Seasons Greetings to Our Family and Friends,

From our home to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas! Keeping you up to date, here's the next installment in the Dennis Family blog.

Myron is currently undergoing sessions in his third attempt at chemotherapy. He has had two sessions of it to date, and so far it seems to be going quite well. This chemo is one that is normally given once every three weeks, but Myron's doctor felt that he might tolerate it better if it was divided into smaller doses, so we go once a week (every Monday) for his treatments. There have been no major side effects to date and Myron is feeling quite well. We are hoping that the doctors have finally managed to get the correct level of painkillers established for him so that he no longer suffers the constant pain he was enduring. This past week or so has been much more comfortable for Myron, so we remain hopeful. Of course, Myron still tires very easily, so we must plan our day's activities accordingly so that he doesn't become completely exhausted. But, Myron being the man he is, we have accomplished a lot in these past few weeks. The house is decorated for Christmas - both inside and out, most of our Christmas shopping is complete, and most of that is already wrapped.

Myron standing in front of our house

Myron's brother Junior and his other half Bernie were up from Newfoundland last week and they came to visit with us. While here, Bernie made some homemade bread for us, so Myron has been in seventh heaven.

A visit with Junior and Bernie

We have been keeping busy both inside and outside of the home. We attend Mass at St. Justin's most Sundays, we still bowl on Monday evenings, and we have had dinner with friends, both at their homes and at ours. We held our third progressive euchre of the fall here a couple of weeks ago. Last Friday evening we participated in our neighbourhood's annual "Lighting of the Lights", our home being one of the stops in the evening's fun and fellowship.

 Enjoying our annual treat of "Moose Milk" outside Derrick & Miriam's home

 

Last Saturday evening we attended a Christmas party at the home of our friends, Reuben and Mary, and this coming Saturday evening we plan to attend the Elgie Bus Lines annual Christmas party, and from there go to another Christmas party at the home of our friends Chris and Gina. This upcoming Friday evening, our friend Derrick has tickets to the London Knight's hockey game, and Myron, Chris, and our friend Tony are attending the game with Derrick. This past Sunday, the Sanderson family came to London and we had a visit here and then we went out for lunch at Crabby Joe's.

 



The Sandersons out for lunch at Crabby Joes

 

As you can see, life in the Dennis household remains busy. In addition to those activities we have already mentioned, there are of course Myron's myriad of medical appointments, the annual Christmas baking, and our daily chores of meal preparation, housework and the never-ending laundry. As we have stated previously, we are trying to live our lives as normally as possible within the constraints of Myron's illness. We basically are living a day at a time, trying to live life as fully as possible. We set mini targets for ourselves, giving us something in the near future to look forward to and aim toward. Right now, we are joyfully anticipating Christmas, looking forward to spending it with our children and their families. We pray daily that Myron's health will remain good, and that we will reach each mini target we have set for ourselves.

 

That's about all the news for now. We'll attempt to get one more posting of this blog published and out to you shortly before Christmas. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Love to you all.

 

Myron and Wendy

 

 







Greetings Family and Friends,

Time for another update. Myron continues to suffer with constant pain, but on our visit to the oncologist this afternoon she increased the dosage of his painkillers by 50%, with the option of increasing it even further in another three days if that dosage isn't working. So, we are really hoping that he will be feeling much better very soon. If the pain is under control, then his quality of life will markedly improve. So please keep your fingers crossed for us that this will work. Myron is still losing weight, but his appetite has increased remarkably since he started taking the steroids, so hopefully his weight loss will also be under control shortly. We met with the dietitian today to discuss what Myron should be eating to prevent further weight loss, and it looks like we've been feeding him the right things all along, so that is good news. We just need to make sure he eats more frequently than his three square meals per day. Myron's new chemotherapy treatments will begin on Monday of next week. Normally this chemo is given once every three weeks, but the doctor has decided to give it to Myron in smaller dosages once a week in hope that it will not be so hard on him.

