Monday 12/21

Jon is finally in the air on his way home. We recieved good news today. His tumors are shrinking!! He is responding to the treatment, which is great. His liver function blood test came back high, so he did not get the hepatic pump therapy. The oncology team said this is commom with chemo going directly into the liver, and to not worry. We are glad that he is monitored so closely. He is to plan on going back in a month, when his liver function improves.

Sunday December 20th

We are hoping that Jon can get his flight out to New York today. New York has been getting tons of snow. He is due to have a PET scan and hepatic pump chemotherapy tommorrow. This is going to be a VERY SPECIAL christmas this year and we hope he can get in and out of NY in time. We believe this chemotherapy treatment is working and crossing our fingers the PET scan results come back with great news. Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

Campbell's 9 month photos

We received Campbell's photo slideshow today. The photographer did a fantastic job. To view slideshow go to www.sewellphotography.com/holmes. Enjoy!!

Saturday November 21st

Jon heads out to the "Big Apple" this week. He has had 2 rounds of systemic chemo in MPLS and is going to NY for his 2nd hepatic pump therapy. His tumor marker (CEA) has gone down to 1.1, which is great news! He is struggling with weight loss though, losing 5 lbs over the last 2 weeks. Jon has lost 20+ lbs since surgery. He has his horrible rash back from the chemotherapy, and hasn't been sleeping well at all. We continue to have fun through all of this and pray all will be OK. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

November 4th

Jon had systemic chemo for most of the day on monday. He hasn't slept well since then, but continues to keep up with family life and work. Campbell has now started clapping, giving "high fives" and doing "soooo big" with her arms. She will be 9 months tommorrow. Thank you for your love and support.

Tuesday October 27th

Jon is off to New York again today, traveling solo. He will be having a baseline PET scan, and meeting with his surgeon and oncologist. They are going to be starting the chemotherapy through his hepatic pump and putting a plan together for his systemic chemotherapy he will get in Minnesota. Most importantly, he needs to speak with the surgeon regarding when he can pick up and carry Campbell.

Home at Last!!!

We finally arrived home around 6pm tonight. It feels wonderful to be at home. After a long day, Jon is resting on the couch trying to control his pain. Jon has to go back to New York next thursday for scans and hepatic pump treatment. His systemic chemo will be done in Minnesota with the oncology teams in New York and Minnesota working together.

Monday

I am at the hotel and just called Jon's nurse. He went down around 12:00 for the hepatic pump study and isn't back yet. Last night was rough. He said that he was quite nausiated. He continues to have his pain managed with fentynl patches and pain pills. Will update you all when I get word.

Saturday - Pain Control

Just left the hospital. Today Jon is transitioning off IV narcotics to a fentynl patch and pills as needed. It has been a tough day for him. Jon is so strong, even though he is in a tremendous amount of pain healing from this surgery. He counted 40+ staples in his incisions. He has an L shaped incision where he has been cut open before, and then a new incision on his left lower quadrant, where the hepatic pump is placed. The hardest part of this whole situation is that he can't hold Campbell. She sat on the bed with him for awhile and did her alphabet cards, which he just LOVES to do with her. I am amazed at how many people know her name. I walk the halls with her and everyone says, "There's Campbell...Hi Campbell...Is this the baby everyone is talking about?...She is the most beautiful baby." She continues to bring smiles to everyone she sees. We will see how Jon does tonight with the new pain regimen. I will make sure we have a handle on the pain before he is discharged. They will do a check of his pump and evaluate the pain tommorrow, and if all is OK he can go. We have flight back on wednesday morning. We are going to need some help with Campbell when we get back, since Jon will not be able to hold or lift her for 4-6 wks. She is crawling all over and would love to play if you have the time and energy to spare.

Saturday 1pm

All continues to go well here out east. Jon now has a private room, which makes him much more at ease. He looks better, and is up walking around the halls...slowly but surely. The only new issue is heartburn, which they are giving him protonix for. The kids and I are getting used to public transportation. It is cool again today, but not raining. Thank you for all your love, support, and prayers! Love to you all!

