Road Trip Rigors

There are a lot of inconveniences that rise almost to the level of irritants when one is forced to be away from home for an extended period. I'm about to grapple with one of those.

It's time to turn on the Red Sox-Orioles game and unlike at home, where I without fail record the games on my DVR player, I'm forced to watch the action from Boston virtually "live". This has severely disrupted my time-tested technique to maximizing enjoyment of the games, I turn them on about an hour after they start and fast-forward through not only all of the commercials and pre-game pap but also frequently half-innings when the bad guys are at bat. In fact, if the opposing team threatens to score, I'll usually dash through the rest of that inning, rewinding only if the Sox hurler somehow wiggles out of the jam. When the Sox are up and they haven't been doing much offensively I might also fast forward them but then if I see they have scored, I rewind and savor every delicious moment of justice once again prevailing. There is an upside to my current situation of course: frequently when the Sox are on the road, the MLB package which is my video lifeline during the baseball season, will pick up the feed from the opposing camp. This forces me to listen to the inanities and slanted reporting of those from the dark side. Some, like Jim Palmer of Baltimore, are passably good. Others, like Hawk Harrelson of the White Sox, are unbearable. I prefer my slanted reporting and inanities with the proper prejudice. And please don't even get me started on the Yankees announcers.

Update: coming home Thursday!

Just met with the surgery team, and Thursday is the "new Wednesday" - as in, we are coming home on Thursday. We hope to be released "at Hyatt check-out time" (the surgeon really said this) - about midday. Dad is a full day ahead of schedule! But seems like a good idea to make sure he is 100% stable before the long trek to Albany.

D-day set for tomorrow

Jay is unrecognizable today: he has had all his tubes that pumped and dripped fluids and medication in and out of his body removed. He is functioning au natural.

He even munched contentedly on a hamburger today for lunch, as he had his first solid-food meal since last Wednesday. The plan is for him to be discharged tomorrow - a day ahead of schedule! And return home to Delmar. Then it is a few more weeks of rehab before he turns his attention to radiation, chemo and other steps needed to continue his recovery.

He is looking most forward to a good night's sleep in his own bed.

A Flash of Euphoria

I woke up at about six this morning with this strange feeling I couldn't put my finger on right away.

It took a few minutes but then it came to me: for the first time since Saturday, June 13, the day after I was told there was a "mass" on my pancreas a sense of dread was gone. I had finally processed what a series of positive medical developments meant: I'm probably no longer facing imminent death. A long life is probably not in the cards but neither is one cut quite as short as seemed likely two weeks ago.

One of the advantages of lying in bed for endless hours is you have plenty of time to think. And in this case, it struck me that my daughters had saved my life. I put John Lennon "Watchin the Wheels" on the iPod they bought me, looked out of my ninth floor hospital room window and felt a euphoria sweep over me. Here's how it happened.

After we got the diagnosis, Janice immediately went to work for "Team Gallagher" and within a few days got an apointment for us to see one of the country's top pancreatic-cancer surgeons, with whom we had no previous relationship. Three days after that appointment, I was on his operating table.

How did she do it?

Old Capitol hands should think "Zenia Mucha" but with much softer edges. She has the charm and tenacity to usually get what she wants and has since she was a few months old, I recall.

Meanwhile, Ellen, another vital cog in "Team Gallagher" went to work on the techie side. It seems like one day we were simultaneously feeling overwhelmed with phone calls but also cut off from many people, to having a website, a new email address and automatic email updates that transformed what I consider the astounding flow of good wishes into something I could both digest and draw strength from. Having the girls read the emails to me quickly became the highlight of my day. I know the Internet is killing newspapers, but it's doing some good things too.

All of this time the team's matriarch, Emily, was keeping a close eye on the patient making sure he was doing all the numerous duties of someone in his position, including breathing exercises, sipping ice cubes and walking straight as prescribed. Her skill at relaxation exercises and other "untraditional" treatments gave me an edge in the biggest battle of my life.

I'm convinced that her insistence that I be allowed to listen to soothing music on the iPod immediately after surgery played a role in my body tolerating the procedure so well.

"Team Gallagher" still has more games left to play, but for now it's enough to know the season isn't over yet.

