Support Philip’s Fight Against Stage 3 Melanoma!

➡️ 10/4/24 [UPDATE]: Tuesday and Wednesday came and went with no pathology results but I’m so happy to report that Thursday we got the best news ever! The pathology took longer than expected because they sent off his samples for further testing to check for infiltrating melanoma in the lungs. In cancer lingo: it came back, NED! No evidence of disease! We are ecstatic!!!! His doctors told us that because pathology couldn’t identify any bacteria, virus or fungal culprit for his pneumonia that by process of elimination they have to just treat him as if he has Pneumonitis. They further explained that he has them scratching their heads because he doesn’t have a textbook case of Pneumonitis, so they consulted with his oncologist who stated he doesn’t believe it was Pneumonitis caused from his immunotherapy drug, Keytruda. After 21 days hospitalized, they discharged Philip yesterday evening with a high dose steroid prescription that will be tapered down over 6 weeks or up to 6 months. His oxygen machine was delivered to our house last night. I picked up his nebulizer and steroids last night and he’s already hard at work doing his lung expansion therapy. He’s still sick but we’re all so glad to be back at home where he can rest and start the long road to recovery. He gets fitted for his CPAP this afternoon. He’ll see his oncologist Thursday and we’re waiting on his pulmonologist appointment to be scheduled. Happy Happy Wife and happy happy daughters here!

➡️ 9/30/24 [UPDATE]: The preliminary results on the cultures came back negative late last week so on Saturday the Pulmanologist added an iv steroid to the antibiotics regimen he’s been on for a month now. Saturday night I took his temperature and dismissed the reading of 95° thinking that my thermometer battery must be dying, but then when his vitals were checked the tech got 93.7° and kept rechecking thinking his machine wasn’t working. He went to get another machine and it said 94° also. By midnight and 4am Sunday morning, his temperature reads were 94.7 and throughout Sunday they were 95-96. Today my thermometer still reads 95.6 but when his vitals get checked it’s been 97°. Because he was hypothermic, I asked the dr to redraw his thyroid labs because his note showed hyperthyroidism on 9/24 and said they’d follow up with labs. They results came back a little worse than original, however they don’t feel it is his thyroid causing the temperature drop. They said the body can have high fever or low temperature when fighting infection. It’s been disconcerting to see his labs posted everyday and see them trending either higher or lower each day since he was admitted but his doctors assured me today that they are monitoring them and that they’re doing everything necessary to get him well. Unfortunately, we just have to keep waiting. On Saturday, they also added some steroid breathing treatments and a lung expansion exercise. While he did those he sweated excessively and never stopped. He could have sweat out too much heat from his body which lowered his body temperature. He continues to have bad night sweats and some during the day. Just incase the hypothermia was some kind of adverse reaction to the iv steroid, they adjusted the frequency from every 8 hours to every 12 hours. When the doctors rounded today, the expressed their disappointment that the pathology hadn’t posted results of the lung & lymph node biopsies. They are hopeful that they will be tomorrow and they can give us some answers and a treatment plan to get him well. He remains on oxygen because without it his levels are high 80’s-92. He’s still coughing, however his lungs aren’t as sore as they were last week, thank goodness! We are going on day 10 at this hospital, not counting the 8 days at our local hospital. We are hanging in there and I’d say he’s in good spirits considering all that he’s been through. We feel truly blessed by the love and support shown to our family during this time.