Otherwise, our life continues as normally as possible. Our kids and grandkids stop by to visit with us on a regular basis. We took the train up to Toronto last weekend and went out to a Toronto/Detroit hockey game with Barb & Keith. We went out for dinner, spent the night in Toronto and then took the train back to London the next day. We both had a wonderful time and it was so great to have a change from our daily routine. Many thanks to all those who helped to make this mini vacation possible for us. Myron was absolutely worn out on Monday, but his pleasure in the trip made it all worthwhile.

 Out to dinner before the hockey game

 In front of the Royal York Hotel where we spent the night

Myron and Keith at their seats in the ACC prior to the game

 

We have been busy around the house, and for the first time ever, we have our Christmas tree and Christmas decorations up in November. Even the outside lights are up, Myron put up some of them himself, and Steven (the son of some neighbours) did the rest of them for us. A large part of the Christmas baking is done, and now we have to get going on our Christmas shopping.

Myron at work, putting up the outdoor Christmas lights - You can't keep a good man down!

 

Busy times are the order of the day for the next few weeks. On top of our regular events such as bowling, attending Mass, grocery shopping, chemotherapy and doctor's appointments, we have another progressive euchre here this coming Saturday. The next weekend we have the annual "Lighting of the Lights" taking place on our street on the Friday, and then a Christmas party at the home of some friends on the Saturday, and the Sanderson siblings and their spouses are going to meet for a Christmas lunch out on the Sunday. The following weekend we also have two Christmas parties to attend. Myron's brother Junior (from Newfoundland) is planning to visit us this coming week, and his brother Phonsie (from Yellowknife NWT) is hoping to come down for a visit some time in December. And of course, we are hoping to have all our kids and grandkids here for dinner on Christmas day. I think that's about it for now, I'm tired and cannot think straight to write any more. Thanks again for all your support and prayers for us. I'll write again soon - in the near future.

 

love,

Myron & Wendy



Greetings from our home to yours,

I apologise for the delay in sending out this post since the news we received from the doctor last week was not good, but we believe that any news either good or bad must be shared with our children and their families before we talk to anyone else. What with work shifts and all, it took until today until we could talk with them all, and they deserve to hear the news first-hand. We couldn't take a chance that they would hear something passed on inadvertently before they heard it from us.

We were informed last week that Myron's chemotherapy is not working and that his tumors are growing/spreading. Apparently, once a chemotherapy stops working, it becomes useless and will not work again. In the beginning they started with the big guns, giving him the most potent of chemos for pancreatic cancer. It worked for a while and his tumors shrunk somewhat, and then it held its ground for a while maintaining the status quo, but eventually it reached the point where it was no longer helping him. When we returned from Newfoundland Myron was put on the chemo of second choice. After two cycles of treatment with this, it has been determined that unfortunately it was of no benefit to him and his tumors are still growing. The doctor then gave us a choice as to whether or not we want to try the third possible chemotherapy drug. We have decided that we will give it a try, any hope is better than no hope. Myron will commence treatments with this drug within the next couple of weeks. While the picture is nowhere near as rosy as we would like it to be, we're not throwing in the towel. We will continue to battle this dreadful disease as long as we possibly can. Considering the diagnosis we received last January, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Myron continues to suffer a lot of pain, and the doctors are still working to determine the correct dosages and types of drugs to make him feel better and relieve his pain. He has good days and bad days, but unfortunately, lately the bad days seem to outnumber the good ones. But we keep on fighting, praying and hoping for the best. Myron is one incredible man! That is all I can say. We are still trying to live as positively as possible, and to live our lives as normal as we possibly can under the circumstances.

Myron at University Hospital, drinking the vile fluid preparatory to his CTscan

 

At the Cancer Clinic, waiting to be called in to see the doctor

On the home front, our day to day life goes on with as much as Myron can handle on any given day.
Between doctor's appointment and medical tests, we still keep busy whenever Myron is able. Myron spent a couple of good days last week puttering in his beloved garage, and one day we took a load of metal out to the scrapyard. Our granddaughters Rachael and Maggie came over on Saturday of last week and spent the morning decorating Christmas cookies for us.

On Thursday, our granddaughter Sadie came over and cooked dinner for us.

 

And on Friday we went out with some friends to a fish fry at Sacred Heart Church in Delaware (ON).