Day 3

Today was Dad's first day of visitors apart from our immediate family. His younger brother Neil came down from Maine with his wife Wendy. It was wonderful to see them. It did bring back memories for all of us back to September of 2007 when Neil came to the very same area of Boston to donate a kidney to their sister Anne. Anne ended up spending 9 months in Brigham and Women's Hospital, with a few short trips to a rehab center in Cambridge. Anne passed away just under a year ago from complications of the surgery and it is a little surreal for all of us to be back just a block or two from where we spent so much time visiting her. We still miss Anne very much and hope that Dad will be out of the hospital ASAP.

In more upbeat news, Dad took two longer walks today without a feeling faint or chilled. He also got to drink water and mentioned that he couldn't wait until he could start to eat real food. He even got in two pretty substantial naps, which hopefully will help make up for the trouble he's having sleeping in the evenings.

We also had a great talk with Dad's wonderful nurse. We were able to get some more clarity from her about the timeline for him to get discharged and what comes next. It looks like the earliest Dad will be leaving the hospital is Thursday. After that, they'll need to return to Boston fairly soon for a follow-up with the surgical oncologist, and appointments with the radiation oncologist and the medical oncologist. Our guestroom will be used well and we're just grateful to be able to help out and that we live close by.

Keep those emails coming, they really lift Dad's spirits and mean a lot to him.

Nap time

As anyone who has ever stayed in a hospital knows, the hardest thing to do is to get a good nights’ sleep. It brought to mind last night, as I struggled with the usual hospital issues, all of the times at the capitol when staying awake was a huge challenge. I’m now in a position to admit that more than once, typically in an LOB hearing room, I may have shut my eyes and missed a handful of the inspired words of our elected leaders.

This experience has also given me new appreciation of the skill of some lawmakers who could fall asleep at the drop of a hat.

I remember Senator Marty Knorr of Queens (inevitably, Marty Snore, in LCA parlance) who perfected the skill of sitting in his chair, not moving a muscle, but giving no indication that he was conscious. More interesting to watch was Senator Walter Floss of Erie County. Floss had the classic looks of a 19th-century lawmaker: a shock of white hair, a flowing white moustache, and an ample paunch. All that was missing from the scene was a spittoon by his Senate desk. Floss’ sleeping in his seat was far more interesting than Knorr’s – and more visible, since he sat in the first row, just a few feet away from reporters. First his eyes would get glassy, then he would tilt back in his seat, his eyes rolling back in his head. Finally, he would slouch forward, with his head bouncing off his chest.

I have to admit that both of these sleepers were Republicans. All I can figure is that, even in those days, planning various heists and scams at least kept the Democrats alert.

My father the hippie?

I have to admit that today, I noticed a similarity between my father and hippies of a certain age who have let the few strands of hair they have left grow long and then braid them. In my fathers’ case however, it’s actually a nest of IV lines that carry nourishment and medication to his body through blood vessels in his neck. The good news is that they took out one line out today – the line that was taking the digestive juices and other goodies out of his stomach via a tube inserted into his stomach from his nose. It will not be missed. Taking this line out is the precursor to Dad actually beginning to be able to eat. We hear that the next step is clear liquids.

Dad took two walks today. These were his first trips out of his room since the operation. The first time, he did an imitation of a B-movie starlet by swooning. But he was able to walk the next time without trouble. We’re hoping tomorrow brings more disentanglements from the medical devices that have so far sustained him.

Dad was able to beat Janice in chess and Allyson and I in one round of Boggle. We’re looking forward to attacking the Sunday Times crossword tomorrow.

A single!

After a long, sleepy day, we watched the Red Sox win (4-1 versus the Braves). Getting the Red Sox on basic cable is another advantage of being in Boston. AND, Dad was moved to a single room, after spending last night with a noisy roommate! We are hoping for a quieter night full of sleep.

The day after...

The doctor in Albany told Dad, Mom and Janice that the day after surgery is often harder than the day of surgery. Turns out, he was right. Dad had a hard time sleeping last night but spent the day sitting looking at the beautiful view from his 9th floor picture window, dozing off a few times and using the incentive spirometer - a device which measures how hard Jay can exhale (he is being very competitive about it, and asked how his exhales compared to his hallmates').