➡️ 9/26/24 [UPDATE]: He had his lung biopsies yesterday afternoon and it hurt more than he anticipated. Sadly, the pain medications aren’t as effective as he’d like. The last 2 days since the last update, were the same as the days before, a vicious cycle of fever, painful coughing, headaches & night sweats. He avoids standing up or moving because it brings on coughing fits that make him vomit. His Pulmanologist and Nurse Practitioner came in this morning. (I’ll do my best to adequately put into words what they said to us.) He pulled up the scans of his lungs and showed me the extensive damage/current severe condition to the left and right sides and also the exact locations where he took the tissue biopsies from. He also found two enlarged lymph nodes and he took those out for testing as well. His first impression without the pathology results not in yet, is that Keytruda, the infusion medication he receives at Texas Oncology over the last year to treat his cancer has caused severe inflammation in his lungs causing pneumonitus. Pneumonitis and Pneumonia are both similar lung conditions with the difference being, pneumonitus is not infectious born but rather, inflammation only and pneumonia is inflammation caused by infection. The treatment for pneumonitus is iv steroids and the treatment for pneumonia is antibiotics. There is no test for pneumonitus, only the doctors judgement after ruling out all the infectious diseases. He explained that if eventually they decide to treat him for pneumonitus, steroid regimen is unpleasant, Philip won’t like it, and of course the timing is approximate, but that it will be dosed out strongly and tapered down over the first week, then the lower dose for 7 weeks and to follow with retesting to check for improvement. All of this being said, IF the biopsies show that it is fungal, bacterial or cancer, then they will not prescribe steroids but treat accordingly which he didn’t go into detail for every scenario as there are many. Most unfortunately for Philip and then for those who care for him, WE HAVE TO WAIT for the pathology lab to process the findings which can take time to process/grow. He did reassure us by saying, that if this a-typical pneumonia is fungal, that fungal is slow growing and not aggressively worsening his condition quickly, where were it a normal pneumonia, he wouldn’t still be here with us after all of this time. (Onset 8/11/24) He’ll remain in the hospital, on oxygen, the two strong broad spectrum iv antibiotics he’s been receiving for weeks and they will continue to treat his fevers, cough and pain from the procedure. Praying the results come in quickly and that when the doctors come round on Monday, they’ll have answers and a treatment game plan to get him on the road to recovery. ❤️‍ Please keep those prayers coming! Other than monetary contributions for our living expenses and bills while we’re both out of work, restaurant and grocery store gift cards for our girls, would be greatly appreciated.

➡️ 9/23/24 [UPDATE]: Things are rolling now that it’s Monday. Hospitalist came by 1st and then 2 pulmonologists from TXIPS group all before 10am! I told the pulmonologist that I was able to get Philip’s records from Peterson so she went and got a binder from the nurse and flipped through all 50 pages of it while sitting in our room. She snapped pics with her phone and said she’ll take imaging disk they sent to her office downstairs and start researching. They said they’d bring in infectious disease to consult. Their plan is to do a lung specific ct today and Wednesday he’ll have a lung biopsy from both the right & left lungs. Can’t express how much we appreciate the love, prayers and support shown to our family. His condition hasn’t changed. His fever comes and goes but tends to always decline in the afternoon and worse at night. Some positives: he likes the hospital food here, staff have all been excellent and I can say that my roll out cot is not too bad- I actually am able to get rest and not wake up with a sore back. My headaches come and go but so far so good today.

➡️ 9/22/24 [UPDATE]: Friends and loved ones of Codi and Philip - I’m posting an update on their behalf as this weekend has been a lot of setbacks. Philip was told he was being transferred to Methodist in San Antonio on Thursday morning, but they didn’t have transport and a room ready for him until Friday. When he got there, he was still not placed in the correct wing because there weren’t enough beds there to accommodate him, so the level of service has also not been in line with what he really needs and has had in Kerrville. Codi has been his advocate and nurse the entire weekend, checking temps and oxygen levels very regularly. She alerts the nurse when he has fever. She is suffering intense migraines, probably from the immense stress she is under. So please be praying for her. As for Philip, things just haven’t gone as expected at all. He was transported to the larger hospital so that doctors could do a lung biopsy to figure out what he has, but the doctor’s schedule is so packed he can’t do it until Monday or Tuesday. Philip’s paperwork didn’t get transferred correctly, so he wasn’t receiving any treatment for the infections for a while and his condition has just continued to decline. He continues to spike high fevers at night, each night getting progressively higher. Last night was 103.7. He is on meds now, but these same meds weren’t helping him in Kerrville either so they aren’t seeing results. On top of that, the room they got placed in was very obviously not cleaned- just another thing on top of an already distressing situation and a problem for an immune compromised patient dealing with a prolonged unknown infection. He still meets sepsis criteria and his hyponatremia (low blood sodium levels) and a few other things. Please pray for them and their doctors and the pathology lab to figure out what’s going on, send encouragement and Bible verses, contribute to their GoFundMe - love on them in every way you know how. They need it! They will probably not respond, but we don’t need them to respond. We don’t look for response when we serve others in love. Let’s support them as well as possible through this tough situation. 

