Gus, Lane, Lindsey  11-14-2008

Yesterday was not without its opportunities, but the most important part was accomplished.  Gus received his 3rd and final chemo!  His platelets had to be 50 or more to receive any chemo.  His were 51.  Last week his count was 83 which is low.   We knew it was going to be lower this week, but we never guessed this low.  It will be very interesting to see what the blood count is next week. 

 

The doctor did not meet with us and so could not answer our questions as we look to the future.   That was a huge disappointment because we had a list of questions.   The doctor should be calling Gus Thursday to answer them. 

 

It took the infusion room an hour and a half to get Gus started on his chemo.   They had a new druggist who was very slow at getting the medication prepared for the nurses to administer it.   Gus also was given a flu shot which he has not had one for 35 years or more.  The last one made him so sick he had no desire to ever repeat the experience.  He is really going to be mad if this one makes him sick.  He is just getting over a cold that he has had for 10 days. 

 

The one symptom that he is experiencing that no one can answer is his blood pressure continues to drop.   Hopefully when the doctor calls Gus to answer our questions, he will have some insight as to what is going on.   For several weeks Gus has dealt with dizziness when he stands up.   He just always has to use caution.

 

The most positive thing for Gus is his appetite.  Food tastes so good and he no longer has to be cautious on how much he eats.  He truly loves the thought of food again.   There is still no significant weight gain, but he is no longer losing weight which is a blessing.

 

The next scheduled event is a CAT scan on Wednesday, November 26th in Bozeman.  The purpose of this one is to analyze how effective treatment has been.  We will not know the results until Monday, December 1st.   We still are cautious in believing this CAT scan can make the diagnosis on whether or not the tumor is operable.  

 

Gus and I watched the movie "The Bucket List" several nights ago.  It was thought provoking and we enjoyed it very much.  Yesterday, Gus and I were joking about what was on our bucket lists.  (That is what happens when you have too much time in a chemo room.)  Gus' main one is to travel.  I could not believe it.  After some quick calculations, I pointed out to him that he has traveled over 10,000 miles since June.   That was a sobering thought.

After no treatments for most of the month of October, it was very hard for Gus to drive to Bozeman Tuesday, November 4th.  Now nine days later, he has received two of the three final chemo infusions.  What kept him going yesterday was the knowledge that there is only one chemo session left.  His blood count was down yesterday to the point the nurse felt sure the doctor would not proceed with the chemo.   This was not pleasing to us because we want an end to this four month treatment session and we want to stay on schedule.  The doctor did choose to proceed, but it is because with the gemzar they are allowed to adjust the dosage.  Gus only received 75% of the scheduled dose.  He was done in an hour and we were headed home.   Once we got home, Gus went to bed while the rest of us moved the cows to fresh pasture.  This is the lowest I have seen Gus' white count and platelets.   The numbers are not low enough to cause concern, just caution.

 

Last Sunday, all of our calves left on semi-trucks headed for Minnesota.   Gus was a big part of the physical work this time.  He ran the gate for sorting and made sure everything was on schedule.  It was very taxing to his strength, but worth every moment to him.  This is a very important day to us.  Our entire year of ranch work is all for this day when we sell the calves.  It was an emotional day for Gus knowing he would never be shipping his calves again, but it was a huge relief to me to have that commitment behind us.   This last month has been very labor intensive keeping the calves healthy and alive.   Pneumonia can kill a calf within hours.  Last year we lost two calves right before shipping from pneumonia.  This year we never even saw any signs of pneumonia.  We were blessed.  Now our focus will turn towards finding a good home for our cows.  

 

The Hunting Trip

On the skyline behind Gus is what they call "The Notch".  This is the area where they hunt.

Gus' view as he sat in the meadow each day

Gus sitting in his meadow

These are the four guys that made Gus' week possible.  Scott (behind the horse), Dennis, Les, and Matt

Close up of Scott, Dennis, Les, and Matt

Scott and Gus

The Camp

Gus had the perfect week on his mountaintop.  The weather was incredible.  Gus did not even need the majority of the warm clothes we had gotten.  The road was dry to where they park the trucks and dry as they drove out one week later.  That fact alone was rare in all these years.  Gus and Scott neither one fired a shot.  That was not the purpose of their trip this year.  The other three men each got their elk.  

 

Gus felt so good and even gained one pound.   For the first couple of mornings, Scott would take his dad and his dad's horse to the meadow where Gus would spend the day.  The first morning, Gus rode the horse and Scott walked.  The second morning, Gus felt so good he asked Scott to ride the horse and he wanted to walk.  Gus always needed the horse to get back to camp at the end of the day.   The uphill climb was too much for Gus.  The horse got to spend the day tied to a tree while Gus spent the day reading, visiting or just savoring the moment.  

 

As the men were driving out Saturday morning to come home, they looked behind them and the sky was black.  The storm was moving in.  It has been storming ever since. 

 

There is no doubt in our minds how God orchestrated this week for Gus.   It could not have been more blessed.  Tuesday, November 4th, Gus starts chemo again and our lives shift back into reality.