Here's the whole-body hyperthermia unit. The top "arm" comes down and tents the body all around with the metal-looking blanket, and heat radiates up from underneath. I understand that it penetrates the body up to 8" from both directions, effectively rupturing the cancer cells' outer linings while leaving healthy cells fully intact. Quite a machine.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Oops. Forgot the Photo...
Here's the whole-body hyperthermia unit. The top "arm" comes down and tents the body all around with the metal-looking blanket, and heat radiates up from underneath. I understand that it penetrates the body up to 8" from both directions, effectively rupturing the cancer cells' outer linings while leaving healthy cells fully intact. Quite a machine.
Whole-Body Hyperthermia...
The whole body hyperthermia could not have gone any better today! He did GREAT! He was quite tired afterwards, a side effect of the sedation, but was up and about this evening looking for food... ha ha. I found him in the hall when I got back from dinner (he was asleep when I left, so I thought he'd be sleeping for a while longer) looking for tea, a good sign that he felt well. I've attached a photo of the unit; kind of cool. They lay on the "meshy" mattress, and the heat goes in from all angles. Some people get a bit of a sunburn from it, but he didn't have any side effects, which was great. They administered the low-dose chemo, but the particular one that he had is very mild and shouldn't cause any side effects.
Whew! What a relief to have that over with. It will take a while before we'll know what kind of impact it's made on the cancer, but in the meantime, he seems to be doing great. It's really a breeze; no big deal at all!
I'll try to post more this weekend, otherwise we'll be back home Tuesday! :)
Whew! What a relief to have that over with. It will take a while before we'll know what kind of impact it's made on the cancer, but in the meantime, he seems to be doing great. It's really a breeze; no big deal at all!
I'll try to post more this weekend, otherwise we'll be back home Tuesday! :)
A little walk through the park...
The amphitheatre and indoor concert hall in the park.
Dad posing near some little gate in the park.
The "vapor wall" in the Bad Salzhausen park. It's mineral water heavily laden with salt, and is GREAT for breathing in the vapors. It really clears out your sinuses, in addition to being very calming to listen to. At the right is a close-up of the sticks that are situated in the wall that allows the water to run down them, thus creating the vapor. I'm curious to know how often these sticks have to be switched out. Surprisingly, there is no rot, mold or algae despite them being constantly saturated.
All of these are from a few days ago when we took a stroll through the park here. It's absolutely gorgeous, and the attention to all of the trees and plants and grounds is just amazing. Each tree's species is labeled (albeit in German and Latin) and the grounds are so meticulously maintained. There are little benches all around where people sit and watch the birds or just enjoy the sun. The weather here has been amazing; 70 degrees today, and it's supposed to hold just as nice until we leave on Tuesday! The town of Bad Salzhausen, where we're saying, is what's referred to as a "spa town" in Germany where the country designated these areas near natural mineral springs and wells as healing places for a myriad of different maladies over the last hundred years. In this particular park, there are 4 or 5 separate wells with mineral water that can be drank, and is rumored to be great for the digestive system. I'll take their word for it, as I can read the mineral content, as well as smell some of the odors of the water, and thing I'd rather not drink it. I've read that the government-run health system used to prescribe stays in these towns and for patients to drink the water to cure asthma, lung problems, etc.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Gutten Abend (Good Afternoon!)
Sorry for the delay in postings; I was a little under the weather yesterday, but am feeling much better today. Just a touch of a cold, but Erika was nice enough to play nurse and brought me heaps of Vitamin C and throat lozenges, and now I'm almost as good as new! They did another ultrasound today, and found that the fluid on dad's lungs is satisfactory enough to schedule him for the whole-body hyperthermia for Friday morning. He'll go in around 10 or 11 AM, and should be finished about 4 hours later. Most people are quite sleepy for the rest of the day, but that's good; it means your body is healing.
