9 Feb 04 (From Iraq)
From: Kyle Chowchuvech
Date: February 9, 2004
Hello everyone, once again, thanks for the enormous amount of support we have received for my Dad, it is really heartwarming, and Kim, and his entire family, are grateful beyond words. The number of contributors to the silent auction, musicians and DJ's, as well as individuals who have donated to my Dad's cause has become too long to list, but thanks to all for the wonderful support. Unfortunately, I am back in Iraq at the moment, but I hope to be back in the states in April, and out fo the Army and at my Dad's side by early June. It was wonderful seeing my Dad again, and come what may, I am very happy I got to see him again, even if it was for a short while. As for my Dad's condition, here's the latest...
Kim started chemo on the 29th of January, the Doctors still have not pinpointed the original tumor, but are giving an aggresive medication for adenocarcinoma (Taxol and Carboplatin). Kim had to get 4 unit of blood (about 1200ml, a LOT) just before the infusion, as he was severely anemic, and very weak. Since the infusion, he has been doing quite a bit better, hopefully we will not have to do that too often. The first several days after chemotherapy were miserable, nausea, etc, but he has progressively felt better since then. Of course, we will really not know how the chemo is affecting the cancer until the Doctors do the full round of tests after the first round of treatment (3 months from now) but at the very least, Kim is feeling much better, stronger, less nauseous, etc, although he still has constant, low level pain. Kim will be going in every week for the forseeable future to get medication that promotes red blood cell production, and every 3 weeks he will be getting chemo medication as well as a bone strengthening medication, as fractures are a big worry, due to the proliferation of cancer cells throughout his bone marrow. Kim is also going to try a few alternative approaches, he is still taking some herbal remedies, and is soon going to try "energy treatment", based on moving around "Chi" to help fight the cancer. After the initial confusion, and scrambling around trying to arrange second opinions, set up treatment, etc, things have calmed down quite a bit, which has also likely helped my Dad's mental state and boosted his energy, as we don't have to haul him all over the county to do tests and fill out paperwork anymore. Well, for now, thats about it, Kim is feeling well, which counts for quite a lot, and as always, the support and love of his friends continues to boost his spirits. Thanks for all the help, and best wishes from Kim and all of his Family.
Kyle
9 Feb 04 (From Iraq)
