Another chance to say goodbye

Since everything happened so fast last Friday, we thought it would be nice to gather again in Troy's honor. So, please join us Saturday, August 23rd, to celebrate Troy's life - hopefully there will be more laughs than tears as we share stories and remember the incredible spirit of an incredible man.

Drop by anytime after 7:00

533 Greenwood Ave. NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-803-2253

Please forward this invitation to anyone who would want to join us.

Email me at todd_snead@msn.com if you plan on attending so I can prepare accordingly.

Sharing

Hello Everyone,

It has been such a pleasure to see all the comments and pictures many of you have posted on Troy's facebook account.

Please continue to post, but could you please send me copies of any pictures you have of Troy and his friends - I will compile them and find a way to make them available.

Please send your pictures to todd_snead@msn.com

Thank you so much for you love and support!
Todd

Service Arrangements

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers in this difficult time.  

Service arrangements have been finalized.  

The family will receive visitors tomorrow, August 16, from 6-9 P.M. at Ward's Funeral Home in Gainesville.  The service will be on Sunday at 3:00 P.M., also at Ward's Funeral Home. 

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or your favorite charity.    

Ward's Funeral Home is located at 758 Main St., Gainesville, GA 30501/  Their phone number is 770-534-5351.  

Moving on

Troy passed away at 10:27 am this morning - It's over......but the battle was WON.

TROY CARLTON HENSON
8-25-1973
8-15-2008

Services will be arranged through Wards Funeral Home in Gainesville, GA and information will be posted.

Comfort

Troy's liver values and ammonia levels have continued to rise daily in the past week and his Myeloma markers have also elevated again. After talking with the medical team here at Northside and given several alternatives for his care, we were forced to make a difficult choice of Comfort Care for him. This means no more blood products or lab values and uncomfortable tests. He is on O2 with minimal IV antibiotics, saline, and a Morphine drip for pain. This treatment will allow him to rest peacefully and comfortably.

He rested well last night and has intermittent moments of "alertness."

The family is requesting no visitors at this time as the Bone Marrow Unit is considered an ICU setting. We very strongly request your continued prayers. We have been blessed with so many good and caring friends.

Troy is one tough man. He has endured this fight to date with so much of his battle being fought up hill and he continues to fight.

A little boost

Troy has had some issues with elevated liver enzymes the past few days - which has left him a little confused at times. The MM is also on the march again. So, the doctors have decided to cut back on his new chemo and give him a "booster shot" of his stem cells (the ones left over from the harvest in March). It is hoped that these will help give his immune system a jump start (his WBC has been zero all summer).

Please keep the positive energy coming - Troy needs it more than ever to get through this rough spot.

All call for some fluids

Troy has been in the hospital for a while now, and with all of the drugs and different treatments, he has been given a lot of platelets and blood. If you are able, please, please, please drive to the Atlanta Blood Services and donate. I will testify that it is an easy process. (In fact, the questionnaire took longer than the blood donation.) The nurses are great and they have a wide selection of movies for you to watch, if you can donate platelets. You even get a t-shirt! And cookies! And juice! What are you waiting for?!?

From Atlanta Blood Services:
Georgia does not have enough blood donors to sustain demand within the state and must import most of the products used. During the holiday seasons and especially during the summer months, levels tend to fall because donations decline while the demand by patients increases or continues to remain constant.

Passing the pain

Well, it has been an eventful couple of days at the hospital. The doctors were concerned that Troy's blood wasn't thick enough, so they gave him products to do just that. Turns out those products may have produced very large (some the size of a quarter) blood clots that accumulated in his bladder. As you can imagine, passing those was not a pleasant experience for Troy. However, it seems that things are calming down now.

They also started one of the new chemo drugs today - hopefully it will cut down the MM and give Troy a break before the donor stem cell transplant scheduled for later this month.

Please keep the positive energy and thoughts heading his way - it has been a rough summer, but Troy will win this battle!

Hangin' in there

Troy is still at Northside. He is doing well despite the countless bags of fluids, medications, and chemo he gets daily. He has been walking around the floor and doing some bed exercises to keep up his strength. He is also growing a few hairs on his head!

