Update ......as of Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

I have finished 12 of 34 radiation treatments, today is number 13. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

Had a big day yesterday. Dr. Morrison, my neurosurgeon, cleared me to drive locally around the neighborhood. He also pulled up my pre-op and post-op MRI scans and took the time to explain to Kandi and I what we were looking at. He used a tool on the computer screen to measure the tumor, and it measured 6 cm by 8 cm, which he said is similar to the size of a lemon.

I go back to Duke on Nov 8th, right after my last radiation treatment, so they can re-evaluate me and see how every looks. Please keep me in your prayers.

Tuesday, my radiation oncologist cut out my night time dose of steroids, which plays havoc on my sleep cycle, and I was waking every couple hours, with my mind racing. I am feeling the fatigue now from the radiation and the chemo. It shows up in the afternoons, usually requiring a 30 min power nap to offset.

Wednesday night was my first night of uninterrupted sleep. Felt good to sleep all night!

I continue to "power walk" every morning. God blesses me with the energy, and I don't want to waste it! I am up to 1.65 miles in 30 minutes. I haven't tried running yet, which I have been warned to avoid until after the radiation is done.

Kandi and I had a great time attending our class at the church last night. It is hosted by our pastor and his wife, and they are teaching us the secrets to a sucessful marriage. We did a personality profile, which outlines our strengths and weaknesses, and once we understands our spouses' strengths, they want us to concentrate on appreciating each others strengths, and thanking God for giving our spouse those particular strengths. It is a great tool, and had an immediate effect on our communication, now that we understand how each other operates. Focus on the strengths, and understand but don't criticize the weaknesses. Some people can't change the way the are, they are "hard-wired" that way, and once you understand it, and work around it,you can build a long lasting lifetime relationship.

Tomorrow is Friday, October 1st, and I will go back to my Chemo Oncologist, for the Duke trial drug, Avastin treatment number 2. While there, they will collect another urine and blood sample, to make sure that my body is holding up and as soon as I know the results, I will do another update.

In closing, I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers, and all I can ask is to continue praying. The "big man upstairs" is listening, and continues to surprise me every day with unrequested blessings. Remember, life is short. Make sure your loved ones know you love them. Put petty disagreements and arguements aside, and enjoy each other. And most of all, remember to thank God for what you have.

Update for Friday,September 17th

Update .... For Friday, September 17th....(sorry, I'm just getting around to posting this).

Friday was my first Duke trial drug Avastin dose administering, which had to be done intravenously at a chemo clinic with others suffering from Cancer. I'll admit, I was very nervous, but once I got there, they went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. I was already tired from my radiation treatment (4 of 34) which was only I hour prior to this.

Once I got to the clinic, they did the general examination, checking vitals, blood and urine samples (they have to start monitoring my protein levels in my urine to make sure my kidneys stay healthy..(Avastin can play havoc on certain internal organs). The IV bag had been refrigerated, and once it began circulating in my blood stream, I got cold and was provided a blanket. They had set me up in a recliner, so it was nothing to get cozy and comfortable and I even nodded off for a much needed power nap. After that, I drank a hot tea (caffeinated), which woke me right up and had me ready to take on the world. I finished the IV in about 1 and 1/2 hours, and was headed home. Next time, it will be shortened 30 minutes, and each time after that. Since there will only be approximately 4-5 doses, it will be over before I know it, I will finish it about the same time I finish radiation. This is when I start taking elevated doses of Chemo. Whoopee!

My rock, and soulmate Kandi sat beside me the entire time that I was hooked up to the IV. She is truly the greatest wife in the world. I believe that I draw my strength from her and God. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. She has really shown me what true, deep, unbiased love is all about. Some couples are so shallow, that when faced with a crisis of this magnitude, would have turned tail and ran for the hills. She is so committed to me that I can't help but shed a tear just thinking about it.

I continue to "self monitor" how I'm feeling, trying to pay attention to any weird symptoms from the Avastin, but so far, nothing seems different. I guess this is where we have to watch the blood tests, which is being done weekly. As long as I get plenty of sleep, my energy levels tend to improve every day, which I am taking advantage of by doing lots of walking.

I know that when I get down to # 20 or so radiation treatment of 34, that I will probably start feeling run down. As it stands right now, I have to take an anti-anxiety pill, which also helps with nausea against the Chemo drug, Temodar. Now that makes me drowsy, but a 15-20 power nap takes care of that.