Friday

Jon has had a good day. He got up walking last night and today. He even went down to the cafeteria with Blake, Campbell and I. He is still on a fentynl PCA, a continuos pain drip. Jon has been up in the chair today most of the time, because it is more comfortable than the bed. His "grumpy" roommate just left, but they are actually planning on moving Jon to a private room. The weather is in the 30's, so I have been inside all day. Campbell has done great the last couple days with all the waiting and has brought a smile to many faces we've seen.

4:15 update

Jon is finally being moved up to his room. His pain is better controlled, after resting awhile in recovery. Hopefully he can rest tonight. This will be the first time he is in a double room.

Post-op

Jon having some pain issues post-op. He is still in recovery getting pain controlled. When he is more comfortable he will go up to the floor.

DONE

Just spoke to surgeon. Pump is placed!!!! Jon is doing well in recovery. The doctor was most concerned about spots in abdomen. He looked all over and didn't see any evidence of disease, which was the biggest win for the day. He removed some lymph nodes, but didn't touch the spots in the liver. Dr. D'Angelica said that Jon's liver is encased in scar tissue, trying to get the spots now would be too risky. He can have the spots removed percutaneously later. I am sooooo greatly that all has worked out. The Holmes family is due for some good news :)

10am update

So far so good. The spots in his omentum are NOT cancerous!!!! The surgeon is now making his way up towards the lymph nodes by his liver, and hopefully remove them before putting in the pump.

Jon in OR

I just said good-bye to Jon at 7:45. They are going to take a laproscopic look around inside his abdomen before making a cut for the pump. He has some questionable spots in his omentum (abdominal wall area). We are very nervous, hoping everything looks OK and they can place the pump as planned. Keep the prayers coming!!

Campbell 2 months old

 

Baby Campbell

We are happy to anounce the arrival of Campbell Evelyn Holmes. She was born on February 5th, 7lbs 12 oz, 20.5 inches at 11:36am. She is an exciting addition to our family.

January 4, 2009

Happy New Year! The Holmes family is looking forward to great things happening in 2009. Jon has one more treatment on January 12th, Blake continues to do well in school, and Laura is doing well with just over 1 month to go before the baby is due. Hope everyone had a great holiday break.

November 25th

The year is passing quickly. We have only good news to share. Jon's treatments are going well & his tumor marker and liver function tests have come back the lowest yet. He will continue with every two week treatments until the beginning of January. Blake is doing exceptionally well in school and has made the "A" honor roll. We are very proud of him. Laura is now 30 weeks into her pregnancy. All has been well with her and the baby. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!

September 26,2008

I have decided to update the blog finally. We had a very busy summer. Jon had 2 spots removed from his liver and a total abdominal hernia repair in June. Everything went well and the liver surgeon got clean margins on the tumor sites. Jon is now going through "clean-up" chemo for six months, and will be done in January. God has blessed us with another pregnancy. Our little miracle (we aren't finding out the gender)is due to arrive February 4th. All has gone well with me, and I am now in my 21st week. We are also happy to announce that Blake is living full-time with us. Blake is a sophomore at Hastings High School, and now has a drivers permit. We hope all of you are well and thank you for your continual support :)

Treatment Update

Jon had his 5th round of chemo today. Yesterday he had a follow-up PET scan. Today we recieved wonderful news that the spot on his liver is gone, and there isn't any evidence of disease:) Monday we will meet with the liver surgeon and get a plan in place. Overall, the Holmes family is doing well. We just got back from Maui on Monday, where we had a spectacular time.

Back To Chemo

Sorry we haven't updated in awhile. Jon had a scan about 3 weeks ago that showed another spot on his liver. The spot is on the right lobe of his liver and is quite small. We decided to get another opinion at MD Anderson in Houstan. After consulting with Dr. Wolf there, Dr. Flynn and Dr. Sielaff we came up with a plan. Jon has started on chemo again and will have another scan after 4 treatments. We are optimistic that he will respond well. He had his 1st treatment on Wednesday.

