Alan’s Army

Well, it has been a real roller coaster ride of emotions since the last update.

Yesterday the doctors mentioned that the abilities Alan has on his left side are only what they would have expected to see after 4 to 6 weeks post-op and in-patient physical therapy, not just a week laying around the hospital.  So they thought they would send him to a regular room and then discharge him on Wed. (today) to home.

Then late yesterday we saw the chief resident who worked on Alan’s operations with his neurosurgeon. Alan’s tumor pathology came back and it’s unfortunately not benign.  It has a ridiculous name:  Oligodendroglioma. The doctor stressed that we should be very careful about searching the internet as there is a lot of bad information out there.  He said the UPenn or Mayo Clinic sites were the best.

Although it is too early for specifics on the treatment, Alan will need radiation and chemo.

The good news of the bad is that this kind of tumor is treatable (unlike what Senator Kennedy has.)  The pathology is also not yet complete.  This type of tumor can be missing one or two chromosomes.  If it is missing one good; if missing two, even better.   Apparently if missing these chromosomes,  it is more responsive to a certain drug in pill form that Alan can simply take at home.  It will take 2 weeks to get back this pathology report.

Regardless of the treatment the neurosurgeons, radiologists, and oncologists agree on, it will be several weeks before it starts.  They want him to get home and fully heal from the operations before he does anything else.

Alan is now in a regular room - 727B - STOP - STOP - this WAS as of about 4:30pm yesterday - SURPRISE!  he’s actually now in Edison NJ.

We went to Philly today with the expectation that we were bringing Alan home and as of 11:30am we were set to get him out at about 1:30pm.  After a talk with the PT folks and a description of our little old farm house, the stairs, bathroom, etc. they decided it would be best for Alan to spend a week in a rehab facility where he could get some intensive therapy with strengthening, stairs climbing, etc.  He was very, very disappointed as he said he envisioned himself within a few hours sitting on his tailgate with a cigar and his dog.

So, at about 2:15 they took him off in an ambulance and drove him up here to Edison.

If anyone would like to visit Alan he is in Room 3537 on floor 3 - East Wing.  The address is:

JfK Johnson Rehabilitation Hospital
65 James Street
Edison, NJ

I think Lot B is Rehab parking and thankfully is free.  (The $15 every day in Philly for parking was starting to really add up on top of the gas cost back and forth each day.)

Visiting hours are:

Mon - Fri - 4 pm-8:30 pm
Sat - Sun - 1 pm - 8:30 pm

Thanks everyone for their continued support and prayers for Alan.

God Bless,

Andrew

PS -  I will try to get an email out with some photos tomorrow.