July 26, 2008 Update

Gus and Dave went golfing on Wednesday.  They had a wonderful time and this time Gus came home talking about his score.  The PIC line helped his game instead of hindering!  Seriously, Gus thinks it is because you should hold the left arm stiffer through your swing and he did trying to protect the PIC line.  Gus feels the best he has for two months.  After how good he golfed, he now has signed Dave and himself up to play in the Farm Credit Annual Golf Scramble. 

 

We are finding out just how much the emotional side of cancer controls us.  The first treatment drained him so completely for three days.  Yesterday, with his second treatment of chemo, he never even slowed down.  He did not sleep through the treatment, but read a magazine.  The doctor included a nausea medicine along with the chemo and that seemed to make a difference also.  Gus' first thought as he came out of the infusion room was stopping at the Dairy Queen in Ennis on the way home.  So we stopped and Gus indulged himself.  He had absolutely no side effects from the dessert.  His appetite is definitely improving, even though the weight is still continuing downward.  Part of our shopping yesterday was for high calorie, protein drinks.  Gus' good friend, Gary from Nebraska, is here for a few days and they are thoroughly enjoying their time together.   There is nothing like special friends to help us laugh again.

 

Gus truly scored a victory over his wife yesterday.  Last week, the nurse who takes care of the PIC line cautioned us about a yeast infection starting under the dressing.  She recommended Gus eating yogurt to keep the good bacteria in his system.  Gus has never liked yogurt, so this was an unpleasant development for him.  Gus' full time self-appointed nurse (Kathleen) took this very seriously and started Gus on a yogurt regimen along with his pills.  The refrigerator now has several flavors of natural yogurt to tempt him.  The two times that Gus begrudgingly ate his yogurt, it upset his system during the night.  Yesterday, the doctor sided with Gus and told him to eat all the ice cream he wanted, but to avoid the yogurt.  

 

After we came home from Bozeman, we spent the evening building a deck for Lindsey and Lane.  Gus and Gary are working on it today and this afternoon we are planning a road trip to Helena.  Kathleen's aunt and uncle, Joe and Jean Edwards, are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and we did not want to miss this.  Scott and April will join us there. 

Web site you should visit

Kathleen's sister found this website. After viewing the website Gus and Kathleen asked me to put it on the blog for people to go into and look at.  If you Google pancreatic cancer, all you get is the downside.  These are true stories that give you hope.  It is inspirational and full of encouragement. 

A brief look at the web site I agree it needs to be available for the rest of us to see the encouraging side of this walk.

I have created a link to the web site so all you have to do is double click on the URL and you will be taken to the site. It is worth your time to read.

Here is the URL:

http://www.pancan.org/Patient/Inspiration/inspirStories.html

Ed Bartley - Keeper of the Blog

July 22, 2008 Update

Gus, Kathleen, and Ron Leafgreen      7-18-2008

The last two days, Gus feels fairly good.   He is getting up early in the morning and working before the heat of the day starts.  He rests in the afternoon, and then goes back outside in the evening after it has cooled off.   His hay chief, Dave, took the week-end off and went home to Hamilton.  When Dave came back yesterday, he brought his golf clubs with him.   Now we have a dilemma on the ranch.  Gus and Dave are trying to plan their tee times, yet somehow fit in the haying and chemo treatments.  

 

Gus and I had a good laugh last night.  Lane has not been around us when we "flush" Gus' PIC line.  He has heard us talk about it and we have shown him the line and tried to explain its purpose.   The whole concept is too much for a 4-year old mind.  Last night Lane decided that Grama must stick her hand down Papa's throat and that is how she flushes him!   Now we know why Gus is sick. 

 

Lack of an appetite is really an issue to us.  Gus does his best to avoid his wife's daily question of what did the scales read today.  He has lost a couple pounds since the dietician said he could lose no more.  On Friday, we will go shopping for some high calorie drinks and start incorporating those into his normal day along with his medication.  

July 19, 2008 Update

Gus' first chemo treatment was totally uneventful.  We met with the doctor first and he answered every question on our minds, then he escorted us to the infusion room.  The nurses put Gus in a recliner, covered him with a warm blanket and he slept through the infusion.  From start to finish, it lasted 1 1/2 hours.  Once again he wore his "Boots".  I was also put in a recliner with a warm blanket and watched TV.  Each infusion cubicle has a private T.V. with a hundred satellite channels to watch.  (I did try to keep my volume down so I didn't disturb Gus too much.)  From the cancer center, we then drove 5 miles or so to where the specialty nurses take care of the PIC line.  Each week, the PIC line needs one of these "professional nurses" checking it and changing the dressing.  Even on our week break from treatment, we will go to Bozeman for the PIC line.