Because this process is going as smooth as it is, I feel as though that I am comfortably cradled in God's arms, and I truly feel His Love for me everyday. I don't fail to pray and thank him multiple times in a day. Anyone troubled can experience this same love if you just open your heart to Him and allow it to happen.

Isaiah 41:10 (KJV)

"Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness"

Update for Tuesday , September 14th (part two)

Just finished radiation treatment number 1 of 34. My chemo drug Temodar showed up this morning, so I was able to take it in time before the treatment. I'll admit, I was very nervous and anxious before hand, but a small prayer to God asking for strength, followed by the statement that my life is in His hands to do with to do with me as he sees fit, and he decides everything outlined for me, and I will commit to not fighting him on what ever he decides for me, all I can ask just let me know what he wants me to do. I will do it to the best of my ability.

The treatment was fast and painless, though I do have some slight stomach cramping, but I blame this on nerves. And I am tired but I was up at 3:30 typing the first half of this update..Nothing a power nap won't cure. I treated my wife to lunch at her favorite,- Pop-eye's. While driving back home I got increasingly sleepy. Walking from the car to the house was a minor chore. I feel it know. It feels like all my muscles are suddenly heavier. This is good. It tells me the base line I'll be starting at. My determination will pull me through. I can handle this. I just be moving slower. But the fatigue will probably assist me in sleeping through the night. Which I haven't done since the surgery. Since coming home almost 5 weeks ago, I have been taking a steroid that keeps the swelling down in my head, assisting in protecting me from seizures. My appetite has been out of control. I am actually not hungry for a change. Thank goodness. The steroid has me up every two hours, as it is.

My house is being invaded tonight by ladies from the church, for which Kandi has been cooking all day, in preparations for.

So I am escaping and going to hang out with a buddy of mine at Chili's for some male bonding. My energy level feels similar to level I had about a week after the surgery. I just don't have the intense lower back pain that I suffered from after the surgery. I am thankful for this. That kept me off my feet for longer than I wanted.

Isaiah 41:10

"Fear thou not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea;I will uphold thee with the right hand of my rightteousness. "

Update for Monday, September 14th (part one)

Update......September 14th, 2010 (part 1)

I am typing this at 3:25 in the morning, because I can't sleep. My first radiation treatment is later today at 12:30. Yes, I am a little nervous and anxious at the same time. I did a "dry run" yesterday, Monday, which was basically a thorough scan of my head, and allows them to line up the machines correctly, so the radiation can treat exactly where intended. The scan will then be overlaid in the system on top of every other scan they have done and "synced" together, which keeps everything in perfect alignment. This "dry run" was actually quite nerve calming, because the treatment itself won't be much different. I did find that while lying on the table wearing the plastic face mask, with my eyes and mouth sealed shut and unable to move my head, I start to feel a little anxious, and that the best solution is to start praying. This allows a comforting calm to wash through my head and really makes me feel at ease. God is awesome! It's nice knowing He is there when no one else is

The ideal situation is for me is to take a dose of the chemo drug Temodar 1 hour before going, but we are still waiting on it to get delivered to my house. We originally planned on pushing the first treatment out to Wednesday, to wait on the medication, but Duke University stated that they did not want me to wait, and that I don't have to have a dose in me before starting, that I can take it after.

In my previous update, I mentioned that Duke was adding two drugs to my treatment. I failed to name the second drug. This drug, I think it is spelled Topetekan, and will not be given to me until the radiation is finished. Once the radiation is finished, I will continue with the chemo medication Temodar, but at a much higher dosage, and Topetekan will be added to this at that time. My medical (chemo) oncologist seemed impressed that Duke wants to go this route. He stated it was very aggressive, and should greatly improve our chances of defeating, or stopping additional re-growth of the tumor. The trial drug, Avastin, the expensive one being tested on me for the trial, will be delivered directly to my chemo oncologist, and they will call me and schedule me to come in and get hooked up to an IV, for administering. The first time is expected to take about 2 hours. It will eventually be shortened to 30 mins. This will be done once every 2 weeks. It is expected to be delivered before the end of this week, so I will probably have my first round near Friday. This is probably where I am going to experience the worst nausea and fatigue of the entire process. Thank God I have my wife and mom here. I don't know what I would do without them both. They have been true Saints throughout this ordeal, putting up with me, and my increased needs. Please include them in your prayers.

I got to see my MRI yesterday for the first time. It showed the before and after pics of the tumor. It was actually scary to see how big the tumor originally was. The "after" pic did show that my Neurosurgeon did a great job on the removal, which the doctors at Duke also commented on. I now understand why the scar on my head is so big.