Although his voice is a little stronger, he is still raspy and sometimes has a hard time getting all the words to speak clearly. However, I'm sure he would still love to hear your words of encouragement and funny stories - anything to "transport" him out of the mundane hospital room.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that

Well, because of all the fluids they have had to give Troy, and because he is not moving around much due to his lack of energy, the fluid has backed up a little bit on his lungs (his heart is not successfully flushing out his system as it should). So, they have had to give him Lasix (a drug that pulls fluid off the body) to get him back on the right path.

Troy has been through this sort of "back and forth" thing with Lasix many times over the past few months - so there is no need to be worried. However, it just sucks that he can't get "ahead" of this thing. Hopefully he will begin to turn around in the coming days.

They will also be starting his new chemo treatment tomorrow (I think) - so there is another piece to the puzzle.

Please keep him in your thoughts - he has almost no energy and can barely stay awake long enough to finish a sentence. So, as much as I know he would love to return your phone calls and emails, he just can't right now - but keep 'em coming nonetheless.

A little dip

Well, Troy is back in the hospital again because he didn't really eat or drink anything the past few days. The doctors say he looks good "on paper," but he wasn't feeling good and had no energy from the lack of nutrients.

The lung and blood infections seem to be clearing up, but they have detected a slight rise in some of the bad protein levels. Thus, the doctors are discussing a change in his chemo regiment - it is like the MM is "smart" and learns how to get around any chemo they throw at it.

They are still working on the stem cell donor and are proceeding with the necessary tests for that person, but we still don't have an exact date for the transplant. As you can imagine, Troy's disease needs to be under control and he needs to be strong before they can proceed.

Keep sending the positive messages and encouragement!

Home again!

Troy made it home again this afternoon! His white count is still extremely low, but hopefully that will be turning around soon. His spirits are up and we hope to get to the donor transplant soon - they did many of the necessary tests while he was in the hospital this past week. Although he will have to continue his daily treatments at the clinic, let's hope he doesn't have to go back into the hospital until the transplant!

If you, or anyone you know, is looking to purchase a nice two bedroom house in the Duluth area - give Troy a call. He has recently put his house on the market.

Gettin' by

It seems Troy can't get too comfortable at home these days. He went back into the hospital about a week ago after having a few dizzy spells at home. Turned out, his blood pressure was drastically dropping every time he stood up. So, they checked him in, messed with his blood pressure medication for a few days, and have finally gotten him somewhat stabilized. However, it wasn't without a cost - they gave him more chemo, which upset his stomach something fierce - but that is under control now as well.

So, he has been there over a week now - and things are looking up, but they are keeping him there until his counts come back up from the chemo (which is always a long process). They are hoping to move Troy to the donor transplant soon and have begun the necessary tests to make sure he is fit to do so (the ONE advantage to already being in the hospital!)

Thank you for all of your thoughts and positive energy - IT IS HELPING! Although he is not in the best situation to accept visitors at this time, please keep sending cards, emails, texts, and phone calls - all of which help Troy get through the day!

Home Again

Whoo-hoo! Troy is at home! I wanted to wait a day or two before I shared with y'all, considering what happened last time. Although the view from Northside was pretty sweet (he had a great view of the king and queen buildings), he is glad to be back home.

And if you have nothing else to do except watch some movies, you could always donate platelets or blood. :) We need to start stockpiling for the second transplant.

As always, thanks for all of the positive thoughts and prayers.

The blood cultures have come back and the news is that the infection is an antibiotic resistant blood infection. They are keeping him for at least a couple more days and are determining if the rest of the treatments can be done outpatient. He has a picline, which I guess is like a smaller, semi-permanent port, so no more getting stuck. Yay! He also got a round of chemo this weekend.

