"Happy trails to you", Tom.

Tom passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family at 3:15 in the afternoon on Saturday April 24, 2010.


Funeral arrangements are through Ware Smith Woolever, located at 1200 W. Wheeler in Midland. There will be two visitations on Tuesday April 27, from 2-4 and 6-8.

The funeral will be held on Wednesday April 28, at 3:00 at First United Methodist Church in downtown Midland, 315 W. Larkin Street (the corner of M-20 and Main Street). Visitation will also be held at the church one hour prior to the service.

There should be obituaries listed through the Midland Daily News - http://www.ourmidland.com and the Ware Smith Woolever site is - http://www.waresmithwoolever.com/

Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider the Tom Gilstad Lancer Spirit Award c/o Bullock Creek Schools, 1420 S. Badour Road, Midland, MI 48640
or Midland Cancer Services, 220 W. Main Street, Midland, MI 48640.


The family wishes to express our gratitude for all of your prayers, love and support that you have extended throughout Tom's journey. We will miss him greatly.

Coming Home

Tom is coming home today. Preparations are being made to make him comfortable at home. We're not sure home much Tom has left on his journey, but we're going to make sure it is the best time possible. To that end, we want life to go on as "normal" as possible with laughter and sharing of good memories, so short visits from close friends and family will be welcome--please just call first to see if Tom's awake and that it would be a good time.
We appreciate everyones prayers, positive thoughts, encouragement and love that is being sent our way.

~Peggy and family

Ducks in a row

Getting all the ducks in a row isn't easy. Tom's pain is under control, his blood pressure is finally back to an acceptable range, but we've had recent issues with his sodium levels and electrolytes, which need to get back to normal. We think we're getting there and if the doctors' reports today (April 16) agree, then we should finally be able to get Tom back home. The blockage in his bowel is still there so he continues to get his nutrition through an IV and he is able to drink clear liquids and eat ice chips and popcicles which promptly go out his PEG tube in his stomach into a vacuum jar. This creates great amusement for our grandson, Carter, who likes it when Grandpa eats different colored popcicles. "What color next, Grandpa?"
Overall Tom is feeling good and in good spirits.
Your prayers have helped immensely.

~Peggy and family

still...

Tom is still in the hospital. We've had many ups and downs working on getting the pain in control as well as his blood pressure ( a new issue to deal with). We think that we are making progress and will get Tom back home soon.

a broken record?

Tom was readmitted to the hospital on Wednesday April 7 in the morning with severe abdominal pain. The doctors are working to get the pain under control and get Tom back home again. As of Thursday night, he was resting comfortably, enjoying the start of baseball season and we are looking at him getting released from the hospital within the next couple of days.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

~Peggy and family

Good Friday!

Hallelujah! For our family, never has a holiday name held such great/true meaning! Friday April 2, after almost four weeks in the hospital, Tom finally came home at about 3:00 in the afternoon. In Midland, Michigan it was also the nicest day of the year. Tom was greeted at home by his entire immediate family as well as Peg's sister, Connie. It was a very special event for us all!
There is a great deal of learning and adjustments to be made for Tom to be living back at home, but so far we seem to be on the right path!

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support!

Home sweet home

We're planning to have Tom back home by the end of this week. Hurrah! We're busy making the arrangements for the equipment that we will need at home for a while including a nice comfy lounge chair for the deck so that he can enjoy some sunshine and bird viewing. You don't get to see much from a hospital window except roof tops.
The Oncologist said that there another chemo treatment that he thinks should work. He is going to confer with the doctors out at Mayo that we saw in December and make sure that this is the recommended treatment for Tom at this point. He's going to give Tom a week to rest before he tries the new chemo regimen.

Your prayers continue to help us in so many ways. Thank you.

~Peggy and family

Tough News

We found out from the docs recently that the cancer has spread. The docs are working together to come up with a plan of action. We have a goal to get Tom home from the hospital as soon as we can, they're thinking maybe by the end of this week. Tom is in good spirits and has his ever positive attitude. Prayers, as always, are deeply appreciated.