He was able to stand up a couple of times, take a few steps and let me beat him at chess. Mom has been exerting all of her healing powers from energy medicine to guided meditation to foot reflexology. It got a bit cold in the room, so he has appreciated the wonderful bright yellow and orange blanket, which has helped 5 friends before him recover from surgery. We hope that tomorrow he is strong enough to walk.

A new driver!

Just a quick update:

We saw Dad last night after he got out of 8 hours of surgery and 4 hours in the recovery room, and he was lucid, alert, and in great spirits. He had been listening to his ipod (the anesthesiologist selected his playlist) and was watching the Red Sox game. While disappointed they coudn't remove the entire tumor, he is excited to fight to the cancer, and said he felt the most hopeful he had been since the diagnosis.

Ellen got back from her work trip to Denver, and was able to go see Dad late last night - he was thrilled to see her. He talked about wanting a new golf driver (he borrowed one for his famous 330-yard drive), and wanting to keep our family vacation reservation on the coast of Maine. While he is having trouble sleeping, he is next to a window and the nursing staff has been great.

Many of you are asking about his mailing address - here it is! He will be at BIDMC for about a week. After that, please send things to our home in New York.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Patient: Jay Gallagher
West Campus, Farr 9
185 Pilgrim Rd.
Boston, MA 02215

Golden seeds...of hope?!

Jay got out of surgery safely today at 3:17pm. The doctor said his body was strong, and that he was the only one whose blood pressure didn't change at all during the entire procedure. He seems to have internalized his years of thick-skinned, steel-nerved reporter-dom.

While doctors were not able to remove the tumor, as it was wrapped around a major artery, they placed "golden seeds" on the entire surface of the tumor, and performed a bypass of the affected region. There was no cancer found outside the tumor, which is good news. The golden seeds will enable Jay to receive targeted, intense radiation on the tumor. This type of radiation is only available at 3 cancer centers in the country, and provides in 3 days what traditional radiation treatment takes 6 weeks to provide. The bypass will alleviate the symptoms that pancreatic cancer usually causes, and make him much more comfortable (and, importantly, able to golf and have a beer afterwards with little problem).

The hope is that this radiation and chemo will slow the tumor's growth, and in the best case scenario, shrink the tumor so that it may someday be removed. We heard stories of people living with the bypass for several years, and of one man whose tumor shrunk and was successfully removed.

Jay will now be at Beth Israel to recover for a week or so, and then will come home for additional recovery so he can store up the energy to fight the tumor during chemo & radiation.

Thank you all for you positive thoughts today. We think they made a difference!

Surgery Update - Cautious Optimism

Dad is currently in surgery (where he has been since 7:30am), which is good news! The doctor informed us that he was able to determine that the cancer has *not* spread to the liver, and therefore he has "opened him up."

The possible outcomes now are: 1) Best Case: removal of tumor with Whipple procedure (which will be followed by chemo.radiation). 2) Do a bypass of the tumor, which would enhance Jay's quality of life, but leave the tumor intact. The surgeon would do the bypass instead of the Whipple if the cancer has spread to the surrounding arteries or further.

When Jay received his anesthesia, he was upbeat, and after assuring me and my mother of his eternal love, he asked me 1) why I didn't always do what I was told, given that he always made reasonable fatherly requests, and 2) noting that it was his day to write his column, he asked me to write his newspaper column for him. I told him - no problem. He then asked the nurse how much the surgery cost. She told him she would have to get back to him.

We are not out of the woods yet, of course: please keep those well-wishes coming!!

Miracles Part 1:

The heavens parted to give us all a 4 and 1/2 hour round of golf today, and bestowed further miracles when Jay scored a birdie on a 475-yard par 5 hole - reaching the green in 2 shots, and driving for a record 330 yards! He has 3 witnesses: college roommate (and junior high classmate) Jeff Clunie, and his two caddies, aka, wife Emily and daughter Janice, who saw the drive - admittedly aided by an elevated tee and a moderate trailing wind.

But it was a miracle! And we are hoping, praying, and pleading for one tomorrow too.

Please send your prayers, wishes, thoughts to Jay between 7:30am and 3pm tomorrow. He will be in surgery for at least part of this time, and we expect to know much more about the prognosis after surgery.

Thank you all again for your email messages and calls of support. They keep Jay smiling through this difficult time.