Devin Vanderpool

 Codi’s Cousin)

➡️ 9/20/24 [UPDATE]: Philip is being transferred by ambulance to the ICU at Main Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. His pulmonologist compared his ct scans and his lungs have gotten worse. Last night was a rough night, his fever spiked to 102.7° and Tylenol wasn’t bringing it down but fortunately ibuprofen and ice packs under his armpits did. His doctors collaborated this morning and decided to have him transferred to a larger hospital where he’ll have surgery to obtain a lung biopsy. The pathology lab on site will be able to process the results quicker. The infectious disease doctors out of Dallas have tested him for everything under the sun and have yet to determine what is causing his infection. Our goal is to find out the exact fungal and/or bacteria that it is so they can treat him with the appropriate antibiotic. The antibiotics they’ve used thus far have not worked. Our oldest daughter (21) has come home to take care of our youngest daughter (14) and our pets, so that I may stay in the hospital with Philip. For those who have asked how you can help, other than monetary contributions for our living expenses and bills while we’re both out of work, restaurant and grocery store gift cards for our girls, would be greatly appreciated.

➡️ 9/18/24 [UPDATE]: Philip was re-admitted to the hospital today after televisit with infectious disease doctor out of Dallas. He got to come home on Friday night and because he was still so critical, I decided to record his vitals multiple times a day and night so I’d have it for his doctors: oxygen, pulse rate, temperature and blood pressure. In addition to taking oral antibiotics, I’ve driven him to the hospital where they start an antibiotic infusion every morning and we finish it at home where I flush & cap his midline. Despite all of this, his condition hasn’t improved, but worsened. Most of his cultures have come back negative, including, valley fever & typhus. However, his pertussis (whooping cough) was positive. He still has a few bacterial and fungal cultures that are growing and we’re waiting on the results to become available. The doctor explained that they have tried many of the strong antibiotics and because they don’t have a definite cause of the infection causing his pneumonia they don’t know what antibiotic will be effective. With all of these antibiotics they were worried about him contracting c-diff so while at home, I’ve been giving him 2000mg a day of the probiotic, florastor. They had him readmitted to have another chest X-ray & ct scan today to check his lungs. While in the hospital last week his labs were all over the place but on discharge they were concerned about his low sodium level not increasing, so they restricted his fluid intake. They are drawing labs now so hopefully there is improvement. He’s continued to have a low grade fever through out the week. Today at 3:15 it was 99.8. He’s still tachycardic with pulse at 118 at rest. His oxygen was 86 this morning but is 91 right now. They don’t want him to become septic again. Praying so hard that the strong penicillin antibiotic they’re starting will kick in and he’ll finally get better! Because he is so immune-compromised and possibly highly contagious, we request no visitors until further notice. He has been out of work so long, his employer is sending us FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) paperwork so that he won’t lose his position or insurance. However he has had no income coming in and won’t until he’s able to return to work. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers and generous gifts. We pray we can pay it forward in the future. ~Codi

➡️ 9/14/24 [UPDATE]: They got Philip’s picc line put in and they released him last night. I have to take him to the hospital every morning for a week to get antibiotic infusion. He has strict at home instructions but he’s happy to be out of the hospital. We’re still waiting on the lung biopsy culture results but the infectious disease doctor is treating him broadly and aggressively until they know for sure what it is causing his pneumonia. We’ll be laying low at home until he recovers. He had a low grade fever last night but so far so good this morning. His oxygen is 87-90 and his pulse 100-115.

