So many of you are probably thinking, what ever happened with Jake? Wasn't he supposed to have that procedure done on his back?
Yes... he was and I suppose it's time I tell you how that went.
So a little over a week ago on 10/15, Jake went to see the pain specialist to have the official radio frequency lesioning procedure done to the facet joint nerves in his back. Essentially Jake's problem was that he had developed facet joint spondylosis, an arthritic-like degradation of the joints between his vertebrae, which was causing referred pain in his latissimi dorsi muscles. Through verification with the anesthetic shots, the pain doctor was able to pinpoint the affected nerves to the 2 pairs radiating off of the 8th and 9th vertebrae.
The procedure began with a bit of local anesthetic, then using an x-ray, they placed needles in the 2 sets of nerves and applied electrical current to have Jake verify the placement of the needles. Once the needles location was verified, the radiofrequency generator passed heat through the needles. This essentially "cut" the nerves.
For the rest of that weekend Jake was pretty sore. This "easy, non-invasive" procedure was not very pleasant. That being said, by about the following Monday whenever I would ask him to rate his pain he would either say "1" or "Shut up. I feel fine." . . . which, in Jake terms, means pretty great. Since then, it seems he continues to be doing much better. His chair at work seems to be helping with the bursitis quite a bit, as well. He's also cut back on pain meds. We will continue to work on making him better all around and hopefully continue to cut back on medications.
Jake is still finding plenty to complain about, but he is definitely doing much better. I have high hopes for the future.
Well... I suppose I should get going to bed. Good night everyone!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
"On the plains of old Sedona, Arizona... among the trees"
Brownie points if you recognized the obscure Pixies reference in the title...
I realize it's been a while since I updated my blog. I would have written last weekend, but Jake and I were out of town. It was our 2nd anniversary and we decided to celebrate by taking a day off of work and traveling up to Sedona, AZ.
It was quite enjoyable. We took a train tour of the Verde Canyon, went out for a nice dinner, and then took a hot air balloon ride at sunrise the following morning. I got some pretty awesome pictures. The views were spectacular! I would definitely recommend hot air ballooning at least once in your life. I don't really know if I'd do it again. I think it was maybe a bit pricey for what it was.
I guess that's about all I have to say regarding our Sedona Anniversary get-away. Thanks to all of you who sent "Happy Anniversary" wishes and cards. I hope to send you all personal emails when I get a chance. There just aren't enough hours in the day! And with that.... I hope you enjoy some of the pictures I took...
I realize it's been a while since I updated my blog. I would have written last weekend, but Jake and I were out of town. It was our 2nd anniversary and we decided to celebrate by taking a day off of work and traveling up to Sedona, AZ.
I guess that's about all I have to say regarding our Sedona Anniversary get-away. Thanks to all of you who sent "Happy Anniversary" wishes and cards. I hope to send you all personal emails when I get a chance. There just aren't enough hours in the day! And with that.... I hope you enjoy some of the pictures I took...
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The future of cancer research
So it seems I finally have a chance to blog about a topic I've been wanting to write about for a few weeks now... the latest advancements in cancer research.
Maybe a few weeks ago you were lucky enough to catch the Stand Up 2 Cancer program on TV. I did not get to watch the program myself, as Jake had control of the TV content (like always); however, I did get a chance to hear a pretty great interview with Laura Ziskin, co-founder of Stand Up 2 Cancer, on the Stupid Cancer Show podcast that I listen to. I was very happy to hear about the great things that the organization was doing and plans to do. Stand Up 2 Cancer research focuses on translational studies, especially those in the lines of genetics. Instead of funding studies that cigarettes are bad for you or that you should or shouldn't drink red wine or if you should get your first mammogram at 35 or 40, they're funding research that might actually CURE people. They force "dream teams" to work together, teams comprised of young cutting-edge scientists, actual clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, etc. and invest money in research that may not always be as successful as "typical" research, but whose payoff would be far far greater. What is extra great about Stand Up 2 Cancer Research is that it is not specific to one age group or cancer type. The old way of cancer research was disease-specific, which researchers are finding is no longer the best way of doing things. The HER 2 gene found in pediatric brain cancer patients helped scientists develop the drug Herceptin for a subset of breast cancer patients, a drug which actually stops cancer from spreading. That same gene has recently been found in some young male prostate cancer patients, as well. Cancer is no longer age, body part, or type specific and Stand Up 2 Cancer is fighting for the cure in an actually meaningful way. I was so pleased to hear they ended up raising 140 million dollars during their show on TV a few weeks ago!