I don't think I had much time left, the last few days before the surgery, and I have very little memory of those days. I had to have Kandi tell me what happened, so I could write it down in my journal to keep the facts straight. Crazy! Talk about catching it just in time! I will do another update after today's treatment. In the meantime, I want to thank everyone for their continued support and prayers. I can't express the love and appreciation in my heart for everything that everyone has done. I will be posting this on my blog later this morning and linking to it from Face book. If anyone wants to share it with others you have my full permission.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

"And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who will also do it. "

Update for Friday, September 10th

Update....Friday, September 10th, 2010

I had a great day at Duke University. They reviewed my MRI and stated that there was a sliver of regrowth, which tells them how aggressive the tumor is. They were happy that I came in today and not next week, because they want me to participate in a trial. I was hoping and praying that I would be selected. I will get two additional medicines in addition to the Temodar. One is Avastin (at $25,000 a dose, but free to me because of the trial). Avastin is not a chemo. It is more of an anti-body. The drug will actually "starve" the tumor of blood by destroying the blood vessels in it. The tumor is blood thirsty, and can't grow if it can't get blood. They told me that the timing is perfect because of the amount of time since my surgery inand the progress of the healing of my incision is . This drug could have actually caused my incision to re-open, but after they examined it, they determined it is safe to proceed. Unfortunately, this is not a pill, but an IV drip done once every two weeks. I am not working with Dr. Friedman directly, but instead I have a whole panel of doctors working on my case. The hospital was staffed with very caring doctors, with great bedside manners. The team leader is Dr. Desjardin. She was so easy to talk to, and made sure I fully understood every detail possible on how to fight brain cancer successfully. The goal is to get past the two year mark. They feel confident that once we get past this, our chances of prolonged survival with good quality of life will greatly increase. Originally, the trial was only funded for 50 people. It filled up and was closed. They just got additional funding and opened it up to accept 30 more people. Today was the last day anyone could get in. Talk about God working miracles. In addition, I volunteered to allow another study to have full access to my medical records, for which they will compile data to use to build a better database, helping to make advancements towards a cure in the future. (Like I would refuse...). I will be going back every 8 weeks for the next two years, so they can review a new MRI and run blood tests. If this trial doesn't slow the growth of the tumor, or if the drugs have an adverse affect on my health, then they will make changes to the treatment plan. The way they explained it to me, my local doctors are the drivers and Duke is the GPS. Once my initial radiation/chemo is done, I go on a cycle of elevated Chemo treatments, that will act as a one-two punch against the tumor, making sure it is completely beat down. The medication routine is very complicated, but I have a personal case manager who has put together a detailed log telling me exactly what to take, and when to take it. I was given a tote bag full of literature, to make sure I have every questioned answered, and every doctor on my team gave me phone numbers and email addresses to contact them, in case I have any questions. I got the impression that they are as excited about me participating in this trial as I am! Duke University Medical Center is a truly amazing place!

Update as of Thursday, September 9th

Update....Thursday, September 9th

I had a very busy week preparing for my trip to Duke. Dr. Friedman wanted a fresh MRI Scan brought with me. I had to get this done in Cumming (which is about an hour from my house) at Northside Forsyth Hospital (this is where my medical oncologist is located, and I guess he is responsible for these tests. I am still learning how every thing works). The MRI is then recorded onto a CD for Dr Friedman to review. Good thing is I didn't have to go back to pick it up. They had it ready in 15 minutes and I left with a copy. That was a blessing in itself. I need to take a second and give thanks to my Mom o has been wonderful during this whole process. She has picked up where Kandi had to leave off at, which allows Kandi to go back to work and get re-focused on her job and regain some of her sanity :-). Kandi works for a wonderful company. They have been so supportive and understanding, working with her and allowing her the time she needs to deal with me and my needs. I am now in Durham, North Carolina about three miles from the campus of Duke University at the Hilton, watching the Saints game in the hotel bar while eating dinner with my wonderful wife. I am so enjoying life right now. God is truly awesome! He is surrounding me with truly amazing, beautiful-natured people that are understanding and supportive. Before this mess, I was always suspicious of most people, worried about what they were thinking, and suspecting people of ulterior motives. Now that the tumor has been removed and I am beginning to recover, and God has been working hard in my heart, transforming me into a new person with wide open eyes, I see the world a lot differently now. Okay, back to the update. My appointment is at 10 am Friday morning at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke. It is supposed to be a two day evaluation, but after talking with them, they said it will be completed in 1 day, and I should be done about 3 pm. I don't know if we will drive back tomorrow or not. We may go half way, and stay somewhere overnight, because all the driving is on Kandi's shoulders. Please pray for her, she needs strength to handle my increased needs. They (the doctors) still won't let me drive, and if I did, and, God forbid, some thing happened, I would be in a world of trouble. I don't believe the risk is worth the benefit. I do feel mentally able now, but let's see how I feel after I start the radiation. I still haven't received my chemo drug Temodar yet. I called my oncologist and told me that they want to wait and see what Dr. Friedman is going to recommend. He may put me me in a trial and either change the drug or add to it. They have been communicating with each other about my case. (That was reassuring to find out).