Well, crud

So Troy had one day of freedom before his temperature started creeping up. He spent Father's Day with his dad at the Towers getting fluids and stuff. On Monday, his temperature passed the safe threshold of 100.5, so Dr. Solomon re-admitted him to Northside. At first, they did not know what was causing the infection, but they now know that it a blood infection, which is an especially bad thing when you are neutropenic, because it defends you against other infections. So as a precaution, he is having his central port removed, because it is a site for infection, and he has a normal IV now. The bad news is that he has to be stuck every time he has a lab, which can be four times a day. He'll need to stay at the hospital until his counts come up. Keep praying for him.

Home Sweet Home!

Yay! Yay! Yay!
After 25 days at Northside, Troy was cleared yesterday and is safely ensconced at his parents' house! He (and we) are very appreciative of the wonderful doctors, nurses, and staff at Northside, but he is happy to not have to see them. (Stir crazy maybe?) He was projected to go home on Friday, but had some issues with dizziness. The doctors were adjusting his medications, which caused the lightheadness. He is looking forward to growing some white blood cells and getting healthy enough for the second stem cell transplant. Right now, his schedule will consist of visiting the Tower for fluids, platelets, and blood as needed, so keep those donations coming. Please contact me at hsaile at hotmail dot com for an address to send well wishes. Thank you for all of the positive thoughts and prayers!

Marathon!

Sorry the updates have lagged lately - things are good, so don't worry!

Troy has continued to improve over the past few days - in fact, he walked the equivalent of 1 mile around the transplant floor today (28 laps to be precise)!

His heart function is also improving and creatin levels are low - so it looks like things are good. Hopefully he will be back home at his parents soon.

One step forward, one step back

Good news - Troy got out of the ICU yesterday and is breathing well on his own.

Bad news - his blood pressure was extremely low today and they may need to readmit him to keep an eye on what is going on.

Sorry, I don't have any more information than that, but will keep you posted as things develop.

Even better news

They took Troy off the respirator this morning! His voice is coming back, although it is VERY hoarse - sounds kind of like a bull frog if you ask me. He is alert and making jokes and goofy faces - as only Troy can do!

Assuming he continues to improve, they hope to move him back to the 3rd floor and resume the chemo treatment tomorrow.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers - please continue to help him fight this battle.

June 3 - Better News

Dear family and friends we are so very grateful for each of you. We have had more challenges still. Saturday he had some oxygen added due to his O2 stats being a little low when he woke up from a nap. Sunday had some minor issues including 2 more units of blood and 2 units of platelets due to low counts but nothing seemed really major until after shift change at 7:00 pm. He was talking and just out of the blue said he felt hot and started fanning and then started with some shortness of breath even with the O2 on.
We got his nurse who in turned called respiratory and from there things "really flew" with his O2 stats dropping and blood pressure rising and bottom line he had to be intubated (put on a ventilator) and taken to ICU. He has been sedated since then.
He is still in ICU and still has the vent in but they have been weaning him off the oxygen since late yesterday and since lunch today he is actually breathing on his own and has been awake each time we have gone back since about 1:00 pm today though still has some light sedation. They have the ventilator set on CPAP so it only kicks in if he goes to sleep or relaxes enough to not be breathing deep enough to get the proper level of oxygen.
Dr Solomon said that they would be checking him with some simple commands and if he "passes" their test they will try removing the vent tube later this evening.
He has been responsive with eye contact and blinks and eyebrow raising so we feel they will take it out soon.
His heart rate is decreased per the Echocardiogram that was done yesterday and Dr Solomon says it is operating at a fraction of the strength that it was prior to his transplant but he says this could be temporary will just have to wait and see. If you remember his ejection ratio was decreased in February when he had his transplant pre-testing but when his scans were repeated it had come back up so we are hopeful that it will do the same in this instance and the decrease at present is just due to the trauma from the events of Sunday nite, his recent transplant and the chemo sessions he has had this week.
He is due for chemo tomorrow and we have not been told that he will not get it as scheduled so we will think positive on that.
When he stabilizes he will be moved back to the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit upstairs as his counts are wiped out from the chemo so he will still be in isolation also.
Prayer is so very powerful and we have surely felt the results from all of the many that have been lifted on Troy's behalf.
Thank you again for you faithfulness and support for Troy. He is a FIGHTER.

