have dropped by nearly half since starting the treatment!!, so that is very encouraging. Please keep him in your prayers for continued improvement.

We had a super special treat over Labor Day weekend- George's sister and her husband visited us, and we were able to treat them to a riverboat cruise and then enjoy the fireworks later that evening on board.














We have been working on our house a lot, too- that has kept us both busy, and good therapy for George. It's important to him to continue to do the things to our old house that we both have wanted to do. It brings him so much joy!
Now we are planning our Christmas trip- I will be finished with school and he will be finished with his treatments and we will be very ready to celebrate!! We are looking at taking a cruise someplace sunny and warm. We can't wait!!
Thank you again, everyone, for praying and keeping up with us- I will try to do better at updates from now on.
Much love~ George & Gina

George had his first chemo treatment on Monday.
He seems to be tolerating it fairly well so far. Some fatigue, a bit of a sore throat, some bone pain... but no nausea- and we're hoping that stays away!!
His attitude is good- he is able to keep up a fairly good pace, but is resting as needed. By the end of most days, he's pretty worn out. Between the residual from the radiation, and then the chemo, it's no wonder.
But- so far so good! I will keep everyone updated as time goes by.
His next treatment is August 30th.
Thank you for your prayers!!

Hello everyone! Sorry it has taken a while for another update.

Life has been busy! George has completed his radiation treatments to his chest, and has noticed a significant reduction in pain, so that's great news!

We also learned that the spot on his spine has been determined to be an arthritic spur, NOT cancer, so that's one less spot to worry about!! hooray!! We'll take whatever we can get....!

On this Monday, August 9th, George will have his first chemotherapy treatment.
Please pray for many things regarding this:

• minimal side effects
• his hair won't fall out
• he'll tolerate it well
• it won't disrupt his daily routine much
• and most of all, that it will do what it's supposed to do!!

His treatments will probably go until December. I will continue with regular updates to let you know how he is doing.

Thank you all sooo much for all your thoughts and prayers!!!

UPDATE

Hello Everyone! Sorry it has taken me nearly a week to get an update on here- it's been a busy week!!!
Well... we don't always get exactly what we ask for, do we?? But somehow we still have to trust that God has our lives in His hands in spite of it all.
George's scans came back not so great after all. He has multiple new "occurrences" ranging from his skull to his lower spine.
So, that was a bit disheartening... but let me tell you about our trip.


We drove to Cleveland on Sunday after church, stopping at Columbus on the way up to enjoy a lovely downtown lunch. Here is George at La Fogata Grill (highly recommend the Fajita Salad!!). We enjoyed a couple shops- one of which is a lovely little Turkish shop with all sorts of beautiful things to tickle your fancy! I got a pashmina and a necklace.




Once we got to Cleveland, we checked in at the Cleveland Clinic Guest House- right across the street from where all his appointments would be happening.
After getting settled in our room, we decided to drive down to Lake Erie to watch the sun set.
There is downtown Cleveland in the background.










George hanging out on the rocks.












After sunset we got a couple soft serves and walked out on the pier. A nice man offered to take our picture for us.





So after a lovely evening enjoying the beauty of Lake Erie, we got a good night's rest, and George headed over to the Clinic first thing Monday morning. He had scans from 9-2. It was a full day- complete with lovely things such as Barium. UGH.
After his scans came back, we met with the doctor, and he highly recommended that now is the time for George to consider chemotherapy. He took the time to "debunk" some common myths people have about chemo, which was very helpful in giving us more peace of mind about opting to go this route.
So, at the end of this month, George will begin a series of chemo treatments, once every 3 weeks, for about 6 months. He is starting a round of radiation next week in order to treat an area on his sternum that is causing pain, as well as the spot on his spine.
Keep him in your prayers as we chart these new waters- pray especially that he tolerates the chemo well- that he has minimal side effects- and most of all, that it is effective.
Thank you all so much for your prayers regarding his scans. We just have to keep trusting that God is taking care of George- and He is. We know He is. After all- 10 years later, I still have him!!!












This is us at a hot air balloon show we went to last night with his oldest daughter and her family.











George with his oldest daughter, Tessa.

Scans are on July 12th. Pray for GREAT scans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Year!

Yay! Yet another year to attend the National Cancer Survivor's Day Riverboat Cruise on the Ohio River. We had another great day with our good friends who are also survivors.
Here are some pictures for you to enjoy of our day.







































A quick little update- George is feeling pretty good after radiation. Still experiencing some fatigue, but the pain has pretty well subsided. He is on a low-dose pain patch, so that helps.
We have been to Cleveland Clinic again- there was a possibility of getting George on the latest breakthrough in prostate cancer treatment- Provenge. However, we're not sure he's entirely considered a "candidate"- but it's not being completely ruled out. There are other things the doctor there (who is actually the Head of the Prostate Cancer department) would rather see him doing. There is a possible clinical trial- if not that, then a possible secondary hormone treatment, depending on scans being stable. If scans are not stable, then the word chemo has come up.
PRAY FOR STABLE SCANS!!! Oh, heck- pray for GREAT scans!!!!! why limit God?!?!?!
We are sort of in a wait mode right now because we haven't gotten a call back from the doctor yet. WHY doctors do this to you, I will never know. But once he is scheduled for scans, and those are reviewed, then we will know what steps are going to be up for consideration.
So, like I said- PRAY FOR GREAT SCANS!!!
Thank you all for your support and prayers!!

Hello Everyone!

Well- quick update.... George is currently undergoing radiation therapy for his hip area again. The most recent bone scan did show a good bit of progression and after a couple MRI's it was determined he would need to do some radiation. He also started getting some increased pain, so he was quite anxious to get started.

He is on week 2 of a 3-4 week course. He goes in once a day to get "zapped". We are actually pretty happy about the form of radiation treatment he is getting this time- it is called tomotherapy. It is supposed to be the cutting edge of radiation- it is very precise, and can be used to retreat areas (which is what his situation called for).

After this treatment, he will also do a round for his leg- there is a spot on his femur that needs attention.

Overall, however- he feels pretty good! He is noticing less discomfort since starting the radiation, so that is encouraging.

All you can do is just keep trucking along, dealing with things as they pop up, and just hope for the best!! His attitude is great!!

Keep him in your prayers- and me, too.

HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
GEORGE!!!

An overdue thank you-
a very special friend of ours' who is SO sweet to George gave us a beautiful bit of Christmas Cheer! She made for us the very pretty wreath you see hanging on our house.
Thank you, Debbie!! We love it!!

We had an interesting turn of events today! George went to his first visit with the Orthopedic Oncologist this morning. After x-raying his leg and hip, and discussing symptoms, the doctor decided that George doesn't need to do anything right now! The one possible problem is that the doctor did not receive copies of the recent scans (even though we were told they had been sent- and received!) so he didn't have that information to help his decision. George is going to get those put on a CD on Friday and send them to the doctor, and then we'll find out if he still feels the same. If so, then George doesn't have to do any treatment right now- which would be FANTASTIC!!
This could mean that the bone scan was showing other activity- such as remineralization of the bone caused by the Zometa infusion he gets monthly- and not necessarily new tumor sites.
Pray the verdict remains the same! That would be a GREAT start to 2010!!