No Braces!

Just more tests today. We got some evidence why healthcare costs are spiraling out of control. Jay got an EKG and numerous blood tests at Beth Israel - the same tests that he underwent at St. Peter's in Albany on Friday. (The results of which were sent to Beth Israel). But, as David Brooks said in today's NY Times, the financial incentives all encourage more tests and procedures.

The results, though, were good: the anesthesiologist commented that with good scores for indicators like blood pressure, heart rate, pulse, breathing, etc., Jay seemed like he was "a really healthy guy."

Except for the pancreatic cancer, Jay commented.

Yeah, except for that, the anesthesiologist said.

He also asked Jay to stick out his lower jaw to indicate that his airway would be clear during surgery. Everyone noticed how crooked Jay's lower teeth are. But after a brief consultation, it was decided that Jay would forego braces.

Jay hopes to squeeze in a round of golf with his friend Jeff Clunie tomorrow, with Janice and Emily making their debuts as caddies. Weather forecast is for, surprise, drizzle and showers for the 100th straight day, but they will probably soldier on anyway.

Jay is due at the hospital at 6am Thursday for surgery.

Hey, Jay! Video Project

The friends and family of Jay Gallagher are invited to participate in the "Hey, Jay! Video Project".

Just make a small video (1-3 minutes) that starts out "Hey, Jay!" with a brief greeting/message that uniquely expresses your well wishes for Jay - ideally something to lift his spirits, make him laugh and smile. We will compile these video messages to create a DVD for Jay to view during his recovery.

An FTP has been set up to upload your recorded message using a digital camera or recorder (no cell phone videos please).
The URL is: ftp://preztech.com
The login name is: u36833045-heyjay
The password is: heyjayvideo

Jay, Emily, Janice and Ellen can also download and view messages as they are posted.

I have posted a message to get things started.

Thanks,
Jane Lax

News from Boston

The good news is: a renowned pancreatic specialist and surgeon, Mark Callery, is going to be operating on Jay on Thursday at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. We have cancelled Dad's surgery which was scheduled for Tuesday in Albany. Callery and his partner do more than 185 of these surgeries per year, which makes Jay feel like he is in good hands. If Callery finds that the cancerous tumor is not removable , he plans to put "golden seeds," a la Rudy Giuliani's prostate, on the tumor so that dad can get a super does of radiation to help combat it.

We must admit this wasn't the best of days. Jay, Emily and Janice stopped off to see a movie, Angels and Demons, after the doctor's appointment to lighten the mood. They were forced to flee, however, halfway through when the fire alarm went off. They continued to stroll to Fenway Park, where despite Jay's condition, he refused to pay $25 for his 32nd Red Sox cap.

One of Jay's tasks for tomorrow is to remove the magic marker from his legs which almost made the chief nurse at Beth Israel snicker at the provincialism of a place as remote as Albany.

Please keep the emails coming - it is a great way for Jay to stay connected to you all!

A Happy Fathers' Day

We're all gathered at Ellen and Allyson's apartment in Somerville, where we just completed Jay's new favorite ritual: reading all the emails of support that keep pouring in. This is a highlight of the day - please keep them coming!!

We are now trying to figure out whether we can get to the hospital that's 6.2 miles away in less than an hour tomorrow morning during rush hour for a schedule CT scan. That's the same distance that Jay used to bike from home to the Capitol in about 35 minutes.

Jay was buoyed today by the Red Sox improbable 6-5 win over the Braves and by shooting an 83 on the golf course. He and Joe Spector*, whom Jay handily defeated at golf, made a joint command decision that whatever Governor Paterson was going to say today wasn't worth covering. Demonstrating his always-chic fashion sense, Jay was also a real hit with his blood vessels traced in magic marker on the sides of his legs in preparation for surgery. He was told it was a nice look.

Janice and Ellen continued to show themselves as the best and most brilliant daughters ever by buying him an iPod. If they can teach him how to use it, he hopes to drown out the depressing background noise of the hospital with Oldies, Audio Books and podcasts.

Tomorrow we will meet with the pancreatic surgery specialist in Boston, and hope to make some decisions. We will keep you posted.

*: full disclosure - Joe's Dad Barry actually won.