Not Good News

Last Wednesday, some of the tests for the marker proteins for the presence of myeloma came back positive. That and the increased levels of creatin led the doctors to start another round of chemotherapy. He seemed to respond well to the chemo and Troy and his family seemed to be dealing well with the setback of the timeline. His second transplant, once the myeloma goes back into remission, will be pushed back at least six weeks, when we were looking at starting the transplant in a month.
Last night, Troy was complaining of being hot and it became difficult for him to breathe. The doctors and nurses rushed in and quickly transferred him to the ICU. They had to intubate him to help him breathe. There was a lot of fluid on his lungs, which may be pneumonia, and the doctors were also concerned about his heart function. The good news is that they have removed a lot of fluid from his lungs, and they reduced the vent to 40% this morning. The doctors have done an echo cardiogram to check his heart function and a bronchoscopy to look into what's going on inside his lungs.
Please keep praying. The doctors have been saying that it will take a lot of luck and fighting for Troy to get through this, and we need all the good luck, thoughts and prayers possible.
Thanks,
Helen

One step forward, two (baby) steps back

It's transplant day 55, and Troy has had a setback. He went in to do a consult for his port removal last week, and it turns out that he was running a fever. (Fever=bad news.) So as a precaution, he was admitted to Northside and administered antibiotics and anti-fungal medications. The good news is that his fever is going away, and the bad news is that the doctors still have not pinpointed the cause of the fever. They have done a CT scan and they saw a black spot on his lungs, which they think is a fungus. A pulmonologist is supposed to be stopping by this evening to check it out. More news later.

A Belated Happy Mother's Day!

I know that it's been a while since the last post, and they seem to get farther apart, but Troy's treatment is less day by day, and more in-for-the-long-haul.
It is Transplant Day 39, and other than a re-occurrence of shingles last week, things are coming along well. He may have his port removed on Friday, which means that he has progressed enough in his treatment that he doesn't need to go into the clinic for fluids and such on a daily basis. His white blood cell count is way up into the normal range. His kidney function is returning to normal, and there are even wisps of eyebrows growing back. Yay facial hair! He's working towards transplant day 100.

I know that I was thinking about my momma when I visited her this past weekend, and it got me to thinking about how awesome Momma Henson has been. She has been the center of the family as they deal with the rammifications of Troy's disease. She has been the producer of unexpected moments of hilarity, and a source of stories about Troy and Tim. She has been at his side, nearly around the clock when he was in the hospital. (I really don't know how she slept in those chair-bed recliners things. ) She knows more about Troy's treatment then the doctors do, and has helped coordinate his care between his many doctors with her amazing notebook. She rocks! So, in honor of Lucary, tell your momma how much you love her, and know that she would be there in the middle of the night, sleeping in the chair-bed-recliner thingie with the weird bump in the back while you were getting better.

Mon. April 14 - ZZZZZZZZZs

Troy got out of the hospital today. The sores in his throat got progressively worse throughout last week, but he started to turn around this past weekend. These sores, as well as massive fatigue, are all "par for the course" the doctors say - so no need to be alarmed.

The good news is that he is home now, feeling much better, and can swallow liquids again.

The great news is that his white count is jumping by leaps and bounds. For instance, it was .8 yesterday and 2.6 today! The doctors say this is a good sign and officially declared that Troy has "grafted!" That means the stem cells have taken root in his bone marrow and that things are on the up and up!

He will be in isolation for about another week (which means those pesky trips to the doctor's office everyday at 7:00 AM!) - so please send emails, cards, and love to support him during this difficult time.

I'm not vein enough

So I had this plan about telling how easy the platelet donation process is, and how you can just walk in and after a movie, you walk out, but my veins aren't big enough. You have to have big enough veins for the needle so that when the machine collects the platelets, it can put the blood back. But what I did see was awesome. The chairs are really comfy, and they have a long list of DVDs that you can watch while the apheresis machine whirs softly in the background. (They even had The Goonies. "I can't tell... if it's an "A sharp" or if it's a "B flat"! ) There's a blanket warmer, so when you get a blanket, it's like it just came out of the dryer (one of my favorite things.) And if you want to ride MARTA, you can get off at the Northside station, and it's right across the street. If you are like everyone else in Atlanta and will drive, Atlanta Blood Services validates your parking.