 

 

On Saturday, my sister Pat and her daughter (and our niece) Vicki came down for a visit.

 

We continue to bowl in our Monday night League, and Myron is greatly anticipating our night in Toronto at the Maple Leaf/Red Wings game this coming Saturday. We are taking the train to Toronto on Saturday morning, going out to dinner with my sister Barbie and her husband Keith, and then to the game. We will overnight at the Royal York, and take the train back to London on Sunday. Our friend Karen has kindly offered to take us to and from the London train station. Please keep Myron's health in your prayers, that he feels well enough that we can participate in our weekend away. As I have mentioned so many times, we are so blessed to have such giving friends as we do. Just this evening, Lise, another neighbour dropped by with a lovely fruit salad and some fresh, hot from the oven, muffins for us. The kindness and spirit of giving amongst our family, friends and neighbours is nothing less than overwhelming. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you one and all!

 

I guess that's about it for now. I so much wish we had better news to share with you, but we're hanging in there, doing all we can. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and remember, Myron still loves to hear from and see you all.

 

love, Myron & Wendy

 

 

Hello again to all our family and friends,

The last couple of weeks have been difficult for Myron. All of his pains (abdominal, back, and chest)continue at varying times throughout the day, but there is rarely a time when he isn't in some kind of pain. While he does his best to hide it, it is starting to wear on him. He is on pain medication, and we return to see the doctor at the pain clinic tomorrow. We are hoping that the doctor will up the dosage of his pain meds, to make his life more comfortable for him. I am fairly certain that the back pain is caused by the cancer, the abdominal pain is probably caused by a combination of the cancer and his bowel issues, and the chest pain, we are still unsure about. I tend to think that the stent they inserted into his bile duct last February is becoming blocked again (as Myron says the pain is identical to the pain he had at that time), but the doctors remain uncertain of that since he isn't jaundiced. Just as an FYI, he was not jaundiced last January or February either, just in great pain. In the past couple of weeks Myron has made a couple visits in Emergency, first with the bladder infection (which we think is now cleared up), and secondly with chest pains. They check him out and send him home, but we still don't know the cause of the pain. All we do know for sure is that it is not caused by his heart - his heart is healthy. Myron continues to be very tired, both physically fatigued and sleepy, and all told he is probably only awake about 6 hours out of each 24 hour day. This total exhaustion is caused by a combination of both the cancer and side effects to his chemo. He completed his second round of his new chemo on Tuesday of this week. The chemo nurses are very good, and they listen and respond well when we tell them how Myron is feeling and notify his oncologist accordingly. He has had 2 x-rays in the last couple weeks and we are awaiting a phone call to let us know when he is to go in for another CTscan. The hope is that this scan will help to determine the cause of his chest pains. His appetite continues to be poor, but he is still eating the meals I prepare for him, so that is good. I am currently cooking a roast of beef for him as that is what he wants to eat today. Even though it feels wrong on a Thursday as we have traditionally had our roasts on Sunday, I will do whatever is necessary to tempt his appetite and keep him eating. Unfortunately, he is eating much less than he used to eat, so he is losing weight. This weight loss is most noticeable in his arms, legs, and face. We have an appointment with his haematologist on the 14th, and we are hoping that he will decrease the dosage of Myron's blood thinners since he is bleeding so easily these days. We are thinking perhaps the dosage is too much for him now that he has lost weight, and his blood clots are under control (at least we think they are).

Left to Right: Myron at chemo, Sitting in the family room watching the hockey game with the heating pad on his aching back, Out grocery shopping.

 

Because of both the mega doses of blood thinners Myron is on, and the side effects of his chemotherapy, Myron is frequently cold and shivering. As a result, the quilt his sister Betty made for him is frequently put to use, and Myron cuddles beneath it while watching television. Thanks so much Betty, you have no idea how much this quilt is both used and appreciated. Unfortunately, he also turns the furnace up high (78-79 degrees F) to get warmer and I am in dire danger of melting away like the Wicked Witch of the West. A small price to pay if it keeps Myron feeling better, but I honestly feel like I am living in a sauna.



