A bump in the road….

With all this good news we are sad to say Travis experienced another seizure last night

He is tapering off of the Decadron (steroids) and last night was the first night he did not take a p.m. dose...and his body and brain did not like that very much!

We are advised to try again a little slower now and also up his Keppra (anti-seizure medication) to try to prevent this from happening again.  This is just a MINOR set back but Travis (understandably) is devastated (not only about the seizure but the not driving for 3 months

I did call 911 (and it took like 6-7 rings for them to answer WTF) again but did not let them take him to the hospital as I figured (beings how I am so medically minded) that is was the steroid taper that caused it and he would be fine   The boys were sound asleep in bed and did not see or hear anything

Thanks again for all of your support!  We will try this taper thing again with better results to be reported

Have a great weekend!!!

Done.

I'm officially done with radiation In all honesty it seems so surreal; like the more things change, the more they stay the same (moe. anyone?). Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked that I'm done...but the reality is I still have a long road ahead of me and this is just a stop along the way, albeit an important one...

Celebrated the milestone at IHOP (I know...FANCY)  and met most of the family there. I have a confession...I thought this would be a nightmare!! You see....first time restaurant-goers for the twins. But they were so good...and they ate VERY well (very picky!)! Timmers had at least 4 good sized pancakes with syrup; B had 3 and a half pancakes and 3 pieces of bacon! It was comforting for me to be with those I care about most; your support through this has given me strength and I hope you know how much it means to me.

Funny story about Tim...the kids were off running around outside on the sidewalk when Tim stops, and points to a sweeeeet Dodge Viper and said, "I want to ride in that!" Hilarious

On the afternoon of May 12th, I will have my first three month check-up with Dr. Aizenberg and The Team; but first in the morning (gotta get my Zio's for lunch ) I will have a moment of truth, the first MRI since they wheeled me into the tube the evening after my surgery. It will serve as a baseline for how my brain looks now. Keep your fingers crossed... I will continue to go to Omaha every three months for an MRI and a check-up for the next 2-3 yrs.

My brother-in-law asked me tonight "what's next?"...appears that is the million dollar question as I have no solid answer. So I guess that's the next step...figuring out my next step. I have been so focused on the here and now I haven't allowed much thought for the future. Fatigue caused by the radiation will continue, probably through sometime next week before I notice any change; that + the steroids = still no sleep. They are aggressively tapering me off the steroids and I am SO thankful for that. I can't tell a difference so far with how I feel, but I'm hoping that as I get down to 1mg a day and then I'm done with steroids on Monday that my health will quickly return.

Oh yeah....to top it off...I have walking pneumonia (just means it was caught early). Got a real nice 'hack' that fits right in well with all the other side effects I've encountered.

Oh well....it is what it is, right? Another obstacle down, and time to rest and get healthy before I tackle the next one.

I hope you all are well....TB

Thirty down, three to go…

Hi All

I hope you are or will get to enjoy this Friday afternoon...it's beautiful!

It's hard to believe I started radiation six weeks ago...it's all kind of a blur. I will officially be done this coming Wednesday. They have already started tapering me off the decadron (steroid that's the root of my misery and which you can't quit cold turkey). They are being aggressive with the taper, which I truly appreciate, and it looks like if all goes well I should be off the decadron in 10 days.

I finally got the green light to start driving...it's amazing what we take for granted. I didn't realize the independence lost until I was relying on someone everyday for a ride.  Nonetheless, I have my keys back and I couldn't be happier

I'm looking forward to the party on MAY 15th at Barry's Bar & Grill! Should be a GREAT time! And if you have a Team Travis shirt, wear it or a shade of gray to promote brain cancer.

Guess that's all for now...be well and happy...TB

Travapalooza….

First and foremost I must announce Travis got the okay to DRIVE today!!! YAY! YAY and YAY!!!  We went up to Omaha today to see a Neurologist and he agreed that everything was going well and that Travis being seizure free for 3 months is all he needed to give the 'go-ahead'....So.....he had the wheel on the way home!!!  Such independence (not only for him but for us Taxi drivers as-well)

Onto even more fun things......Please don't forget Travapalooza (a.k.a "Cancer can Lick My Taint party) at Barry's Bar & Grill in downtown Lincoln...May 15th 7-close...This party is to not only CeLeBrAtE the end of Travis's treatments but also to THANK all of our FRIENDS and FAMILY for your compassion and support!

I also must give a shout-out to all of the employees (a.k.a friends and family) at Kenexa, Complete Children's Health, Advanced Chiropractic, Dr. Richard Thompson's Office, Wittmania Marketing....oh and not to forget those awesome ladies from Birthday Group!

Thanks once again to you all,

Hugs....Karla

Half way there…

Hi All...

I hope this finds you well. Did you get outside today (for you NE peeps)? It's pretty special what some sunshine can do...that and the energy spent outside by my twins They LOVE it that the 'sun came back'!