 

Gus slept part of the way home and was fine.  No nausea at all.  In the evening, though, the pain came with a vengeance.   This is the worst we had seen the pain.  Whether the chemo triggered something, or Gus just let the pain get too far advanced before taking the pain medication, we do not know.  We will definitely be prepared next week.  

 

Gus will have 3 chemo treatments to start his treatment with a drug called gemcitabinc (gemzer) which is just injected through the PIC line.  Once a week on Fridays for three consecutive Fridays.   This drug should have hardly any side effects.  Then Gus gets one week off for the bone marrow to heal, then possibly another week of rest.  They will decide when we reach that point.  The treatment will then accelerate.  He will be put on a continuous infusion of 5-FU chemo and this will include the pump he will wear all the time.  At the same time the daily radiation (Monday through Friday) will start.  The 5-FU and the daily radiation treatments will last 6-7 weeks.  The final phase is another 3 weeks of the gemcitabinc (gemzer).  The overall treatment will last almost four months.  Gus did make sure the doctor knew about the last week in October being hunting camp and Gus had every intention of being there.   I loved the look on the doctor's face when Gus told him the rules.  The doctor is in full support and I am sure he will not forget.

 

Today Gus is better, just exhausted.  Fatigue will be play a large part in Gus' day.  Because his immune system will be so suppressed, his social life will have to take a vacation.   We are taking one day at a time and loving the beauty around us.  

July 17, 2008

Yesterday went very smoothly.  We were the only two for our chemo education, so we received a very informal, personal time with three professionals.  We love being pampered.   We were very impressed that naturopathic medicine is offered to compliment traditional medicine.  Our social worker is getting us an appointment with a naturopath doctor.   

 

Gus got his tattoos.  He wanted the 4 ink Xs on his chest and sides to be crosses for the permanent tattooing.  He was disappointed.  All he has is a tiny little dot at each site.  Lane said he was too old for tattoos anyway.  The PIC line went in very smoothly and Gus thoroughly enjoyed watching the nurse insert the line.  This is her specialty and she is a pro.  After it was inserted, they x-rayed Gus to make sure the line was positioned properly up the arm and into the chest.  This same team of nurses is the one that will check it weekly and change the dressing.  They are very protective of their handiwork.  It is in his left arm and he was assured that it would improve his golf game, not hinder it.  Gus is hoping to prove their theory this afternoon in Dillon.  

 

The only eventful moment of the day was a near miss with an oncoming car on our way home last night.  We were starting up the Ennis hill when a red sports car came around the corner traveling at a very high speed.  As we met, the red sports car was just starting to go into a out of control sideways slide. The other car only missed us by a few feet before it rolled.   Thank God Gus was driving.  Our Guardian Angels will be working overtime for the next few months. 

 

Gus will have his first chemo treatment tomorrow.  We are scheduled to meet with the chemotherapy nurse first to learn the details of the drugs that will be used, then Gus will have the actual chemo after that.   Already the staff at the Bozeman cancer unit have become our extended family.   Their goal is to take care of the emotional as well as the physical side of cancer.   I can tell already that Gus will be one of their favorite patients because of his outgoing personality and incredible outlook on this part of his earthly walk.  

Medical Update July 14

We were in touch with the doctor's office yesterday, July 14.  Tomorrow we will attend a educational class on chemo, Gus will get his tattoos, and a surgeon will insert a PIC line in Gus' arm.   This procedure will take approximately three hours and then the PIC will require daily flushing to keep any blood clots from forming.  Chemo will start this Friday, July 18.  At this point, all we know is every Friday for 3 weeks we will be going to Bozeman for a chemo treatment.  I am sure after Wednesday, we will know more the long term plan for treatment. 

Golfing with Gus

Scott, April, Dave, Lane and Gus went golfing in Ennis on Sunday afternoon.   No one mentioned scores when they came home, so I don't think low scores were the objective of the day.  I did hear that they used two golf carts, so that was more important than numbers.  Lane went with his grandfather because Gus wanted to introduce this 4 year old to the game.  Gus would love to teach his grandson to golf.  I am betting that Gus' future plans include a set of mini golf clubs and days on the green with his little partner.   Scott and April knew what would please Gus the most and he so enjoyed his day with his family in one of his favorite settings, the golf course. 

Leaving Comments on Gus' Walk

Hi Everyone,

This is Ed Bartley, the blog master, of Gus' Walk.

