Last year was certainly busy but looking back it seemed pretty uneventful in regards to Travis’ health.  Don’t get me wrong, I am more than thankful that he is defeating his tumor but I feel somewhat removed from the caregiver role.  I am not sure that I will ever “retire” from being a caregiver but Travis is significantly more independent than he was a couple of years ago.  He is now in school full time and is working full time.  He still lives with chronic pain in addition to other permanent adverse effects stemming from his tumors and the surgeries. However, over the last 12 months or so he has really learned how to manage his conditions in a way that allow him to live a more typical lifestyle. This does not meant that he does not have bad days; he still does from time to time.  But he has more good days than bad.

This year we went on our first major vacation as a couple. Hawaii.  I was nervous about going because I was worried he might not be able to participate in the physical activities that Hawaii is known for.  He ended enjoying the ocean and snorkeling so much that within a month after we returned home he became a certified open water scuba diver another month later he became a certified advanced open water scuba diver.

This July 13^th will mark the 4 year anniversary of Travis’ second (and last) surgery to remove his brain tumor.  I doubt that when he was laying in the hospital trying to recover from surgery that he ever expected that he would be well enough to be doing everything that he is doing now.

As I reflect on the last 6 years I realize that the old saying, “no news is good news” pretty much sums up why this website had been on hiatus.  I never thought that life could or would go back to normal for us but I was obviously wrong.  I hope that this post gives you strength and encouragement that things can get better.  Please do not ever hesitate to contact me regardless of the length of time in between my posts.  I receive inquiries and comments from many people with many different stories and I am always willing to listen and do my best to help.

Trina

Much has changed in our lives over that last two years. Travis has retired from the Marine Corps. We moved out of our old apartment into the one that we are living in now. Travis had CyberKnife radiation. Victoria started middle school. We received AMAZING NEWS that Travis’ pesky Schwannoma tumor succumbed to Dr. Adler’s treatment. NO MORE TUMOR!!!! I started back at work and went back to college.

Travis accepted his dream job at Northrop Grumman. He entered through a wonderful program called Operation Impact. Since retiring from the Marine Corps. Travis has been seeing new doctors. He struggled through Methadone withdrawal and is now 100% METHADONE FREE. He has a prescription for Vicodin to use for breakthrough pain but he has not taken any since June 30th. He has come a long way from his daily doses of 3000mg of Neurontin and 10mg of Methadone.

Our offer was accepted on our first home. (We are in escrow right now.)

Travis came down with Diverticulitis and then suffered from a secondary infection as a result of the antibiotics given to him to treat the Diverticulitis.

So much has happened over the last two years.  Life sure has not been easy but things seem to be turning around.  We are learning to see the glass as half full rather than half empty.  I expect that we will continue to face hurdles but what I have learned is there is nothing that Travis and I cannot accomplish if we put our hearts into it.

Now that he is retired ( I have to catch you up with that on a later post) we decided it would be best for him to see a new pain management specialist. Travis decided to try Dr. Moon as he was recommended by our neighbor. Dr. Moon suggested that Travis start tapering off his Neurontin. This began on 5/9/09. Dr. Moon gave Travis some 300mg Neurontin so that he could start weaning himself down with a 600mg dose instead of a 1000mg dose. That was going very well and Travis seemed to tolerate the lesser dose. That was until Travis miscalculated how many Methadone he had left. On Travis’s 5/9/09 appointment he told Dr. Moon that he had enough Methadone to last until his follow up appointment on 5/20/09. Well Travis made an error counting the pills and he was short. So Travis cut his Methadone doses in half and went from taking 10mg daily to taking 5 mg daily. With the Methadone taper, Travis seemed to experience more irritability, stomach upset, and all over achiness.

On 5/20/09, I accompanied Travis to his appointment with Dr. Moon. At this appointment Dr. Moon prescribed 500mg Vicodin to use in place of his Methadone. He also suggested that Travis continue to taper off the Neurontin. He suggested that Travis be completely off the Neurontin by his next appointment which is in 4 weeks. Dr. Moon advised us that there will not be any Withdrawal from the Neurontin but the reason that Travis cannot stop “cold turkey” is because that could cause a seizure. So week by week Travis will be taking less Neurontin until he is completely off.

Travis is having a hard time with the Methadone Withdrawal. He was given the 500mg Vicodin to help him comfortably phase off. Our goal is to get Travis medication free by about 4 weeks from now. At that point Travis’s body will have an opportunity to feel what pain and discomfort is actually occurring naturally. Dr. Moon said that he has some patients who actually feel better off all medications. Once Travis is off all of his medications and Withdrawal free then we will explore other option of pain control.

Until then I will attempt to keep a brief daily diary of his medication consumption and the symptoms that he is feeling on that day. I believe doing this will help Dr. Moon see an accurate picture of what Travis’s has been dealing with and I also think the information will be useful for the website. I will try and update daily, here is what I have so far:

5/21/09
AM- Woke up with a stomach ache. Feels “groggy”, more tingly in face and chin.
1 Pepcid (7:00am)
600mg Neurontin (9:00am)
500mg Vicodin (9:00am)

MID-
600mg Neurontin
500mg Vicodin

PM- Sleepless night
600mg Neurontin
500mg Vicodin

In my opinion, this is proof that CyberKnife radiation works.  It is the best treatment for a schwannoma brain tumor.  If you have a tumor or know somebody who does then ask the  doctor is CyberKnife would work for you.

I want to write more but I donated blood today and my finger is really sore from the prick.  I will try and write more soon.

It was great to see him snowboarding again.  I am so glad that this was not permanently taken from him.