2/13/2007 2:43 pm Appointments scheduled

Well I got the appointments that I needed to make done. I am scheduled to see the cardiologist on Thursday the 22nd of February at 12:40 pm. The doctor that I will be seeing is Dr. Arazzoa. The last time I saw him was 1992.
The other appointment that I needed to schedule was for the MRI of the brain and CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis. This will be done on February 28th at high noon.
So, I think I am all set.
That is it for now.

Take care
Jimmy B.

2/13/2007 Path Forward>>>>>>>>>>>>?

Yesterday I went and saw my PCP and I gave him the cardio Report from Pittsburgh. He sent me home with more scripts( Nitroglycerin tablets ) Just in case. He also set me up with a cardiologist at Rochester General. I think with all the prescriptions I am taking, I should buy some stock in the pharmaceuticals.
Also last night around 8:00 pm I got a call from Melissa DeMark, the best Physician Assistant you could have. They (Dr. Kirkwood and company) have decide to end the IL-2 therapy for good. Yeh!!!!! They want to have CT scan to see how far the therapy has helped. If the tumors are totally gone, they will put me on a holding pattern with CT scan every 4 weeks. If the therapy has leveled off and no improvement has been seen from the last CT scan, they will start me on another therapy they have up their sleeve. So I am waiting for the script so I can make an appointment for the scan.

I will keep you posted.

P.S. Keep warm during the up and coming Winter Storm. Snow 12”+
I would rather be in Florida with the B’s .
Jimmy B.

2/9/2007 The decision is to abort the forth Cycle of IL-2

The decision was to stop the treatment. So I am going home. We need to regroup and figure out what went wrong with this cycle. I started this cycle with being on antibiotics, but we don't know if that was the cause. I am happy just to go home and sleep in my own bed. These trip are staring to ware on me.

My ride should be here by 5:00pm and we should be back in Rochester by 10:30 pm if weather permits.

Take care

Jimmy B.

2/9/2007 Saw the Cardiologist

Saw the Cardiologist and there seems to be some blockage to some veins. No ballons for me. The damage to the heart is very minimal. Atleast that is the take I got. Dr. Smith said there were two small veins that was blocked. He would recommend some drugs plavax, asprin and lopresser.Plavax is a prescription medication used to help prevent heart attacks, strokes and other problems caused by narrowed blood vessels (hardening of the arteries).

I still don't have the path forward.
Jimmy B.

2/9/2007 Hey! what's Up with more Layoffs at Kodak?

I heard on the news down here that Kodak is laying off another 2 to 3 thousand more workers. Who is going to turn off the lights?

Please send info. thanks
Jimmy B.

2/9/2007 Waiting to hear from the Doctors

It is now just a waiting game to see where we go next.Do I continue the IL-2? Do I go home and get a MRI or Pet scan? Do I start a new thrapy? Only the doctors and direct me. My weight went up to 232 lbs and is now starting to drop off again (229.6) There is no visiable swelling in my legs but I am getting the headaches.
Am I missing all the snow and cold weather? Here, it is in the low double digits with a dusting of snow.
Anyway, when I get some information, I will pass it on.
Take Care and keep up all the support. I could use some friendly e-mails sinse I am flying solo here on this trip.
Jimmy B.

2/08/2007 The Heart Catherization went well!!!!!!!!!

There was no need to get an angioplasty. Angioplasty is a medical procedure in which a balloon is used to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels of the heart (coronary arteries). I did not receive the offical report yet but I think it was good. There were no clogged arteries or they would have put the ballon stents in.

I will keep you informed.

Jimmy B.

2/8/2007 Heart Catherization

The heart catherization will be done around 10:00 am.

"Cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic procedure in which a long thin tube called a catheter is placed in a blood vessel and then guided to the heart. The catheter may be inserted into either arteries or veins, depending on the information needed, in either an arm or leg. A contrast medium (commonly called "dye") is injected through the catheter to determine whether narrowing or blockages are present in the coronary (heart) arteries, and to measure precisely how well the heart valves and heart muscle function. Several specialized procedures may be performed, each tailored to the patient’s special needs.

Why is this procedure necessary?

While stress tests, electrocardiograms (EKG), echocardiograms, and physical examinations provide considerable information on heart muscle function and the status of the valves and surrounding tissue, these procedures do not yield all the answers. Cardiac catheterization allows the specialist to see an outline of the coronary arteries and more precisely determine the extent of blockages in these vessels.All of the above procedures are used together to obtain as much information as possible so that an accurate diagnosis can be made and proper treatment provided."

So I will see you on the other side of the procedure.
Jimmy B.