~Peggy and family

Quick Tuesday evening update

Tom is in good spirits. He's feeling better. He walked the halls several times on Tuesday. He has had several positive and encouraging signs and moments over the past few days. We still don't know the cause of the blockage so he is still eating ice chips and getting nutrition from a bag through an IV. It's a puzzle. Tom has undergone many tests and is undergoing more. Both his doctor's are back on board and they indicated that they will have some type of plan for Tom by the end of the week. We're looking forward to some plan of action that will eventually get him out of the hospital.
Please keep praying for Tom and the doctors that they will make wise decisions regarding his care and steps to his recovery.
~Peggy and family

Doing the Two-step

Tom has spent his time in the hospital doing the two-step. You know, two steps forward, one step back and then two steps back and one step forward. We don’t see a release date from the hospital anytime soon. He went from a diet of “eating” cream of tomato soup and vanilla ice cream back to ice chips and water. They took out his nose tube and then had to put it back to drain liquid from his bowel. He went from walking the halls giving everyone a “view” from the back of the hospital gown to being back in bed again. I guess you could say he hit a speed bump…a big one. We’re hopeful that he’ll be up and at ‘em again soon. We’re pleased that his surgeon Dr. Zania is back from vacation and his oncologist will be back on Monday the 22nd so that we can develop a new plan of action. Sh-h-h-, don’t tell the cancer cells, we want to keep it a secret. Tom is in good spirits. He has made friends with all the nurses, orderlies, aides, room cleaners and every other employee at the hospital that he meets. On Friday, as the nurse was cleaning him up, I heard lots of laughter coming from his room. As she was washing his feet, it tickled and he would start laughing and she started laughing too. She shared that she had never cleaned a patient with such ticklish feet before. It’s true laughter is good for the soul and the sole.

Your prayers continue to help us in so many ways. Thank you.

~Peggy and family

63 years young

Tom turned 63 on Saturday. Even though the venue for his party was not what we had hoped, we were still glad to have the opportunity to wish him a Happy Birthday. After a diet of broth and jello on Friday night, he had to resort back to small amounts of ice chips on Saturday because of a negative reaction to the new foods in his body. The darn blockage/infection is still there. They finally put him on a nutrition pack that he is getting through his pic line because he's not getting much nutrition from ice chips. He has seen a physical therapist a few times and has walked down the hall a couple of times each day. We see small amounts of improvement daily. In fact, they have started him again on clear liquids (broth and jello) and he was able to tolerate those Sunday night so he'll try some more on Monday.
He enjoys reading your cards as well as the newspapers each day. He says that he's learned that there's not much worthwhile watching on TV, but he does watch some of the sporting events and he gets phone calls from the boys to keep him updated on current high school playoff game results.
Your support, calls, visits, cards and prayers have kept us going through this past week and have helped lift our spirits during some dark, scary times. Hopefully we'll see a turn around this week and hear the news that Tom will be able to come home.
~Peggy and family

Thursday evening update

Tom got his catheter removed. Hurrah for that, it allows him to be more mobile. His white blood count moved to the "normal range" at 5.2. He walked several times on Thursday and worked with a physical therapist. He still is only allowed a few ice chips here and there ( they thought differently when the day started.. maybe some broth at some point soon) because they are trying to get the blockage to dissipate. He looks good and sounds stronger. We're hoping for more progress each day. Your prayers for Tom's healing and strength mean so much.
~Peggy

Wednesday evening update

There was improvement in all areas on Wednesday so they moved him out of Progressive Care to a regular room on the cancer care floor. Tom looks better and feels better. They removed his heart monitor on Wednesday. His white blood cell count went up to 3.2 and the docs can hear movement in four chambers of his bowel; not just three. He is still on antibiotics for infection and he is still hooked up to IV's and a few other lines. His diet still consists of ice chips with a variation of melted ice chips. He is expected to be in the hospital for at least a few more days.
We'll continue to do our best to keep you updated through this blog.
Thank you for all your positive, uplifting and caring messages that you have passed along to us. Your prayers mean so much.
~Peggy

Brief Wednesday morning update

Tom slept well for the second consecutive night, and his white blood count continued to rise this morning. Tom also had a visit from his surgeon's PA this morning, which was helpful. I don't know what was shared/learned in that conversation, but hope to pass it along in the near future.
A lot of positive things right now!