Myron cuddling in his quilt while visiting with our friend and neighbour, Derrick.

On the home front, we still try to keep as busy as possible when Myron feels up to it. We are still going to our bowling league, running errands to pick up things we need, groceries, and Myron's never-ending medications. We still welcome people to come and visit, Myron does enjoy the conversations and it distracts him somewhat from his problems. Our niece Joy was by for a visit yesterday evening, Sadie and Maggie came over for a visit and dinner yesterday after school. We also played a few games of Sequence with them. Lissy stopped by with her Dad (Chris) one night this week to pick up their November cookies. The entire family (minus Sadie who couldn't make it) gathered on Sunday and we went to Mitches Park to get family photos taken. Our friend Heather drove down from Goderich to take the pictures for us. Thanks so much, Heather. We have had many other visitors too, and Myron enjoys the company of each and every one of them.

 This is my favourite of all the photos so far, our two kids with their Dad!

 The Whole Lot of Us (less Sadie)

Sadie with her Grandpa (taken yesterday in our yard)

While I spend most of my time with Myron, I do try to get out once in a while to give myself a bit of a break, to renew my energy so I can continue to care for my darling Myron. Naturally I go to the library every few weeks to get my books to read (I somehow cannot imagine life without books and reading). I went out for breakfast on Monday this week with my friends Karen and Dianne. I am hoping to go out to dinner to celebrate another friend Diane's birthday on Tuesday of next week, and my friend Sue is coming down to London to join me for lunch in the next week or so too. I think that is about all the news for now. Please keep in touch, give Myron a call or stop in for a visit. You'll make his day! Thanks again for all your love, support, and prayers. We'll keep in touch.

 

love, Myron and Wendy



Greetings from the Dennis household,

This blog is becoming progressively more difficult to write as Myron has been feeling so poorly these past couple of weeks. We hate to report bad news, but at the same time, we did promise to keep you all informed by means of this blog.

When we last wrote Myron had just completed his second treatment of the first round of this chemotherapy session. With each round being one session per week for two weeks, followed by one week off (the week off being this week), we are set to begin round 2 on Tuesday of next week. We were at the oncologist yesterday and had his blood work done, so as long as his blood count is still good, we're off to chemotherapy again next week. (the doctor will call us if the chemo is to be cancelled.) We had a scare on Thursday of last week when Myron was suffering excruciating pain and we ended up taking him to Emergency. It was discovered at that time, that on top of everything else), he also had a bladder infection. He is currently on antibiotics to cure that infection, but it seems to be just one thing after another. The doctors still haven't been able to get Myron on a painkiller in the correct dosage that will relieve his constant pain. We went to see a pain specialist in the Palliative Care Department on Wednesday, and she has prescribed a time-released painkiller, with additional supplements for him to take if needed, but life being as it can be sometimes, the pharmacy was out of that medication, so we had to wait until yesterday afternoon before we could get it. He started taking it last night, but so far with no relief. I don't believe that he slept at all last night because of the pain. The medication seemed to ease the back pains, but the abdominal pains are persistent. Myron was also been totally fatigued these past couple of weeks, and it is yet to be determined if this is caused by the cancer or is a side effect of the chemotherapy. Whatever the cause, Myron spends quite a bit of time napping on the couch, he just cannot seem to stay awake.

Myron napping on the living room couch

 



Myron's appetite continues to decline and he has no desire to eat whatsoever. He is forcing himself to do so, and his body is therefore getting some nourishment, but the amounts have greatly decreased from his normal eating habit and he is losing weight. On the bright side, on both Wednesday and yesterday of this week, he did have a few relatively pain-free hours and we managed to get out to the park for a few hours of enjoyment of our Indian Summer weather.

 On the trails at the Westminster Ponds

A walk in Mitches Park

 

We are planning to have some family photos taken on Sunday, November 2nd, so we have been checking out possible photo locations. Myron continues to look good and he is still the same Myron, doing his best to be upbeat, but this damn illness is wearing on him. It seems as if the solution to one health problem simply causes another health issue somewhere else. All of the pain medications cause constipation which continues to an issue for him.