It's actually quite an interesting process. They induce fever on the body, and gradually bring his inner core temperature up to 103-104 degrees Fahrenheit. This takes about 1-1/2 hours, and then they begin administering the chemo while the body is at this temperature. The heat makes the cancer cells' outer lining rupture, and they are much more responsive to the chemo, in addition to enhancing the benefits (not necessarily the side effects) of the of the chemo as well. During this time, they also raise the blood sugar level, which also causes the cancer cells to deteriorate because they begin to eat up the sugar, which is laced with chemo, and you get the idea. They hold the body at the higher temperature for 1 hour, and then slowly begin to cool it down. After this, they are monitored every 20 minutes until they're up and around that evening, and detox infusions are begun rather immediately after the hyperthermia is finished to begin flushing the body of the chemo. I have to say, it's rather genius that you allow the cancer cells to be exposed to the chemo for as short a time as possible, while minimizing the potential impact on the body afterwards. What a concept!
So, I'll post an update tomorrow evening letting you know how everything went. I'm sure it will go very smoothly!
Ciao for now,
Chels
It's actually quite an interesting process. They induce fever on the body, and gradually bring his inner core temperature up to 103-104 degrees Fahrenheit. This takes about 1-1/2 hours, and then they begin administering the chemo while the body is at this temperature. The heat makes the cancer cells' outer lining rupture, and they are much more responsive to the chemo, in addition to enhancing the benefits (not necessarily the side effects) of the of the chemo as well. During this time, they also raise the blood sugar level, which also causes the cancer cells to deteriorate because they begin to eat up the sugar, which is laced with chemo, and you get the idea. They hold the body at the higher temperature for 1 hour, and then slowly begin to cool it down. After this, they are monitored every 20 minutes until they're up and around that evening, and detox infusions are begun rather immediately after the hyperthermia is finished to begin flushing the body of the chemo. I have to say, it's rather genius that you allow the cancer cells to be exposed to the chemo for as short a time as possible, while minimizing the potential impact on the body afterwards. What a concept!
So, I'll post an update tomorrow evening letting you know how everything went. I'm sure it will go very smoothly!
Ciao for now,
Chels
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Spring has Sprung!
Spring is in full swing here in Germany! The workers are out planting flowers.... I almost had to take over. Men are just not very adept at planting annuals. But, the Germans are WAY into making everything in their yards/properties look so nice! Dad and I took a long walk through the park today, which was wonderful! He's looking better yet today, and really enjoyed getting out into the sunshine. It was almost 60 degrees here today, so that was great. They've opened up the sun patio here at the clinic, and all the patients and companions flocked like moths to the light!
Warren and Kerryn, our Aussie friends, are headed to Munich and then to Italy tomorrow, so we had a nice dinner out tonight. Erika and Ronald from Florida also came, so it was a lovely evening of traditional German food. I had toast with ham, cheese and 2 sunny side up eggs, and nothing has ever tasted so good! Many of us would think of this as breakfast food, but evidently it's quite common here as dinner food. Go figure! The "guys" all really enjoyed the outing as well.
Another ultrasound today showed that the fluid on the lungs has decreased dramatically since before; a good sign. They are hoping to know more tomorrow, but the wraps on his legs have completely gotten rid of the swelling there, so we're well on our way!! Keep sending your good thoughts to him! We'll take some more pictures tomorrow at the park. There's a whole wall of "vapors" where water trickles down these sticks and is supposedly very good for your breathing - should have brought my camera!
Love and miss you all!
Chels
Warren and Kerryn, our Aussie friends, are headed to Munich and then to Italy tomorrow, so we had a nice dinner out tonight. Erika and Ronald from Florida also came, so it was a lovely evening of traditional German food. I had toast with ham, cheese and 2 sunny side up eggs, and nothing has ever tasted so good! Many of us would think of this as breakfast food, but evidently it's quite common here as dinner food. Go figure! The "guys" all really enjoyed the outing as well.