➡️ 9/13/24 [UPDATE]: Philip had a REALLY good day yesterday and unfortunately started declining last night. He started getting fever again and severe muscle aches, complaining his throat and lungs were hurting. An 8 on a scale of 1-10. His labs are still low but they’re hopeful they will start to improve. His oxygen is staying around 90 and his heart rate in the low 100’s. He had a visit this morning from his oncologist, pulmonologist and another televisit with his infectious disease doctor. He’ll remain in the hospital at least another day and they’ll place a picc line in his arm so that he can receive iv antibiotics at home. The infectious disease doctor has a few theories as to what he has and is treating him accordingly for them until the biopsy culture is ready. Pertussis, typhus and PJJ (Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia) are the suspected culprits. He is still coughing but not as much as before, however it is still very painful. Because they don’t know if he is contagious we’re requesting no visitors at this time.

➡️ 9/12/24 [UPDATE]: He had a consult with the infectious disease doctor this morning. They are working with his pulmonologist to form a plan for medications post discharge. Rather it be iv or oral antibiotics. They are suspecting fungus or pertussis (whooping cough). They told us that NM issued a state wide advisory warning about their record high cases of pertussis the last few weeks. Since Philip works in NM they suspect this could be the culprit. He’s feeling better today than he has since this all started so we’re really hopeful he may get to go home tomorrow. His sodium level has dropped even lower and his white blood cell count isn’t posted yet.

➡️ 9/11/24 [UPDATE]: Philip’s fever spiked to 101.2 this morning and his oxygen kept going in the 80’s so it was a little stressful for a bit. Luckily, they got his fever down and his oxygen leveled out. He was taken to the O.R. at 11:30 and he was back in the room by 1:00. His Pulmanologist said the bronchoscopy went smoothly and that the lung culture biopsy can take a few days but we’ll get to find out what the culprit is behind his pneumonia. He explained that it could be tuberculoses, bacteria or fungus. Once determined they’ll know exactly what to prescribe to fight it. The doctor says he’ll stay here in the hospital until they can get a handle on his temp and oxygen. I’ve stayed with him since he was admitted on Monday and will stay as long as he does. He’ll have labs again at 4AM. I’m anxious to see how they look. His lab levels are all over the place since he was septic, so I’m really hoping they settle to normal ranges but specifically an increase in his sodium and a decrease in his white blood cells. Good news: His cough is much better since his lungs were flushed. Praying for a restful night.

➡️ 9/10/24 [UPDATE]: Philip is still receiving iv antibiotics and they seem to be doing their job. His white blood cell count was 12,800 yesterday and is now 11,100. He still had a low grade fever this morning but that is to be expected. Tomorrow he will be put under anesthesia for a bronchoscopy procedure. To my understanding the Pulmanologist will insert a microscope down his esophagus to his lungs to identify the type of bacteria and/or fungus causing the pneumonia, and then they’ll remove the mucus by rinsing his lungs with saline. We were told that he would stay a minimum of 48 hours and that they would like him to be fever free for 24 hours before release is an option. He has requested no visitors at this time. Thank you all for your continued love and support. Extra prayers appreciated for his very painful cough to subside. It’s been a long 4 weeks with no let up. 

➡️ 9/9/24 [NEWEST UPDATE]: He was admitted to the hospital this afternoon and strong antibiotics are being administered via iv. He has bacterial multifocal pneumonia in both lungs. Philip’s Pulmanologist and Oncologist would’ve liked his condition to start showing improvement after being on antibiotics since Friday but it continued to worsen over the weekend. His pulse ox was 88 at home with fever.