I would like to share a text message my daughter sent me Thursday morning- quote - ..."we're going over topics and descriptions and such. And she put topics up there for us to discuss and one is who you consider your hero. And your the first thing that popped into my head. My hero. :) ..." - I immediately started crying like a baby. She is such a wonderful child, with a heart of gold. I love her so much. Please include her in your prayers. I have run out of steam and need to bring this to an end. As always, please make sure you stop and tell your loved ones how much you love and appreciate them. Don't assume they know. Remember that God will not put more on your shoulders than you can handle, and will help you carry your current burden, all you have to do is ask and believe in him. I have personally witnessed and my faith is super strong right now! I am not trying to preach, but share what I have experienced. I take everything to God. You can't ask to much. Please remember me in your prayers, and thanks to everyone that is currently praying for me. It is working! I love you guys!

Lamentations 3:4-5 "It is of Jehovah’s lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not, they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. "

Update for Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Update for Friday, September 3rd........I finally heard from Dr. Friedman's office at Duke University. They want me there next Friday, September 10th. I was scheduled to start radiation on the 8th, but they want to see me before I start. In addition, I have to get another MRI and bring the results to them. We will leave Thursday, and stay over night, as the appointment is for 10am the next morning. Because of this appointment, my official start date for Chemo and Radiation is the following Tuesday, September 14th. (Monday the 13th is a dress rehearsal, more of a dry run than anything. They want to practice first, to make sure they are dead on target.) Once evaluated by Duke, they will contact my local doctors, and instruct them as to how my treatments are to handled. Please continue to pray for me as the fight is just starting. With God, all things are possible! I appreciate all the prayers and love that my friends, family and Church have shown me already. It is really heart-warming. On a side note, I have a co-worker that had a heart attack, and is having complications. He needs prayer also. Please include him in your prayers. I plead with everyone to stop and realize how precious life is and make sure you have as much fun as possible. Tell you loved ones that you love them, don't just assume they know. It is a uplifting for your soul to hear the words "I love you". And last, but not least, turn all your troubles over to God. He can carry the burden much easier than you can. Just trust in him. He won't put more on you than you can handle. Just have faith!!!. I have personally witnessed this since my surgery. EVERYTHING that I have prayed for help with as been answered, in one form or another. If I am stressing over something, God will supernaturally give me an answer, either by putting a solution in my head, or in the form of advice from a trusted loved one. God is awesome. Let him help you. He loves you, and wants only the best for you. But you have to ask for help, not assume that he is going to read your mind, you must ask for help and have faith that he will help.

With Love,

Bill Patterson

Update as of Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Update as of Wednesday, September 1st.

I met with my medical oncologist today, who ordered my chemo drug, Temodar. This will be delivered directly to my house, and I was instructed to take it when I start radiation next Wednesday, Sept 8th.They also took a blood sample and will use it as a base line for comparing future blood tests against it. I will have to go to my radiation oncologist for a "dress rehearsal" on Tuesday, where they will put my specially made mask on me and they will do a very in-depth CAT Scan on me recording exactly where to shoot the radiation. I come back the next day for treatment 1 of 34. I start the chemo at the exact same time. The chemo drug will last for 42 days. I was prescribed two medicines for nausea to have on hand to take with the Temodar. I did ask about driving, and was told that my neurosurgeon has to approve this, and that the answer will most likely be "not yet". They think I trying to rush too much too soon. I am so ready to get back to living normally, but I understand that I have to rest to recover. My friends and family have given me so many books to read. I definitely have enough to occupy my time for awhile. God continues to bless me with energy to get out and about, which is great therapy for peace of mind, to mingle with the rest of the world, and experience life. Between now and the end of the year, Kandi and I have planned a lot of fun trips to help me make the most of enjoying life to its fullest. I am spending this weekend in St. Augustine, FL for some peaceful R&R, spending time by the pool, with no stress or worries.