I have talked with several family members over the weekend that were having trouble leaving comments. 

The complaint was that Blogger / Google wants you to sign in with a screen name and password. If you have a Gmail account you can enter your Gmail screen name and password and it will post your comment using the screen name. It is best if you do post a comment this way to put your real name somewhere in the comment. 

If you do not have a Gmail / Blogger account you can now post a comment as "anonymous." If you do use this route please leave your name somewhere in the comment so Gus and Kathleen know who was making a comment. 

If you do not want to go through the comment process please send your comment as a email to GWuelfing@gmail.com and I will post the comment for you.  You can also send me email directly to edbartley@comcast.net with your comment and I will post it for you. If you send your comment directly to me please put in the Subject line "comment for Gus' Walk" 

If you have any problems with the blog site please let me know at either of the above email addresses. Again put "Gus' Walk" in the Subject line. 

Thanks

Ed Bartley

Update on Gus - July 12, 2008

Friday we went to Bozeman for the Cat scan and to get prepared for radiation treatment.   Little did we know the changes that were about to take place.  We were meeting with the technician that would actually do the radiation, when she asked us about meeting with the medical oncologist.  Something in our body language suggested we were not pleased with our medical oncologist.  We hesitated in our answer is all we can figure out.  She gave us the option of using the other oncologist and within two hours we had met with him twice.  He called Seattle and talked to the surgeon, Dr. Park.  The entire treatment plan changed.  Tentatively at this point, Gus will have 3 weeks of chemo, then 1-2 weeks of rest, followed by 6 weeks of radiation, then another round of chemo.   We are very impressed with our new doctor.  He wears jeans!!  He accomplished more in just a few hours than the female doctor had in a week.  Gus' cancer didn't intimidate him.  This is the most optimistic we have been since hearing the news June 12 that Gus had a tumor on his pancreas.  We now have the confidence we needed in our medical team.

 

Gus now sports three very stylish Xs on his chest and one on each side.  Right now they are just with ink, but within the week they will be tattooed.  Gus is very excited that at the age of 60 he will be getting his first tattoos.  I do not share in his enthusiasm. 

 

We also met with a dietician.  Gus'  whole lifestyle of eating will be replaced with dense, low fiber, high calorie nutritional food.  We also will try to avoid fat as much as possible. It is vital that he not lose anymore weight.   This will definitely be a challenge considering he will not feel like eating and will have difficulty with the nausea.  Yesterday was the first time he needed more for the pain than Advil.  Our first stop when we got home was to the pharmacy for pain medication.  We are hoping it was just the position he had to be in for the tests that gave him the pain in his back. 

 

Today he feels fairly good and is out checking on his water.  Our haying crew is doing an incredible job.  The horse hay is excellent quality and that is so important to Gus.  The weather has cooperated which makes all the difference also.

 

Our spirits are up and we feel much more prepared for our immediate future.

Letter to Gus and Kathleen From Bob Brim July 10,2008

July 10, 2008     Dear Gus and Kathleen,  It was special to see you at the 
gathering at John and Sheri’s.  It would have been much better if the 
reason for you being here was not so urgent.            

My inability to engage in verbal communication leaves me on the fringe 
of socializing, which is a handicap in expressing my feelings.

Your Gus’ Walk Blog will be important to me and others to keep in 
touch with you.  You are very much loved and special to your immediate 
family, your extended family, your friends and your community.  

Ed Bartley’s sequence of pictures of Gus and Karis is an excellent 
illustration of the responsibilties younger generations have in trying to fill 
the boots of their predecessors.  You two are living role models making 
footprints for others to follow.

I join the multitude of others who are with you in spirit.  You will be 
with us in spirit at the family gathering in eastern WA this weekend.  

I know your faith is your most important support in coping with life’s 
most stressful situations.  

We all hope your faith, and the medical skills of professionals will result 
in a desireable long term resolution of the distress you are experiencing 
Gus and Kathleen.
                          
With love and best wishes,  ~ Cbob ~  >>

Update on Gus - July 9, 2008

Wednesday, July 9th, we were scheduled to meet with the medical oncologist at 2:20 in the afternoon, then the radiology oncologist at 3:30.   The radiologist did meet with us on time and we were impressed.  He is exactly what  we need.  Very professional in the respect he had done his reading and already knew his plan of attack.  We asked some tough questions and he truthfully answered them.  We go back on Friday for another CAT Scan and this one is not for diagnostic reasons, but to analyze the exact position Gus needs to be in for radiation treatment.  The doctor plans on starting radiation therapy on Wednesday, July 16th.  Gus will have radiation treatments daily Monday through Friday for six weeks.  Because of the stomach being so close to the pancreas, nausea will be a reality. 