 

Otherwise, we try to continue our daily lives as normally as possible in between medical appointments and treatments. As I mentioned in the previous posting, the kitchen renovations are now complete, and the painting of the kitchen and hall was done last Saturday. I (Wendy) am currently dedicating time each day to scrubbing the grout work between the ceramic tiles on the kitchen and hall floor. A much needed chore (to make the five year old floor match the new kitchen), but a tedious task at best. We held another progressive euchre here last Saturday evening and we had 16 people in attendance, but I think it tired Myron much more than it has previously. We continue to attend our Monday evening bowling league.

At our Monday night bowling league

We still greatly look forward to phone calls and visits from our children, our grandchildren, other family and our friends. On days when we are feeling tired and discouraged, a visit or a phone call from someone will brighten up our day. It is currently 7:30 am and we are waiting for the visiting nurse to arrive for the weekly cleaning of Myron's PICC line. That's about it for now. We'll keep in contact. Please remember Myron in your prayers, and thank you for your continued love and support.

 

love,

Myron and Wendy

Greetings from Chancton Crescent,

It's been 10 days so we last wrote, so we thought we should keep you updated. First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, with all of the family in attendance, along with our great-nephew Alex Mink. A good time was had by all, and we enjoyed a turkey and ham dinner. As a special treat, Maggie made and brought home-made pretzels, and Sadie made and brought a homemade pumpkin pie. Below is a photo of us all around the table prior to Thanksgiving dinner. This photo is special indeed, as originally there were two photos, one taken by Wendy with Myron in it, and one taken by Myron with Wendy in it. Rachael used photoshop and added Wendy (from the 2nd pic taken) to the first photo, so we have us all together.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2014

 

On Sunday of last week we paid a final visit of the season to the trailer and cleaned out the gardens, the fridge and freezer, stripped the bed, turned off the power, etc. readying the trailer for winter. Adios until next spring, Lakewood Campground! Myron's sister Phyllis and her husband Mattie stopped in for a visit last week before they head to Florida for the winter. We also had a visit from our friend Anthony which was a great surprise, as we haven't seen him in quite some time. Myron so loves to have people in for a visit.

 



Ready for winter!

 

The kitchen renovations are now complete with the exception of a new coat of paint which will happen next weekend. We purchased the paint today, so it all systems go when our neighbour Medou is available to paint it for us. We are loving it, but still adjusting to the high tap which we manage to spray everywhere whenever we use it. I expect we will adjust to it eventually. Many thanks to our friend and neighbour Chris Cain for the many hours work he put into helping us with the kitchen.

 





Our new kitchen!

 

On the health front the news is not so good. Myron has had a rough couple of weeks. He had his first chemo treatment with the new chemo on Monday of last week and he had the second treatment today. While the treatment is much shorter and easier for him, it has made him incredibly tired and he slept for a good part of last week. He is so fatigued that he has a hard time keeping his eyes open. He is still experiencing frequent pain, and we're not sure yet if the new pain medication he has is working or not. The doctor asked him to take this medication only so she can determine whether or not it is effective, but unfortunately she did not prescribe enough to last until Myron's next appointment. So Myron was rationing them to make them last, which didn't relieve his pain as it should. We called the Cancer Clinic to get the prescription renewed, but the Thanksgiving holiday interrupted business and we didn't get the renewal. We managed to get him into the after hours clinic at his family doctor on Saturday, and the doctor gave him a renewal, but it still wasn't enough to take in the recommended dosage. Today at his chemo treatment we told the nurse our problem, and she got the doctor to give us another prescription for two weeks worth, so now we have enough medication to take as recommended until his next oncologist appointment on Thursday of next week. Hopefully now that he doesn't have to ration it, it will work and relieve the abdominal and back pains that Myron has been suffering. Myron's appetite has decreased considerably, but he is doing his best to make certain he eats enough to get the nourishment his body needs.