Jay's column, preparing for trip to Boston

As we all know, my father is kind of a wise-ass and can be a tad irreverent. He said today that he's lucky to have one of the few jobs where that actually serves him well. Writing his column has always been one of his favorite parts of his job. He managed to get one out this week on the causes of the current deadlock in the New York State Senate. You can read it here: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009906180353.

Back in the Gallagher household, Mom/Emily is super busy with getting ready for our trip to Boston tomorrow. On top of everything else that's going on, there's lots to do with the kitchen renovations going forward and us not knowing how long they're going to be in Boston. If the surgery happens in Boston like we're hoping, Mom and Janice will be staying with Allyson and I at our place in Somerville while Dad is recovering in the hospital.

OK, off to watch the US Open and ask my father super basic questions about golf.

Today's Adventures

Good evening all,

I am back in NY after working all week and Janice has gone home for the first time in almost a week. Mom and Dad spent the day balancing Dad's physical and spiritual well-being. The day started with getting some more tests, which included clearly marking where Dad's veins are on his leg in case they need to use part of one of them during the surgery. After that, they took a 9-mile(!) bike ride that eventually brought them back by Five Rivers. Dad continued his day with a massage and a delicious dinner.

He's spent the evening reading emails from many of you and is moved by all your messages. (He has a new email address: jaygallagheralbany(at)gmail(dot)com.*) Many times this evening he has been surprised at your thoughtful words and has been touched to see how this situation is bringing out the best in people. Please keep those messages coming, I'm hoping to bring him your emails even while he's recovering in the hospital.

...Speaking of the hospital, here's the timeline on the best case scenario: he goes in sometime next week for the surgery. The surgery should last 5-8 hours. After the surgery, he'll spend only 5-10 days recovering in the hospital. From there, it's supposed to be 6 weeks of recovery at home. Once that recovery period has finished, he'll start chemo and radiation. Well, that's the plan as of right now. As we know all too well, you never can really know what's going to happen when you go in for surgery but we are trying to keep our hopes up.

Take care,
Ellen

*: sorry about the typo earlier. The correct new email address for Jay is listed above and here: jaygallagheralbany(at)gmail(dot)com

Outline for the next few days

So here's the plan for the next few days: Dad will get some more tests tomorrow to make sure that he has everything he needs for the consultation on Monday. On Monday, they'll hopefully figure out who will be doing the Whipple Procedure (that's the name of the surgery he needs) and when. They have kept the appointment to have the Whipple done in Albany on Tuesday but the doctor in Albany knows they might cancel the appointment. Over the next few days Dad will hopefully continue to feel better as the stent that was inserted on Monday does its job. Dad will also continue to try to eat more to fatten himself up for the surgery!

How does this blogging thing work?

If you're not in the habit of checking blogs and would prefer to receive the blog posts by email, let me (Ellen) know and I can add you to a list of people who get blog posts emailed to you. My email is: ellensgallagher(at)yahoo.com.

For those of you who are slightly more technologically inclined...the emails with the blog updates are being sent to a google group whose email address is news-on-jay(at)googlegroups.com. You can get on that mailing list by going to http://groups.google.com/group/news-on-jay and following the instructions there. You can also sign up to follow this blog by a link on the right or follow it by various rss feeds.

Please also feel free to leave comments on this blog as we'll be reading them and would love to hear from you either by comments or by personal email.

Specialist appointment in Boston

Hello all,

So we already have some good news. Janice managed to get Dad (aka Jay) an appointment with a surgical oncologist at Beth Israel Deaconess (in Boston) for late Monday morning. This specialist has been referred to us by many people. The appointment will be 30-60 minutes long and it is unclear about what this means for when the whipple surgery will happen.

Stay tuned for updates...

With love,
Ellen

First entry

Welcome to the blog that we'll be using to update you all on Jay. This is the first post.

Here's what we know so far: Jay has stage II pancreatic cancer. The bad news is that this cancer is usually fatal within five years. The good news is that Jay's cancer is operable, which gives him a better chance than most.

Jay is back down to his running weight but didn’t want to do it this way.

We’re trying to decide now where and when to have the operation.

We suggest that people who want to keep up with his condition, check this blog. As soon as we know more about the date and time of this surgery, we’ll update this.

With love,

Ellen