➡️ 9/6/24 [NEWEST UPDATE]: Philip has been very sick since the middle of August and his symptoms progressively got worse and worse. After many tests, X-rays and ct scans, they were advised today that he has multifocal pneumonia in both lungs. His sputum specimen is still at the lab, pending results. His Pulmanologist is working hand in hand with his oncologist and they’re awaiting to hear next steps to get him feeling well. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support of the family during this trying time in their life. 

➡️ 7/30/24 [NEW UPDATE]: Philip’s oncologist doubled his infusions a few months back and he continues to get them every six weeks. They knock him down pretty bad for the first week or so. He had two areas of concern that were biopsied recently and he received the results today. His dermatologist started by telling him that he had “ugly moles that turn into ugly cancer cells” and that it’s genetic and our girls should be monitored closely moving forward. Abi has had one biopsy so far and fortunately it was benign. Philip’s first biopsy was cancerous but had clear margins, so no further surgery is required; only scheduled monitoring for possible regrowth. His second biopsy was cancerous and more serious as the margins were not clear and it showed melanocytes with maturation. Without removal it would continue growing into a large lethal melanoma like the one he had removed in September 2023. He is scheduled for surgery 9/12/24.

➡️ 1/26/24 [NEW UPDATE]:

After suspending his cancer infusions and 10 days of steroids his breathing didn’t get better so his oncologist is adding an inhaler to his rx regimen and celebrex for his pain. He’s also being referred to a pulmonologist because he thinks he might have a preexisting pulmonary issue that the cancer treatments have exacerbated. It needs to be found and treated. Possibly asthma or something else. We were told he’s booked 4 months out, so hopefully we don’t have to wait too long for an appt. His oncologist is going to order pulmonary testing and labs to be done at the hospital to get a head start on what pulmonologist will need. Philip is getting his infusion right now.

1/14/24 UPDATE:

After completing only 4 of his 18 infusions, the side effects were taking such a toll on his body that the oncologist prescribed a 10 day steroid and decided to halt the treatments allowing his body to rest and recuperate. His next appointment is 1/26/24.

His medical deductible has restarted for the year, and is $6,650 with a total family medical out of pocket expense of $13,300. Once we pay the $13,300, our insurance will be paid at 100% until 2025 when it restarts again. Cancer is not fun or cheap. But I know this too, will pass.

We thank you all for your continued prayers and support.

10/6/23 update:

Philip Haines is in great spirits today. Full body Pet/CT scan in process. Prayers going up for no cancer spread beyond lymph nodes. He has numbing on his upper back and nerve pain in his upper left arm but the doctor said that might subside with time, we’ll just have to wait and see.

ONCOLOGY UPDATE from Codi Haines: 10/2/23 Philip Haines

We met Philip’s oncologist today, Dr. Singh of Texas Oncology. He exceeded our expectations with his exceptional bedside manner, knowledge and thoroughness. We feel less anxious and more hopeful after meeting him and his care team. They’re awesome!

Dr. Singh moved up Philip’s pet scan from 10/10/23 to this Thursday, 10/5/23 in San Antonio. This scan is a full body scan that will show rather or not his cancer has metastasized (spread anywhere else in his body). Hopefully we’ll receive the results at the earliest, this Friday but most likely on Monday. Philip will begin his cancer treatment this Monday, 10/9/23. Dr. Singh coordinated the treatment plan based on his current stage 3 diagnosis, but explained that if the pet scan shows cancer anywhere else then the stage moves up to stage 4 and the infusion treatment plan will be adjusted to add more medication in addition to the one prescribed now. As is, he’ll receive 18 infusions over the course of one year. Praying it HAS NOT spread! As this cancer is genetic and very aggressive, Dr. Singh advised that Philip will also have genetic testing done for the sake of our girls. He suggested that they see a dermatologist asap and recommended that Abi start going at least once a year for annual checks.

