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!
Showing posts with label Boston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boston. Show all posts
Monday, June 22, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
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
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
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