All of this came during the same week as my checkup with my radiation oncologist. My RO knows of my affinity to science and shared with me some details from the latest research he's been reviewing. He says that the next major breakthrough that will happen in cancer treatment is the ability to find specific genetic markers that would show a predisposition for mutations and be able to give a cancer survivor a drug to suppress that mutation. One day there should be a drug I will take to ensure that I would never have another recurrence. How cool is that!
Hopefully, with support of organizations like Stand Up 2 Cancer, this drug technology is right around the corner. Taking a drug to prevent some of the paranoia and a recurrence would be amazing! That scare last week was just a horrible reminder of how frightening living as a cancer survivor can be. It brought back those feelings of "not-knowing" that I had prior to both my biopsies. I'm happy to report that my ENT did a thorough feeling and scoping of my nose, sinuses, throat, and tongue and found nothing abnormal or infected. My left nasal passage was a little tight and so since I had been having sinus pressure for over a week, he went ahead and prescribed a steroid pack. It seems to be helping, although I seem to be extra itchy and nauseated. At least my sinuses don't hurt any more.
Anyway... exciting things are happening in the cancer research world and I just thought I'd share. Also, in case you're looking at your calendar and thinking that it's getting near the end of the year and you better get going on your tax-deductible gifts to charity this year, you may want to look into Stand Up 2 Cancer this year. Other honorable places to donate would be the American Association for Cancer Research, who actually share research money with Stand Up 2 Cancer, and the I'm Too Young for This Cancer Society, which provides age-appropriate support to young adults affected by cancer.
Maybe a few weeks ago you were lucky enough to catch the Stand Up 2 Cancer program on TV. I did not get to watch the program myself, as Jake had control of the TV content (like always); however, I did get a chance to hear a pretty great interview with Laura Ziskin, co-founder of Stand Up 2 Cancer, on the Stupid Cancer Show podcast that I listen to. I was very happy to hear about the great things that the organization was doing and plans to do. Stand Up 2 Cancer research focuses on translational studies, especially those in the lines of genetics. Instead of funding studies that cigarettes are bad for you or that you should or shouldn't drink red wine or if you should get your first mammogram at 35 or 40, they're funding research that might actually CURE people. They force "dream teams" to work together, teams comprised of young cutting-edge scientists, actual clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, etc. and invest money in research that may not always be as successful as "typical" research, but whose payoff would be far far greater. What is extra great about Stand Up 2 Cancer Research is that it is not specific to one age group or cancer type. The old way of cancer research was disease-specific, which researchers are finding is no longer the best way of doing things. The HER 2 gene found in pediatric brain cancer patients helped scientists develop the drug Herceptin for a subset of breast cancer patients, a drug which actually stops cancer from spreading. That same gene has recently been found in some young male prostate cancer patients, as well. Cancer is no longer age, body part, or type specific and Stand Up 2 Cancer is fighting for the cure in an actually meaningful way. I was so pleased to hear they ended up raising 140 million dollars during their show on TV a few weeks ago!
All of this came during the same week as my checkup with my radiation oncologist. My RO knows of my affinity to science and shared with me some details from the latest research he's been reviewing. He says that the next major breakthrough that will happen in cancer treatment is the ability to find specific genetic markers that would show a predisposition for mutations and be able to give a cancer survivor a drug to suppress that mutation. One day there should be a drug I will take to ensure that I would never have another recurrence. How cool is that!
Hopefully, with support of organizations like Stand Up 2 Cancer, this drug technology is right around the corner. Taking a drug to prevent some of the paranoia and a recurrence would be amazing! That scare last week was just a horrible reminder of how frightening living as a cancer survivor can be. It brought back those feelings of "not-knowing" that I had prior to both my biopsies. I'm happy to report that my ENT did a thorough feeling and scoping of my nose, sinuses, throat, and tongue and found nothing abnormal or infected. My left nasal passage was a little tight and so since I had been having sinus pressure for over a week, he went ahead and prescribed a steroid pack. It seems to be helping, although I seem to be extra itchy and nauseated. At least my sinuses don't hurt any more.
Anyway... exciting things are happening in the cancer research world and I just thought I'd share. Also, in case you're looking at your calendar and thinking that it's getting near the end of the year and you better get going on your tax-deductible gifts to charity this year, you may want to look into Stand Up 2 Cancer this year. Other honorable places to donate would be the American Association for Cancer Research, who actually share research money with Stand Up 2 Cancer, and the I'm Too Young for This Cancer Society, which provides age-appropriate support to young adults affected by cancer.
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