Tomorrow afternoon is his post-op surgery appointment with Dr. Berg to remove his stitches. We are so very grateful for each and every single prayer, call, text, card, hug and blessing we’ve received.

Update, 9/27/23: I wanted to keep everyone in the loop that unfortunately Philip’s lymph node results came back and are positive for cancer. This means he has now gone from a stage 2 to a stage 3 diagnosis.

❗️9/27/23 UPDATE on Philip Haines:❗️

from Codi: We met with his surgeon yesterday and got the pathology results. They weren’t what we wanted. They found metastatic melanoma in his lymph node, thus moving his cancer stage up to stage 3. The surgeon had us go to the Texas Oncology office and unfortunately the soonest he can be seen is Monday 10/2/23. He’ll have more cancer specific testing and imaging done to see if the cancer has spread to his organs and then the oncologist will set a treatment regimen for him to start fighting this cancer! We humbly ask for your prayers as we need them more than ever.

Update on Philip Haines from Codi —

9/18/23, 2:27 PM: lymph node scans came back Friday and showed tumor drains to 3 lymph nodes. Two under the left arm pit and one under the collar bone. The surgeon’s office called us this morning and moved his Thursday appointment up to today at 1:30. He showed us the scans and scheduled the surgery for tomorrow morning. He explained that they’ll repeat the radio active lymph scan procedure again at 8am and then remove the tumor on his back and then flip him over and remove the lymph node to be sent off for testing (5 days) possibly more than one if he sees any troublesome spots or swollen nodes. Philip is in good spirits but is more nervous about the breathing tube than anything else. Because of the multiple surgeries and their proximity, he will be put completely under anesthesia. We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for all of the love and support shown to us.

9/14/23: Hi, my name is Sara Holloway and I’ve known the Haines’ family closely since 2014. Codi is one of my very dearest friends and her family has always been so welcoming to my family since we first met years back.

Our kids have grown up together, husbands have hunted together — we have had so many good memories as a result of knowing them.

Just recently, Philip was diagnosed with Stage 2 Melanoma Cancer. He immediately came home from his job to start the process to undergo all necessary treatments/procedures to fight this diagnosis!

As many of you know, Philip works in the oil field and is the family breadwinner. He will be out of work for weeks fighting this, and I know he’ll kick butt at this fight! During this time, however, expenses will be piling up. Medical, travel, etc. They have a $6,000 medical deductible that has to be met.

Nobody truly plans for this because it’s an unspoken nightmare you would never want to go through.

Philip is never without a smile, a joke, laughter and a helping hand for others.

Please consider donating to offset their expenses during these trying times and to lighten the load. This would free at least some worry and we can show them how loved they are! ❤️‍

9/13/23 Update from Codi Haines: As most of you probably know, Philip Haines was diagnosed with stage pT2a melanoma cancer. Many of you have called and texted asking for updates and Philip suggested that I just post it here on fb as it would be quicker and easier to reach all of you at once. We met with his surgeon today and found out that tomorrow morning at the hospital he’ll do his pre-op blood work and have a 3 hour radio active procedure using blue dye to locate the sentinel lymph node that his tumor drains to. Once found, they’ll schedule surgery & remove it to send to pathology for testing to more accurately stage his cancer. If the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes then his stage moves up to a 3. If it’s spread to his organs it’s stage 4. We pray, pray, pray it has NOT. It is a tedious testing process and can take 5 days to get the results back after removal. Because Philip’s very large malignant melanoma tumor is fast growing they want to remove it as fast as possible. We already have the follow up appointment scheduled for next Thursday, 9/21/23 with his surgeon. At that appointment we’ll get the lymph results and the tumor & lymph excision surgery will be scheduled promptly. (The initial dermatology tumor biopsy didn’t get clean margins.) We were referred to an oncologist and will see him once the lymph results are back. Either way we were told that Philip will most likely start immunotherapy to kill the cancer and to help prevent reoccurrence. Thank you all so much for your love and support.