We have moved

Yes...Jon and I have moved again! Not far this time. We have moved about three blocks from our bungalow. We have had our eye on this home for quite awhile, and now it is ours. We moved on January 10th and are settled in. Our new address: 15737 Duck Pond Way, Apple Valley MN, 55124

December 27th

We hope you all have had a Merry Christmas! Jon and I had more appointments this week. It looks like Jon will have another surgery in late January. He has 2...probably more incisional hernias, which were expected from the complexity of the previous surgeries. He will probably just have to stay overnight. I went to the OB/GYN this week and will be returning to work on January 2nd. We are very excited for the new year and are excited to see what great things 2008 will bring. Happy New Year to all!!

December 13th, 2007

Thank you everyone for your continual support since the loss of our precious little angels. Jon and I are getting stronger everyday. Jon continues to heal. His CEA(tumor marker) came back <0.5, the lowest result yet. Jon has a follow-up appt. with his oncologist this week and his surgeon later this month.

2 little angels

On Saturday the 24th of November Jon and I lost our precious little babies. I was 17 1/2 weeks along in the pregnancy. We had a boy and a girl. Jude was born at 3:35pm and Eva at 4:15 pm. They were beautiful... Now we have 2 little angels in heaven. Jon and I have been blessed with all the love and support from our families and friends at this time. It will take time to heal, but with our strong faith and support system we will get through this.

November 14th

JON WAS DECLARED IN REMISSION. On 11/14 Dr. flynn told us this wonderful news. Jon continues to heal and looks great.

2 Reasons to Celebrate

We are extremely pleased to announce that we will be expecting twins this Spring. They are due to arrive on April 30th. We are blessed and grateful for these miracles. Jon has his last chemo treatment next Wednesday. After that he will have another PET scan. We are going to meet with the oncologist on Friday to discuss his follow-up appointments.

Saturday September 29th

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. "No news is good news", as I see it. Jon has had 3 more treatments this 2nd round. He has 3 more treatments to go....the last one scheduled on Halloween. All is well at the Holmes house.

Sunday August 26th

Jon had a good week. THE DRAIN IS OUT!!!! After 5 1/2 weeks the drain going into his liver to drain his abcess was taken out on Friday. He did start chemotherapy on Wednesday and has been feeling fine. He will have 5 more treatments, one every other week like before.

Monday August 13th

Jon continues to have a problem with an abcess. He has had a drain in for 4 weeks, which is still draining some nasty stuff. The abcess is in the right lobe of his liver. The abcess is shrinking, but very slowly. Tuesday he is going to Abbott to have this abcess "washed" out and a new drain placed. We hope to have this cleared up sooner than later, so we can get on with his chemotherapy.

Sunday July 29th

Jon continues to have a problem with his abcess. The CT showed that the abcess is smaller, but still there. The drain continues to have some "nasty" output. We met with an infectioous disease doctor on Friday. He had some cultures drawn and prescribed some new antibiotics. We have to hold off on chemotherapy until the abcess is cleared up.

Monday July 23rd

Well great news last week. Jon's CEA (cancer tumor marker) is 0.8!!!! Today he did have a CT, which shows the abcess is getting smaller, but is still there. He will need to keep the JP drain in still and have another CT on Thursday. He has little pain, and no temp's...so that is good.

Thursday July 19th

Jon left the hospital last Saturday. His pain is a lot better and he can breathe a lot better also. He still has a drain, which we flush with water 3 times a day. Jon will hopefully get it out on Monday after a CT and visit with Dr. Sielaff. We met with Dr. Flynn yesterday, and found out that he will start up on chemo again Monday the 30th. Our hope and goal is to put this into remission after another 6 treatments. Hope all is well with everyone.

Thursday Evening

Jon's CT results came back this morning showing that he had an abcess. He was then transferred to Abbott Northwestern,where his liver surgeon is. At Abbott he had a 2 1/2 hour procedure where they found out that he had a large hematoma (blod clot) by his liver. 100cc of blood was drained from it with an "elephant needle", and a drain was placed. They also discoverd that part of his right lung has collapsed. We are now residing at Abbott, until the cultures come back on the fluid that was collected.