I was able to give blood, and I got a t-shirt, a bottle of Gatorade, and peanut butter crackers. Cassandra, my nurse, was wonderful. I have been told that I am a hard stick, and she did a wonderful job of finding a vein, and in about five minutes, I had a unit of blood going towards Troy. If you have done the platelet donation, leave a comment about how easy it was and how everyone who can do it should. (I'm jealous of you and your big, easy-to-find veins.)

On the news from Troy front, he is at the stage of his chemotherapy when mouth sores are appearing. They have progressed down his GI tract, so he has been admitted to Northside for IV medications and fluids to help get them under control. It is transplant day 7, and this is a common occurrence. He's understandably a little bit down about being back in the hospital, but his doctor has told him that the next two to three days should be much better.

New immune system anyone?

Well, it's finally happened! The transplant has landed. Troy received his cleaned stem cells on Wednesday, and is feeling good. So far, he has no medical side effects, but one of the side effects is that the solution that the stem cells are delivered in smells like garlic and that smell seeps through the patient's pores. I don't think that Troy will have to worry about vampires anytime soon. Don't worry; the odour de garlique will go away.

In other good news, the doctors have found a perfect match for the next transplant. 10 of 10 markers. That will be in three to four months, so keep sending those warm and fuzzy thoughts his way.

All I can say is, "Whoo-hoo!"

March 27, 2008 - Lock and Load

They got the remainder of Troy's stem cells Wednesday morning - something like 4.5 million. So he has plenty of stem cells for two transplants if needed!

The next step is to knock out his immune system with a high dose of chemo on Monday and then infuse his stem cells on Wednesday! The recovery is underway and he is EXCITED about moving on to the next level - getting that MM out of his body!

Thank you Easter Bunny! Bawk Bawk!

It's harvesting time!

I hope that you have overalls and a pitchfork, because it's time to harvest! Okay, maybe that would be more appropriate for, say, corn or soybeans, but instead we're harvesting stem cells. The Neupogen worked wonderfully and stimulated lots and lots of cells. The wonderful staff at Northside started harvesting today around 9 A.M. and collected over half of what Troy will need for his transplants. His collection goal is 10 million cells total, and today they collected 6.09 million. (I bet Troy busted many a curve in school. Overachiever. ) There will be more collecting tomorrow out of his "udder" (as he calls his port) and then it's on to another round of chemotherapy, after which, the collected cells will be infused back into his system. Troy sounds upbeat and positive, and it definitely looking forward to tomorrow.

If you haven't made your travel plans for spring break, I know a great place to visit! All of the cool kids aren't going to St. Barts or Daytona or Gulf Shores; instead, the place to be and be seen is the donation room at Atlanta Blood Services! I'm signing up for my movie and cookies, and I'll report back to let you know how easy and painless it is.

Feb. 27 - Blood and Platelet Donation

Hey Everyone,

First a little update: Troy took his initial steps toward his first autogolous stem cell transplant (his own stem cells) last Thursday. They gave him a high dose of chemo to knock down the myeloma and when his white count comes back up, they will harvest his stem cells. (This is probably happen next week).

After they collect the cells and freeze them, they will then give him an even stronger dose of chemo that will essentially wipe out his immune system. The following day, they will "infuse" his stem cells back into his body and they will begin to build a new immune system - hopefully without any of those pesky plasma cells!

This will of course take a long time and Troy will be in a very "delicate" state - in terms of his immune system. He will also need blood and platelets at this time. Which brings me to my next point...

GIVE BLOOD AND PLATELETS!

Atlanta Blood Services will be providing Troy these much needed fluids throughout his treatment. They are experiencing a shortage at this time, and it would be great if you could donate to this life-giving cause.