Another ultrasound today showed that the fluid on the lungs has decreased dramatically since before; a good sign. They are hoping to know more tomorrow, but the wraps on his legs have completely gotten rid of the swelling there, so we're well on our way!! Keep sending your good thoughts to him! We'll take some more pictures tomorrow at the park. There's a whole wall of "vapors" where water trickles down these sticks and is supposedly very good for your breathing - should have brought my camera!
Love and miss you all!
Chels
Monday, March 30, 2009
Easter Market/Medieval Castle
Kerryn, the Aussie; a great lady! Lucky duck gets to go to Italy the end of this week!
The "common square" at the center of the castle
Dad and I outside the castle
The bag piper and his drummer. Some interesting dudes.
The basket weavers. Quite an art form.
Who has costumes like this at home (aside from halloween?!)
Dad and Jim in the castle...
We went to the medieval castle/easter market yesterday in Ronnenburg. It was quite an interesting affair. I'm not sure what I'd envisioned in my mind, but it was not at all what I'd thought. There were literally hundreds upon hundreds of people there, all dressed up in their most festive medieval garb. Evidently the Germans take their medieval history quite literally, as entire families were adorned in capes, furs, etc and carrying medieval weaponry. Talk about culture shock! And, the best part of it was- there was no joking about it. It's a very serious outing/event for them! We had thought we'd be taking a tour of the castle, which I hear is over 700 years old, but in fact the "market" was in each of the rooms of the castle. Easter is a HUGE event here, and eggs are hung all over the place. Many craftsmen were selling jewelry, handpainted easter eggs, and one room even had some people weaving baskets! All in all, it was a LOT to take in. SO many people crammed into little spaces = unhappy campers + cold weather = no good. So, all in all, it was very interesting to see, but probably not something we would have done again. Though, it was very kind of the Dr. to pay for everyone's admission as well as coordinate transportation to the festival. How many doctors in the States do that?! :)
Today, Dad had his feet wrapped in fabric a certain way by the massage therapist (each patient gets roughly 5-7 massages per week- not a bad deal!) and it's meant to reduce the swelling. It seems to be working, though I can't help but laugh because his feet look like Frankenstein all wrapped up in gauze and ace bandages. I'll have to send a photo when I can get one! He seems to be doing quite well; it was very sunny this afternoon and so we soaked up some vitamin D in the solarium at the clinic. Dinner was again, fairly yuck, so better luck tomorrow! We're hoping for good weather in the days to come! Another ultrasound tomorrow will hopefully yield the answer he's hoping for on the go-ahead for the whole-body hyperthermia towards the end of the week. Keep your fingers crossed! :)
Thanks for all your responses! It's so great to hear from all of you! I share them all with Dad, and he enjoys that.
Love,
Chels
Here are a few selected photos from the medieval festival, as well as a few others.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Lost in Translation
Just a short post for today; I'm plum pooped! Dad looks better and better everyday, so that's great! He's hungry as an ox and has been up and around chatting away with the other patients. We are still waiting to hear on when his whole body hyperthermia will be scheduled, so I'll keep you all updated on that. There is still a minimal amount of fluid on his lungs and a bit of swelling in his feet, so just as soon as that's taken care of, we'll be scheduled.
As far as everything else goes, the rain will just NOT let up here! I see now why there's so much moss growing on everything! We're traveling to a nearby town about 40 minutes away by car tomorrow to see a medieval castle and I hear they have an Easter market there. I'm not entirely sure what an "Easter Market" is, but I'm sure I'll find out soon!
We have to laugh each meal at the attempt at translating German food items into English. Here are a few of the highlights:
They had "Chicken Clubs" on the menu. I'm thinking a nice little sandwich, but in fact they are what we commonly refer to as chicken LEGS.