- Chris

Tuesday evening update

Tuesday was a better day. Tom looks better and feels better. His white blood count number rose to 2.7. There's still plenty of room for improvement but at least it's going up and his ability to fight off the infection has improved. They even took off his "must wear a face mask when entering this room" sign that was on his door. He's getting some movement in his bowel so we're hoping that means things are happening with the obstruction. They took Tom for x-rays of that area so we hope they show a change in the blockage. His diet still consists of ice chips which still taste pretty good to him. We didn't see either doctor on Tuesday so nothing to share from them. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
~Peggy

Tuesday morning update

Your prayers are working. Tom is holding is own. His vitals are good. Temperature is back to normal. Blood work yesterday morning showed his white blood cell count at 1.9--not good. It makes his whole body vulnerable to dangerous spread of his current infection or susceptible to new infection. The doctor hoped his count was "bottoming out" because of his recent chemo treatment and would start to go back up. We won't know until hopefully this morning when they do more blood work. He's hooked up to all kinds of tubes and lines: some draining fluid and some putting fluid in, some checking his heart, something else keeping track of his oxygen and pressure cuffs on his legs. Nothing to eat or drink as they are trying to get rid of the bowel obstruction without surgery. He finally got ice chips about 4:00 yesterday afternoon. He said they tasted like steak. We didn't see the oncologist yesterday, but hope to see him today. Both his regular oncologist and surgeon are on vacation for two weeks. That's a little disconcerting. Pray for the doctors who are covering for them that they are making wise choices for Tom's care.
Thank you for your responses to my prayer requests, it means so much.
~ Peggy

Ambush

Tom finished his fifth chemo treatment on Friday the fifth and even though all of his "numbers" appeared to be great, things have not been going well since. Since the treatment ended we thought he was just having some fairly normal problems which were most likely side effects of the chemo treatments, even though he had never had any serious side effects previously. Finally on Sunday the seventh around 3:00 in the afternoon, it was decided that Tom should go the emergency room to be checked out. After testing which included a cat scan, it was learned that Tom has a serious infection/bowel obstruction. Tom has been admitted into the hospital for further testing. A lot still has yet to be learned today, and we will share more information as it is learned.

Please continue to keep Tom in your prayers as he most certainly will need them.

- Chris

Short and Sweet!

Tom is doing well. He “rattled the bats” and we’re sure it messed with the evil minds of those cancer cells. The rest of his body was a little challenged and befuddled with the change of chemo schedule; we didn’t have the “normal” response on the “normal” days and we had a few unexpected bumps in the road, but he’s had many more good days than “not-so-good” days. He hasn’t had to have a tummy tap in over a month! He’s ready to start treatment #5 this Wednesday the 3rd. We hope that his tired days will take place over the weekend so that he’ll be in good form to celebrate our 41st wedding anniversary on Monday the 8th and his 63rd birthday on the 13th.

It’s been nearly a year since he was first diagnosed with cancer and even though much of it has been a blur, it’s been a memorable year in many ways-- including many good ways.

Thank you for your continued prayers, positive thoughts and words of encouragement.

~Peggy

It’s time to “Rattle the Bats”

Tom has a “Rattle the Bats” treatment coming up this week. He will be having chemo starting on Tuesday instead of his normal Wednesday. The reason is that he sees Dr. Danso on Tuesday to get feedback on recent blood work and the office nurses wanted to save him a trip to the hospital so they scheduled him for Tuesday. They said it really doesn’t make any difference what day he starts his chemo.

The way I see it is totally different and so I’ll share a little background with you. Tom used to manage/play for many years on a slow-pitch softball team called “The Sudzers” and ever since his little league days, he was always one to “stir things up” with his desire to play well and win. So when the Sudzers would be behind in a game, on occasion, Tom would first turn his baseball hat sideways on his head (so the hat brim pointed to the right) then go to the bat rack and knock all the bats to the ground which would make a lot of noise (rattling the bats) to which he would add some more noise (yelling… I don’t remember what) to get the players and fans (their wives, kids, and friends) fired up. The other team would wonder what was going on and lose their concentration. Many times this strategy worked and the Sudzers would come from behind to win the game.