I'm just past half-way with my radiation treatments; 17 down, 16 to go. I have to admit it feels really good knowing I'm on the downhill with this thing...but it's really starting to take it's toll on me. I started losing my hair last week and it's pretty noticeable. You can really tell where the radiation is entering/exiting my noggin. I still can't sleep for more than a couple hours at a time...and when I wake up, it's usually for good. Nothing like starting your day at 2 or 3 am Enough complaining....it could be so much WORSE.

Well...I'm exhausted and am going to sign off for the night. Reminder: MAY 15th, BARRY'S BAR & GRILL...more details to come via FB and travistuesday.com.

Until next time...be well and happy....TB

The good news keeps coming…

Today I am being discharged into out-patient therapy from the Day Rehab Program. I will see a speech therapist once or twice a week (I'm told there is homework), basically it's far less intense; and I have completely been discharged from occupational therapy. The things I need to work on I can do on my own...needless to say I'm pretty stoked.

I feel like my speech is improving every day, though Karla and my folks/family tell me they can barely, if at all, tell a difference. I think it has more to do with getting my confidence back than anything. I've come a long way, and I have long way to. But I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of tunnel. And that my friends, is a nice feeling

This past Friday afternoon I went into the office to pay a visit to my friends/co-workers...it was simply amazing to see everyone! The love and support I have received from them far exceeds anything I could have imagined...I am eternally grateful.

Radiation...it is what it is so far. Just had my ninth treatment this morning...but I think the fatigue factor and the steroids I'm on is affecting my sleep. I'm going to bed right after the boys (9ish...abnormal)...which is all fine and well because I feel so drained...but the steroids won't let me fall into a deep sleep (common side effect). I can't sleep for more than and hour or two at a time.

As mentioned by Karla in the previous post, please save the date May 15 and join us at Barry's Bar & Grill for celebration!! Plan on 7pm...more details to come.

Have a great day and be well...TB

SAVE THE DATE!!!!

There will be a grand CELEBRATION Saturday May 15th to honor not only Travis and his ending treatment but to Thank all of our friends and family for their tremendous support

So mark your calendars for MAY 15th 2010 party will be at Barry's Bar......details to follow!

P.S. for all of you whom have purchased Team Travis T-shirts there is a way to link photo's of you sporting your new duds on Travistuesday.com (hover over the t-shirt link and a drop down will appear)...if you can't figure that out just upload them to Facebook and 'tag' Travis in the photo and we will upload it to the Gallery here on Travistuesday   Can't wait to see all the creativity

((HUGS))- Karla

Next step starts tomorrow…

Right now I'm watching USA Hockey vs. canada...hopefully I won't get too distracted...

The next step for me, radiation, starts tomorrow at 11:15am at St E's. Tomorrow they have to get the proton thingy's set up, so it'll take 45-60 minutes. But from Tuesday on it will only take about 15 minutes. I will go five days a week for six weeks. It will be a localized radiation therapy, as opposed to total brain radiation therapy (lack of a better term), since she got it all This is a good thing...the side effects of a localized radiation are far more minimal than those of the total brain radiation. I pretty much am certain I'm going to be fatigued more so than usual. I may notice dry mouth and I will have to drink water or Gatorade all day. My taste also might get screwed up. On the bright side, I don't have to do chemo. It is what it is and I can handle it...but just the same six weeks can't get here soon enough.

Speech and occupational therapy are going very well. My speech is improving every day. I still get hung up occasionally trying to find a word, especially later in the day when I'm tired, but it's drastically better.  OT is also going well. My fine motor skills (typing) are still not up to par...but I have full movement and strength in my right hand. I'm confident I'll be back to my old self eventually

Check out the sweet shirts a few of my co-workers created. Click on the t-shirt link at the top of the page. Thanks to all who's had a hand in this!

Thanks again for all the kind words of support and love...it means a great deal to us to have so many wonderful people in our lives.

Be well...TB

And we thought his head couldn’t get any BIGGER…..

There is a NEW link on the Travistuesday site...TEAM TRAVIS T-Shirts!  Check it out!

New Chapter….

We met with the Radiation Oncologist  yesterday and it looks like Travis will be able to receive his treatments here in Lincoln

He is going to have a CT scan today at 1:00 to start the mapping process for radiation therapy.  Dr. Yiee is hoping to start treatment on Monday.  Travis will start another round of steroids (which they say has worse side-effects than the radiation alone)  on Sunday and have to take them the duration of radiation to prevent brain swelling.  They are estimating at this time his treatments will be Mon-Fri for 6 weeks.

Travis is improving at Out Patient Therapy at Madonna every day!  He will be tested again at the end of this week and I think he will go down to 2 or 3 days a week instead of 5!

Travis  has been helping out here at home a lot more.  We are currently trying to potty train the boys and it can be quite a challenge yet very humorous at the same time   I just hope we win this battle soon as-well

Thanks again for all of the encouraging words and continued support

Be Well,

Karla