Thankful

I never did 30 days of Thanksgiving on Facebook or anything, and even though I am behind Thanksgiving a few days, and Christmas is almost upon us, I am going to do a “Things I am Thankful For” list and hopefully in the process give you a little update.

 

1. I am thankful that Dad's latest test results came back positive. The nodules in his lungs are barely visible and the lesions in his bones haven't worsened.

 

2. I am thankful that Dad has such a strong work ethic, because he is working hard to get better. Every day he does his physical therapy to improve a little more. Now he can walk across the room with his walker.

 

3. I am thankful that Dad has such a strong will, because he and my Mom gave it to us and together we will get him through this.

 

4. I am thankful that Dad has a power chair, because even walking with a walker across the room takes a lot of effort and wears him out, so the power chair lets him get around more than he otherwise could. He can also take the babies for rides (Korben & Joleigh love it; I think Dad loves it just as much!)

 

5. I am thankful for Dad's doctors. They have the know-how to help him get better.

 

6. I am thankful to God for giving the doctors the knowledge and guiding the doctors to make the best decisions possible for my Dad.

 

7. I am thankful for four precious angels, who are helping work miracles too. I would so much rather they be here with us, but I am thankful that we were lucky enough to have them as family, and that Kellen had a cousin as a best friend like Jaydin. Each of them were unique, each of them were kind and each had their own individual personality that made them who they were. Brandy, Jaydin, Devian & Marvin we love each and every one of you and always will.

 

8. I am thankful for a Mom who pushes and pushes to get my Dad what he needs and gives and gets him the best care possible.

 

9. I am thankful for all of our family, friends, and strangers who have supported our entire family during this year in so many different ways.

 

10. I am thankful that doctors don't know everything, and that Dad is doing remarkably well given the diagnosis that he was given.

 

11. I am thankful that we all live relatively close together and can get together as a family a lot.

 

12. I am thankful that Dad has gotten strong enough to enjoy one of his favorite activities, deer hunting. He and Mom, or Paw-Paw, or Garrett, sometimes drive out to the lease for the evening hunt and Dad hunts out of the truck (yes, another thing to be thankful for, he is strong enough that he can get in the truck with some assistance).

 

There are a lot of other things I am thankful for too, but if I kept on it would make this post really long, so with that, I will close. My family and I wish you a very blessed Christmas Season and a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year

 

Better Late Than Never

I have been completely behind in keeping the blog up to date, but I will try to catch you all up a bit.  For those of you who don't know, dad has been home about 4weeks!!!  Yea!!!  Dad is keeping up with the business end (paperwork, making calls, etc) of farming from home.  Thank you to everyone helping out in any way, we are truly blessed to call you family, friends & neighbors.  Dad is working so hard to get better and regain some of his strength and mobility.  Kellen really wants Mi-Ma & Pa-Pa to go out to eat with her at Gringos, so she can try to beat him at making the best biggest ice cream cone (for those of you who don't know, my Dad is an expert ice cream cone maker - it was his job at school when he was in school).  Dad didn't get to go for chemo on Friday because his counts were too low, but hopefully this week they will have bounced back.

A Quick Update

Just a quick update...last Friday (7/27/2012) we welcomed Langley Taylor Walton to our family, Kristi & Kyle had a healthy 8 lb 8 oz little girl, she is beautiful!!!  On Monday, Dad had to be transported from the downtown Methodist to Katy for an MRI because he had been having some neck pain, so Dad in the course of having an MRI, Dad also got to meet Langley for the first time.  On Tuesday morning the results from the MRI were available there are new lesions developing in the neck.  In response to this, radiation started on Wednesday morning on this area.  The spots are small so we hope this will do the trick.  He will have ten rounds of radiation and will continue with chemo.  Hopefully once the radiation is complete Dad will be able to come home again.

Surprise!

Since Dad was doing so well from the surgery on the leg Saturday, they bumped up the surgery on his arm to today. During the surgery they removed the tumor and put in two plates and several screws and packed e tumor site with cement. He is in recovery right now for at least an hour and then we will get to see him. The doctors did hold off on putting the rod in his other leg at this time.

Surgery Complete

Dad was taken in for surgery this morning right around 9:15, the surgery took about two hours. During this time they put the rod in his leg and pinned it. The doctor was pleased with the way it went he said he was able to pin it well. He was in recovery for several hours and is now back in his room. If all goes well over the next couple days the plan is to continue on to the arm on Tuesday. During this surgery they will remove the tumor from his arm and put plates in.

On Tap this Weekend...