So this week, Tom’s got an opportunity to catch the other team by surprise. The cancer cells will not be expecting the chemo to come on a Tuesday and they will not be prepared. They will lose. Tom will “rattle the bats” and his team will win!

25% Completed

Tom completed his third round of chemo on Friday. He also has extended his “tummy tap” time to over two weeks. He will definitely go this Tuesday to see if he has fluid that needs to be drained, but he hasn’t felt like there was a fluid build up and his weight has remained steady. All the medical personnel say this is a good sign that the chemo is working. The past two weeks he has experienced really good days ( he even went out to the Mall to walk a little bit) and days of extreme tiredness (he falls into such a deep sleep in his Lazy Boy that he doesn’t hear the phone ring that’s right next to him). On his good days, he has gone to watch the Bullock Creek girl’s basketball team play, he has gone out for breakfast, he’s shoveled a little snow, and he’s gone over to visit grandkids Carter and Paige. He continues to drive himself to all his doctor’s appointments, acupuncture, and hospital blood draws.

Because of a weakened immune system, Tom is not allowed to have the flu shot. I am back working with kids in the classroom and there is always a lot of “stuff” going around the schools; so today, I am getting my H1N1 flu shot. Ouch! (Even though the shot needle is very miniscule compared to the needle that goes into Tom’s abdomen when he has his “tummy tap”)

Visits from friends and family are a real highlight to our days. Tom loves the phone calls and cards with positive, cheerful, and encouraging messages.

We really appreciate all the different people who tell us that they are praying for him and have him on their church prayer chain. Please pray that the chemo is working and completely destroying all the cancer cells this time around. Also pray that he has no serious health complications from the chemo; that his blood counts and body remain strong so that he can continue to have all twelve of his treatments as scheduled.

Thank you for your support and prayers,

Peg

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow…”

Those are the words that keep playing over and over in my head. Tom has had a good week. Beginning last Wednesday, he started to feel better and stronger. On Friday, we took a drive over to Mt. Pleasant to the casino so that Tom could play some of his free weekly download and he won enough to buy us lunch at Applebee’s. We commented how nice it was to drive somewhere other than the hospital for a change. On Saturday Don, Oren and Jack dropped over to talk baseball, football and just plain ol’ BS and he asked them to bring up the exercise bike from the basement so that he could ride on it a couple of minutes each day to help build his leg strength. Sunday, Jan and Tom L. dropped off some yummy chili and veggie lasagna which Tom and I really enjoyed. Tom has his appetite back, but he can only eat small meals at a time because of the abdominal fluid build up. Tuesday morning, Tom walked (I emphasize this because he did not ride in a wheelchair and it’s a long walk) to and from his “tummy tap” appointment. They only found two liters to remove this time-- a good thing compared to the average of 6 liters. Tuesday afternoon he drove himself to acupuncture, another good thing. Later he walked into his doctor’s appointment. Dr. Danzo was pleased that the amount of fluid in Tom’s abdomen had gone down. He said, “That means the chemo is beginning to work already.” Yesterday, he drove and walked to his chemo appointment #2. He got a big hug from the nurses because he looked so much better and healthier than the last time they saw him. He received his treatment over a period of about four hours, got hooked up to the portable pump (it looks like he has a fanny pack on) with more chemo for the next 46 hours. I went to work and had my cell phone with me in case I was needed, but I wasn’t. He had a good night last night and went out to breakfast this morning. We’ll see what the weekend brings.

I know that your prayers are helping so that Tom feels better and that we both can have a breather, a little less stress and be able to smile and laugh a little. Please pray that Tom’s body will continue to respond to the chemo and that the side effects will be minimal with no health complications.

We definitely feel blessed to have such a wonderful family and such wonderful friends.

~ Peggy

Dance Steps

Today is a so-so day. Tom is quite tired while waiting one more day to get his tummy tapped. This is an eight day time frame between taps, probably one day too many, but they couldn’t fit him in today. So tonight he will probably sleep in the recliner where it is a little bit easier on his back. I’m sure many of you ladies can remember the strain on your back when you were about 9 months pregnant. They will drain about 6.5 liters of abdominal fluid from Tom tomorrow morning or between 13 and 14 pounds. That’s like delivering twins!