 

Otherwise, our lives continue on as usual. We are still bowling on Monday evenings, we are planning to hold a progressive euchre here next Saturday evening, we have booked a friend to take family photographs on November 2nd, and we (especially Myron) are looking forward to going to Toronto to see a Toronto Maple Leaf/Detroit Red Wing game on November 22nd, with my sister Barb and her husband Keith. Guess which team Myron will be cheering for. That's all the news for now. We'll keep in touch. Thanks for all your support, and please keep up those prayers for Myron.

 

love,

Myron and Wendy

Greetings once again!

It's been a while since we last posted, but we have been waiting to see Myron's oncologist and find out what is happening, so we at least had some news to pass on to the rest of you. It has been a busy couple of weeks, what with medical tests and appointments, our regular activies such as bowling, shopping, housework and laundry ... and kitchen renovations.

We went to see Myron's oncologist on Thursday, and the bad/sad news is that his tumours have grown somewhat over the summer. Exactly how much we have no idea as the doctor didn't tell us, but we suppose it is to be expected since it has been over 3 months since Myron last had chemotherapy. The good news is that his chemo begins again on Monday next week (two days from now). They are trying a different kind of chemotherapy this time, and instead of his going for chemo one day (all day) every second week, he will be going on a schedule of one day a week for 2 weeks, and then a week off, repeating this cycle. And the treatment is only about a half hour so we will not be spending all day there - hopefully only an hour or two. He also doesn't need to come home with the pump attached to him for 2 days following each session. The doctor assures us that side effects are much more minimal with this type of chemotherapy, so let's hope it works to shrink the tumours and that Myron feels better also.

The doctor is trying a new type of pain medication so we are hoping that Myron's chest/abdominal pains will go away - or at least lessen. The biggest problem is that all of these painkillers cause constipation which furthers the pain, so they are working to get the correct combination that works for Myron. Myron is still feeling very tired, but part of that we have been assured is his adjustment to the pain medications. In addition, as you all know, Myron is a very hardworking man. He just doesn't give up. And while I (Wendy) worry about him and try to prevent his overdoing things, I do realize that Myron must live his life as he sees fit, and he does assure me that he feels less pain when he is working because he is not thinking about it. Myron, however, sadly must give up his riding/supervising on his bus route for the time being as it is just too risky for him to be exposed to kids and their multiple viruses while he is undergoing chemotherapy which lowers his white blood count and his resistance to infections. He's going to miss those kids for sure.

Myron hard at work. Top: Kitchen renovations with our neighbour Chris. Bottom: Helping Chris install a new storm door at his home.

We remain busy with many activities, but kitchen renovations have been in the forefront in the past few weeks. We are still awaiting the drawer fronts for the cabinet between the stove and fridge, and we are waiting for one more stool for the breakfast bar to come in, and we need to get the mirror over the sink downsized and put back into place.We also intend to repaint the kitchen and hall (the same green colour which I love), but things are nearing completion and it is exciting for us. The new kitchen gives the house an entire new look and we are so happy with it.

Top: Myron eating breakfast at the new breakfast bar. Bottom: The kitchen as it looks this morning.

Tomorrow we are planning to drive up to the trailer and clean it out for the winter, as in emptying the fridge and freezer, stripping the bed, cleaning out the flower beds, turning off the electricity, etc. We may still go up for part of Thanksgiving weekend, weather permitting, but we want to get things taken care of this weekend just in case Myron's new chemo tires him as the last chemo did, and he is unable to drive up there next weekend (which is the final weekend of the camping season). We are also planning to have the kids and grandkids over here on the Monday of that weekend for a Thanksgiving dinner. Yesterday I (Wendy) had a great surprise. When Myron came home from work, he brought with him a bouquet of roses for me, "just because", as a thank you for all I do for him. I just love them - yellow roses with baby's breath, the same as I carried in my bouquet on our wedding day. Myron is one sweet man, I cannot thank him enough!

My beautiful roses!

 

I think that's about all the news for now. I will try to get back to you sometime next week following Myron's chemotherapy treatment, and let you know how he is doing. Feel free to drop by for a visit some time, or give us a call. Myron loves to hear from and visit with everyone, and it does help to keep his spirits up. Thanks for all your support and prayers. Please keep it up.

 

love,

Myron and Wendy