 

The medical oncologist finally met with us at 6:00 in the evening.  She knew nothing of the test results from Seattle or any of Gus' history.  We were disappointed in how little was accomplished upon leaving her office concerning chemotherapy.  We do know the chemo will be done at the same time as the radiation.   One of the chemo treatments will be administered once a week and the doctor did not know how the second chemo will be applied.  She needed to talk to Seattle.   One possibility is a continuous pump that Gus would carry around with him.   Needless to say that is not our first choice.   We did realize after meeting with the medical oncologist here in Bozeman that the Seattle surgeon, Dr. Park, is leading the cancer team here in Montana.  We are pleased with that because he is so knowledgeable with pancreatic cancer.    After treatment, we will wait at least a month before going through more tests to see if the tumor has shrunk enough for surgery.  Bozeman does not have the equipment for all the tests, so we will be going back to Seattle for these tests.

 

Last Monday, we did get the test results of the biopsy.  Gus has been diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the most common type of pancreatic cancer. 

 

Scott and April are taking Gus golfing on Sunday.  I am actually going to let him ride in a golf cart.  In fact this time I will be encouraging it.   There has to be some benefits for Gus in all of this. 

Kathleen

To Become a "Real" Montana Cowgirl...

To become a "Real" Montana cow-girl, you have to start by changing out of these cute little Pink shoes...

... slip them off like this ...

That's right, one leg at a time!

"You say you want my OTHER boot now?"

These boots were made for walking...

... and I'm ready to go, Right Uncle Gus?

Easier said than done.

I like being a cow-girl!

Maybe he won't notice they're gone...

... if I can just keep walking.

Gus's Cowgirl...

This is how you become a "Real" Montana Cowgirl

Staring Karis and a Real Montana Cowboy

A Saturday afternoon ( 06-28-2008) gathering of some of the clan in Support of Gus and Kathleen. The gathering was at the home of John and Sheri Brim at Three Tree Point in Burien WA. The afternoon was spent enjoying each others company and the beautiful setting God provided. The following pictures are in no particular order. More pictures may come in the future.

Kathleen and Gus

Jay Arment and Karis

Maggie Ayers, Kathleen, Gus

More of the group gathered at Three Tree Point

Robert Ayers, Scott Ayers, Scott's girlfriend, Alice Bartley

Kathleen and Gus on a walk on the Beach at Three Tree Point

Jo Ayers, Bob Brim, Maggie Ayers

Meahgan, Kellie, Mary, Katherine, Katie

Jay Arment

More of the group gathered at Three Tree Point

Alice and Kathleen on a bench overlooking the water.

Some of the gathering at John and Sheri Brim's house at Three Tree Point in support of Gus and Kathleen

Walking with Gus

Gus and Kathleen flew to Seattle late last week to see the medical experts at the University of Washington Hospital. Over the weekend they met with family and friends who gathered to give them support. 

On Monday and Tuesday Gus met with the Doctors who ran several test. The initial results of the tests were that Gus has a tumor near his pancreas. At this time surgery is not an option due to the tumor almost surrounding a vessel leaving the pancreas. Planned treatment will include chemotherapy and then several weeks of radiation.  When the tumor shrinks the doctors will determine if surgery is an option. 

Gus and Kathleen flew back to Sheridan Montana in a private plane flown by a fellow rancher yesterday afternoon. 

Today Kathleen emailed me to let us know that they had made it home. Kathleen said "We arrived totally uneventful about 5:30 yesterday. The flight was incredibly beautiful. The Bozeman oncology department has already called us (by 9:30 this morning they had called). We have our meeting with the medical oncologist this coming Wednesday at 2:20 and then we will meet with the radiology department. Gus was sick during the night with pain in the stomach. Today he is exhausted. He didn't get up until 8:45 and he is headed back to bed as soon as he can. I am at work as you probably guessed."

This blog will be managed by me, Ed Bartley, and Kathleen will be sending me updates as time allows. Kathleen will view any comments and respond as time allows. 

Please keep Gus (and Kathleen and family) in your prayers. This battle has just begun. 

Check back often to view the latest update on how Gus is doing.

For those of you not familiar with blogs you can leave comments for Gus and Kathleen by clicking on the word "comments" at the bottom of each blog entry and then you will be allowed to enter your comments.

Ed Bartley

edbartley@comcast.net