2/8/2007 Heart Catherization

The heart catherization will be done around 10:00 am.

"Cardiac catheterization is a diagnostic procedure in which a long thin tube called a catheter is placed in a blood vessel and then guided to the heart. The catheter may be inserted into either arteries or veins, depending on the information needed, in either an arm or leg. A contrast medium (commonly called "dye") is injected through the catheter to determine whether narrowing or blockages are present in the coronary (heart) arteries, and to measure precisely how well the heart valves and heart muscle function. Several specialized procedures may be performed, each tailored to the patient’s special needs.

Why is this procedure necessary?

While stress tests, electrocardiograms (EKG), echocardiograms, and physical examinations provide considerable information on heart muscle function and the status of the valves and surrounding tissue, these procedures do not yield all the answers. Cardiac catheterization allows the specialist to see an outline of the coronary arteries and more precisely determine the extent of blockages in these vessels.All of the above procedures are used together to obtain as much information as possible so that an accurate diagnosis can be made and proper treatment provided."

So I will see you on the other side of the procedure.
Jimmy B.

2/08/2007 Can't Sleep

I am having trouble sleeping due to all that has transpired over the last 24 hours. And I can't seem to get rid of my headache.

Let see what tomarrow brings.
Keep in touch.
Jimmy B.

2/7/2007 Three strikes and your out!!!!

Well, I missed my last three doses. It is due to the elevated enzymes.The cardiologist wants to do heart catherization to see if the is any damage from the intial dose of IL2. I will be having the procedure tomarrow morning. I will keep you informed. I might be going home earlier than expected.

Take care

Jimmy B.

2/7/2007 update

Had an echo cardiogram this morning. Waiting for the doctors to make a decision if it is a go or no go. I don't want damage my ticker.

I hate waiting!!!!!!!!!

jimmy B.

2/7/2007 Minor Setback!!!

I was unable to take my second and third dose due to some complications. My second dose was called off due to high blood pressure. And the third was also called off due to high enzymes level for the heart. If the enzyme level is above normal, it could be a sign that we are putting too much stress on the heart.
One more strike and I am out. I will be see a cardiologist this morning.

Take care

Jimmy B.

2/6/2007 Got the first dose!!!! ( Interlukin-2)

I got the first dose at 4:30 pm. My blood pressure is running high so I don't know if I will be receiving the next round. Time will tell.

Jimmy B.

2/06/2007 The PICC Line is in Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This time the PICC line only took two tries and 45 minutes. The doctor that put in the PICC line recommended that they leave it in after this cycle of threapy. They are running out of good veins to use. The previous veins have thrombosis.(clotted)
I am now waiting for my first dose of the 4th cycle. I should receive it around 3:30 pm today.

P.S. I will keep you posted

2/6/2007 The trip continued!!

We watched the weather channel and decide to take a chance of Dee driving back our normal route along the lakes. We also checked the NYS Thruway and the was no closings posted on the web.
So Dee left about 2:00 pm and arrive in Rochester at about 7:00pmThe roads were OK except for a small stretch from Erie to the NY state line.
So now it is about 7:45 am and I am ready to go to the Hillman Center to get my blood drawn and to get my marching orders. I believe the PICC line is scheduled to be put in at noon. Also I need to check out of the Family House by noon also.
P.S. I also met a very nice women (Donna Ridgeway) at the house. Her husband has Melenoma. But I will have to save that story for another time.
I also missed Mary Coyne. She was off Monday Night.
That is it for now.

Jimmy B.

2/6/2007 We made it to Pittsburgh!!!!

We left Rochester at 6:30 am for Pittsburgh. We decided to take a new route because of the Lake effect snow in Buffalo and Erie Pa. So we jumped on 390 south to Dansville exit 4. There was blowing and drifting snow across the highway. I had to keep my speed in check.We then took route 36 south to route 17 (interstate 86). We headed towards Jamestown. It was about an hour and a half into the trip when Dee got a phone call on her cell phone. It was our son Chris. We had forgot to leave the keys to the car so he could drive to school. We thought about turning around but decided to keep going. We told Chris to stay home and take the day off. Half of the schools in Rochester were off anyway due to the very cold weather.
So we continued to exit 23 to 219 south through the mountains near Alleganey National Forrest. The roads were quite clear. We then took intersate 80 west for approximately 20 mile to exit 78. we then tookroute 28 all the to Pittsburgh. The whole trip took about 6 hours. An hour longer than our usually route.
We ate lunch and checked in.

Dee decide to make the trip back to Rochester.

To be continued

Jimmy B.