He completed his first chemo treatment last Friday and after they unhooked his pump, they did another blood draw to see if his potassium level was back to normal.

It appeared to be back into a normal range, his sodium level was a little low though. It’s kind of like playing a game of Jenga; when you pull one piece out everything is temporarily unbalanced. We’re learning as we go with a few more challenges this time around.

Tom had a great day on Saturday—felt good, lots of energy, and he even won a family cribbage tournament. His energy fizzled in the late afternoon on Sunday, we think as a result of the chemo. We’re not sure what his energy pattern will be this time; we need to experience a few more chemos before we’ll know.

A saying that I found this fall seems to “fit” our life at the moment. “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s learning to dance in the rain.”

We’re in the process of learning to dance.

Your prayers are helping.

~Peggy

Back in the saddle again

Tom is back at it again. He started a whole new round of chemo on Wednesday, January 6. It was a long and scary day at the hospital, nearly 7 hours! At one point the doctor stopped the treatment and was ready to admit Tom to the hospital after reading his blood report and finding that his potassium level was too high. Even though they had indicated this on the Mayo report, we had no idea that a too high potassium count could cause major heart problems. We only knew that Tom was extremely tired and very uncomfortable with a very bloated abdomen. After conferring with another doctor and checking Tom for physical warning signs, they decided that Tom could continue with chemo and sent him home with Lasix and potent laxatives. Over the next couple of days the goal is to get rid of the excess potassium in his system. After the first use of these prescriptions, Tom is already feeling better and has some of his strength back which is a good thing since he’s wearing a path in the carpet as he hurriedly travels to the “reading room”. Fortunately, angels were looking over him so that he was able to get treatment before a major catastrophe occurred.

Our schedule is filled with weekly abdominal taps, weekly blood draws and dressing changes, chemo every other week, and acupuncture appointments before and after every chemo treatment. We should see a reduction in the number of abdominal taps as the chemo begins to work. His chemo schedule is the same as last time; chemo every other Wednesday for approximately 3 hours and wearing the pump for continued chemo for 46 hours until it is removed on Friday. He has a permanent port in his chest again which creates challenges showering because the dressing should not get wet due to risk of infection. We had thrown the superman shower cape away and were ready to get a new one, but a friend as well as a nurse at the hospital suggested using the Glad Press n Seal to cover the port for showers; that sounds much easier than messing with the cape.

Tom has a positive attitude, as always, but there are days that can be dark and overwhelming for both of us. Your continued calls and notes of encouragement and acts of kindness have definitely lifted our spirits. Thank you. And thank you so much for your continued prayers.

~Peggy

A belated update, but Happy New Years!

Sorry for the delay in updating this blog. Our time since we got back from Mayo has been spent waiting (due to the holidays) to get Tom scheduled for his chemo and going to the hospital for abdominal taps. We finally got in on New Years Eve for his chemo port to be inserted. It took them three trys this time to get it in a vein, but at least it is in. We also have next Wednesday January 6th , set up for his first round of chemo. We hope that once he gets started that he will respond well to this chemo and gain some of his energy back. Due to the swelling in his abdomen, it is difficult for him to take deep breaths so walking anywhere is a chore. However, he has taken a short walk down the driveway each day and drives to get his newspaper every morning. He is taking 6 small meals each day including liquid protein drinks as a supplement.

Tom finally got a second opinion appointment at Mayo for December 21st. Tom and Peg (along with Peg’s sister, Connie) flew out from Tri-City airport to Mayo on December 20th. They were met at the airport in Minneapolis by Peg’s step-sister Mary and brother-in-law Mike who drove them down to Rochester and the Kahler Grand Hotel which is connected by the underground system to the Mayo Clinic. The hotel provided them with a wheel chair to move Tom around since his energy level had become very depleted. Long story short; the doctors at Mayo agreed with the doctors in Midland as far as treatment is concerned. They confirmed that his cancer is back and agreed with the chemo recommendations. They found that his electrolytes were out of whack, probably from the abdominal taps that he requires every 6 days to drain approximately 6.5 liters (about 14 lbs.) of fluid off. This occurs because of where the cancer is located and should lessen once he starts chemo.

Prayers are appreciated big time.

Love and thanks,
Peg