I am told the process takes about 2 hours, but they have movies for you to watch while you wait! The great thing about giving platelets is that ANYONE can use them regardless of your blood type - including Troy! There are some guidelines for eligible donors - click here to learn more.

It would be great if those of you who have organized people at your school or church in the past could spread the word and rally the troops! (please consult the eligibility information before you sign people up)

You can contact ABS by clicking the link above or by calling (404)459-8744 and asking for a donor coordinator.

I know Troy, and many others in similar or worse conditions, would appreciate your support!

Feb. 14 - A Little Lovin'

The transplant doctors at Northside gave Troy some good news today.

His plasma cell count in his bone marrow is down from 90% to 5% since October! Another way to think about this is that 90% of the "stuff" that made up his bone marrow was cancerous plasma cells - quite a dramatic improvement!

Many other levels are down as well, but I'm not going to go into them because it gets a little bit technical. Needless to say, most of them are either "normal" or slightly elevated - and some of them are the lowest we have seen since this summer!

I actually heard the doctor say that Troy's disease is in partial remission and that they hope to get it to complete remission after the transplant!

There are still a few concerns - mainly an elevated heart rate, a passing infection in his colon, and less than perfect kidney function. The doctors want to get Troy as healthy and strong as possible before his first transplant, which will hopefully begin in the coming weeks.

I hope this good news finds you all well on this Valentine's Day - make sure to tell someone you love them!

Jan. 28 - Home and Happy

Troy actually got out of the hospital when they said he would! He got home last Friday morning (Jan. 25) and is doing very well. I have never seen him this happy and energetic overall. Even though he has lost a few pounds and a few hairs, he hasn't lost his personality. This particular chemo has a more delayed effect - so I am sure his white counts will drop, but his overall pain seems to be minimal.

He told me that the one thing that kept his spirits up last week was knowing that he was supposed to be at GMEA in Savannah - I think it gave him the drive to stay positive and get out of the hospital. Many of you at GMEA said you want to see him, but don't want to impose. Troy has gotten really good at sensing his own strength and knowing when isn't a good time. Don't be hesitant to contact him and set up a time to visit - and if he can't right then, don't be discouraged because there will be other times.

Keep the positive energy coming - it is definitely helping him fight this thing!

One more time, with feeling!

Troy is back in the hospital, but don't worry, it is a planned trip this time. He is receiving his last round of chemotherapy, and then hopefully, it's on to Northside for transplant stuff.
He had a great weekend visiting with friends and family (I heard that Tim made a pot of spaghetti). He said that it was the best that he was feeling in a long time.

Again, the emails help, so send your love to room 530 by way of http://www.nghs.com/General%20Pages/email.htm
He will be neutropenic shortly, so virtual contact is best.

Peace out.
Funk master H-sweetness.

It's been a while......

Hello all,

So Troy's new chemo treatments seem to be working. The white blood cell counts are up, and the other ones are down. (The battery's up and the bowery's down....Anyone?) Unfortunately, one of the side effects of the new chemo is the hair loss. For someone who normally needs to shave every two hours, he hasn't shaved in two weeks. So, being to proactive trooper that he is, he has decided to buzz it off.

Definitely this:

Or this:

Or this:

But definitely not this:

The next round of chemotherapy starts next week, and then, hopefully, the transplant stuff begins.

Jan. 4 - You can't spell sugar in the hospital!

After 15 days and two major holidays in the hospital, Troy went home this morning! The doctors are giving him a couple of weeks off, then they will start one more round of chemo before the first transplant.

Troy is in great spirits and VERY glad to be home - give his immune system a couple of days to recover and go and visit!

Happy New Year!

Can't spell sugar without UGA!

Troy (and the Bulldogs) had a wonderful time on New Year's Day. Apart from the terrible Fox announcers, we had a fantastic time watching the Dawgs prove just how great they are. Troy cheered from the bed although probably not as loudly as he normally does. Hopefully, he won't have to watch much more football from the 5th floor of NeGMC.
Happy New Year to everyone!