Turkey was on the menu last night, and was "wrapped in egg and herbs".... hmmm. ok. Turned out it was really chicken (we think) and was breaded.. It's now being referred to as "Churkey" since nobody really knows what it is!
These Germans just have a different way of doing things. In both places I've slept here (the Clinic, as well as my hotel), there are NO TOP SHEETS on the bed!!! Dad was very upset about this, and the down comforter is considered to be both your sheet, since it's covered in a duvet, as well as your blanket. It's only large enough to cover one medium-sized person, so if you're tall, I'm sure you're freezing your bum off. In addition, a double bed has a duvet that only covers one person. I hear from others who have "doppelzimmers," which are double rooms, that you each have your own duvet. I'm sure some of you think this is genius so you're not having your covers stolen. ;) There are also no alarm clocks in the hotel rooms, so I'm assuming they either expect you to bring your own, or sleep until you wake up.
Even those who speak English here have very different words for things. According to the South Africans and Australians, here are a few additions to my vocabulary:
A Duner - What Americans refer to as a down comforter.
Loo - Fairly common in other parts of the world as bathrooms.
Reckon - Similar to "I Think"
I have to laugh; Dad and I are the only ones here who speak English without an accent. All the other English speakers are from Australia, South Africa, Texas, Florida and Canada, eh.
We'll have daylight savings time (again) tonight since we already had it back in the states, so we'll now be 8 hours ahead of Denver, and 7 hours ahead of all you Chicago readers. :)
Hope you're all well. I'll send more pictures in the next day or so.
Love,
Chels
As far as everything else goes, the rain will just NOT let up here! I see now why there's so much moss growing on everything! We're traveling to a nearby town about 40 minutes away by car tomorrow to see a medieval castle and I hear they have an Easter market there. I'm not entirely sure what an "Easter Market" is, but I'm sure I'll find out soon!
We have to laugh each meal at the attempt at translating German food items into English. Here are a few of the highlights:
They had "Chicken Clubs" on the menu. I'm thinking a nice little sandwich, but in fact they are what we commonly refer to as chicken LEGS.
Turkey was on the menu last night, and was "wrapped in egg and herbs".... hmmm. ok. Turned out it was really chicken (we think) and was breaded.. It's now being referred to as "Churkey" since nobody really knows what it is!
These Germans just have a different way of doing things. In both places I've slept here (the Clinic, as well as my hotel), there are NO TOP SHEETS on the bed!!! Dad was very upset about this, and the down comforter is considered to be both your sheet, since it's covered in a duvet, as well as your blanket. It's only large enough to cover one medium-sized person, so if you're tall, I'm sure you're freezing your bum off. In addition, a double bed has a duvet that only covers one person. I hear from others who have "doppelzimmers," which are double rooms, that you each have your own duvet. I'm sure some of you think this is genius so you're not having your covers stolen. ;) There are also no alarm clocks in the hotel rooms, so I'm assuming they either expect you to bring your own, or sleep until you wake up.
Even those who speak English here have very different words for things. According to the South Africans and Australians, here are a few additions to my vocabulary:
A Duner - What Americans refer to as a down comforter.
Loo - Fairly common in other parts of the world as bathrooms.
Reckon - Similar to "I Think"
I have to laugh; Dad and I are the only ones here who speak English without an accent. All the other English speakers are from Australia, South Africa, Texas, Florida and Canada, eh.
We'll have daylight savings time (again) tonight since we already had it back in the states, so we'll now be 8 hours ahead of Denver, and 7 hours ahead of all you Chicago readers. :)
Hope you're all well. I'll send more pictures in the next day or so.
Love,
Chels
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Welcome!
Hello all! I've been requested to begin making a daily "journal" entry of our time here in Germany for my dad's cancer treatment. So, here's the answer to all your little hopes! :) Hope you enjoy! I'll do my best to update often, but bear with me if it doesn't happen daily! Thank you also, for all your love, good thoughts and support! It means the world to both of us. Cheers for now.
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