Finding the silver linings
Glenn and one of his grandson’s, Zeke
We’ve had a few important updates over the last week, and overall, we’re feeling encouraged by the direction things are heading.
Dad’s liver biopsy results came back, and it confirmed that the small spot on his liver is the same type of cancer as his bladder cancer. The encouraging part is that this does not change his treatment plan. The chemo and immunotherapy plan he’s already on specifically targets this type of cancer, so his team feels confident continuing forward with the same approach. While it wasn’t the easiest news to recieve, we’re trying to focus on the positives and take things one step at a time.
In brighter news, we officially transferred his care to the Unitypoint Cancer Center in Waterloo, and he’ll begin treatment there next week right on schedule. He met with one of the providers last week, and we left feeling really encouraged by their approach and focus on helping him feel better while continuing treatment. We are also very happy to retire our frequent drives to Iowa City — although over the last few months, we’ve definitely grown fond of the city and somehow seem to know our way around the entire hostpial by now. We’ve also become big fans of stopping at Bully’s North on the way home, which has become a bit of a tradition after appointments.
The provider in Waterloo wasn’t thrilled with some of his levels, so they recommended starting iron infusions for the next couple weeks. He’s been doing those and has been feeling a little better day by day. Right now, the biggest challenge has been nausea, which has been one of the more frustrating symptoms he’s been fighting. We’re hopeful the additional support and continued treatment will start helping with that soon.
Next week, he officially begins his second cycle of treatment—or, as I’ve been calling it, round two. He’ll continue with the same treatment plan that was started in Iowa City, including bloodwork, chemo, immunotherapy, and another iron infusion.
As always, thank you for continuing to check in, sending messages, and supporting our Dad, Brother, Uncle, Cousin, Friend. We feel it every single day.