Thursday July 12th

Jon is back in the hospital. We were admitted to Fairview Ridges Hospital last night. Jon had been experiencing some high temps. He went to his primary clinic and with an x-ray it was discovered that he had a pleural effusion (fluid on the base of his right lung). 1am last night he had a CT of his abdomen and chest x-ray. There is a pulmonary specialist that is going to stop by this am. This pleural effusion is a common post-op complication. We need to find out if this is just fluid collecting, or if he has an infection. He has been started on IV antibiotics and may have to have some of the fluid in his lung drained today. I will keep everyone updated.

Monday July 9th

We hope that everyone had a great 4th of July! Jon continues to do well. He gets his staples out today or tommorrow, and then has a follow-up appointment with Dr. Sielaff next week.

Sunday Evening Update

We are very happy to have Jon home with us. As each day passes, we hope to gain more and more control over Jon's pain. In addition to controlling the pain, we will continue to watch his incision of 32 staples very closely. Thanks for checking in and have a great evening.

Saturday

Jon was discharged. He is still having some pain, but at least he is at home resting.

Friday Morning

Jon had a good night. Dr. Sielaff was here early this morning. He said Jon could eat a regular diet, and get the epidural out today. MAYBE if his pain is under control he could go home tommorrow.

Jon's Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for my blessings….my breath, my loved ones, and being alive this day – all are gifts from You to me. Jesus, I place myself in your care at this difficult time. Take hold of my hand this day; help me know that I need face my troubles alone. Please send me consolation in my sorrow, courage in my fear, and healing in the midst of my battle with cancer. Please fill me with the grace to accept whatever may lie ahead for me and my loved ones and strengthen my faith in Your healing power. Thank you, Jesus, for the promise of hope you hold out to all who believe, and inspire me to this gift of hope to others as it has been given to me. Amen.

Thursday morning

Good morning! Jon had an OK night. His pain is under control, but he is quite nausiated. We think that it is the epidural that is causing the nausea. He is experiencing some nerve pain in his right shoulder region from the epidural, but no abdominal discomfort. Right now he is resting. Thanks for checking in!

Evening Update

Hi everyone- Thank you all for your support today. Jon is doing well, resting in bed with the Twins game on. We are so happy with the news today. I am not sure exactly how much of his liver was taken out and will have to ask Dr. Sielaff in the morning. He did mention that 95% of the tumors resected were dead tissue, which shows he responded well to the chemotherapy. He will more than likely have to have more chemo when he has recovered from this surgery. I am going to call it a night...will update in the morning.

Surgery is over....

Surgery is over and it is all good news. The surgeon came out at 3:30 to talk to all of us. Originally there were 3 spots showing up on his scans. The surgeon only found two. He cut out the two spots and consulted a radiologist about the third. The third tumor couldn't be found and they think that chemo must have gotten rid of it. There were no complications during the procedure. Dr. Sielaff is very happy with the outcome and so are we. I already went to see Jon about 45minutes ago. He is in PACU now and will be admitted soon. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

1:17 Update

We all saw Jon off to the OR at 11:50. They needed to put in the epidural still. The surgeon came out and told us he would start with the laparoscopy, look around and then hopefully do the resection. Dr. Sielaff is going to resect just the areas with the tumors and try to leave as much liver as he can.

Surgical Updates

Hi everybody! Jon's surgery is scheduled Wednesday the 27th @ noon. We are ready and he is feeling great. I will have my computer with me, and will be updating the blog throughout the day.

We Have a Plan!

I am pleased to announce that I am scheduled to have my liver surgery sometime around June 27th. Although we still have a long ways to go, we are certainly encouraged by this news. Thank you again for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. This experience has taught us a lot about the power of the human spirit:)

Jon

A picture of us at Mike Kaushansky's wedding.
A perfect day for a drive around the golf course with the best looking caddy Jon will ever have!

Jon and some boys at his friend Mike Kaushansky's wedding.