The doctors have conferred and surgery on Dad's leg will be sometime tomorrow. Please say a prayer for everything to go smoothly as possible and the doctors do the best job they are capable of. I also ask that you say a prayer for my cousin Marvin, who was taken from us too soon. Also for our entire family to find peace and healing.

Not a good day...

To say today wasn't one of the best days ever would be an understatement. It started around 3:00 this morning when Dad woke up in severe pain. New pain meds didn't do anything to ease the pain much, so a mobile X-ray unit was sent to do X-rays. Late this evening they returned the results that Dad has a broken femur. This is not good. Right now they are loading Dad in the ambulance to head back to the hospital.

Hi hi, hi ho back to the hospital we go...

This weekend was busy. We had a baby shower for Kristi, little Langley will be here in six short weeks! Then we had a little birthday party for Dad. It was great, most of our family was there. But during the party Dad was in a lot of pain and had a lot of swelling in his feet and legs, especially the right foot and leg. So when the home health care nurse came, she confirmed with the doctor what we had probably suspected but just didn't want to say out loud...it was time to head back to the hospital. So, that is where Mom & Dad are now. Dr. Beinart wanted him to come in via the ER, we are just waiting to hear what is going on, what is causing the swelling, and what we need to do next. So, at least Dad got to be home for a few days before he had to go back to the hospital and he got to attend the services for Brandy, Jaydin & Devian and I know that was important to him as hard as it was for all of us to bear. And hopefully this will be a short hospital stay and he will be back home in a day or two or even three. It is just so very difficult right now for our whole family.

Dad is home!!!

It's been a rough week for our family. We are still reeling from what happened to Brandy, Jaydin & DD. we love them, and will forever miss them, they were a beautiful family. But during this week we did get a wonderful blessing DAD CAME HOME!!! Yesterday evening our whole family and some of our many wonderful friends were there to welcome him home. I believe this and three very special angels will be the key to dad's healing.

The Good, The Bad, The Other Bad & The Ugly

So, the good...Dad is coming home next week. He will get to be at home and go back and forth to Houston for treatment. We are a little anxious as well as happy, there are no nurses and PCAs to lean on at home like there are at the hospital. The bad, the tumor in dads arm has not responded to treatment and is growing. The other bad, the surgery has been canceled because the arm tumor has weakened the arm which is imparative to rehabilitation of the legs. The arm will not be surgically remedied because the doctors feel that it would do more harm than good at this point and put dad in too much pain. Since the arm tumor has not responded to the treatment, the doctors are also concerned that there may be other microscopic areas that they cannot see on the imaging that are continuing to grow as well. Tomorrow morning, dad will start a new chemo drug called gypsum (my spelling may or may not be correct). It will be administered once a week for three weeks and then a week off. That is one round and at this point we should be able to tell if the tumor is responding (we are praying for it to respond well). If it does we will continue with this chemo drug. If the tumor is unresponsive to it, the doctors will give him something a little different called Strontium, but this cannot be used in conjunction with chemo because it drops blood counts. The ugly, there is no cure for the type of stage four cancer that dad has, aside from a miracle (for which we are all actively praying/begging God for). Until today, I really didn't understand that there are some types of stage four that are more treatable than others or that there even were types. I am so angry and why 1. This happens to anyone, and 2. Why we are having to go through this again. Wasn't once enough? And I am devastated beyond what I can even write down to express.

Sunday at the Hospital

Today we went and saw dad and mom at "the home" as they call it. I made homemade enchiladas yesterday, so we had a very tasty lunch with them in the lobby of West Pavillion. It's a little easier than trying to crowd into the room- I don't know if I have said it before, but it is very small. And Korben has lots of room to run down there. Dad's arm had been hurting him a lot so this week included lots of x-rays, CT scans and MRI's. From this we know the leision in his arm has worsened -bad news- but the rest of the bones remain about th same-goodish news. They also saw some different darkened areas on his lungs but the doctor believes this is his lung collapsing a little from being in bed so much. now the news we are waiting to hear is if they will continue with the surgery as scheduled. A lot of the therapy after the surgery puts stress on the arm, so they have to make sure it will with stand it. I think tomorrow we will know more.

Updates & Tentative Dates

Dr. Beinart stopped by and visited with Dad & Mom on Monday, they are keeping a close watch on Dad's blood counts because he is a bit anemic. He let them know that this is fairly common with chemo but that if they do not go up by next week they will do a blood transfusion. They have also tentatively scheduled surgery to put the rods in Dad's legs. Right now we are scheduled for June 25. Very exciting because this means 1. The cancer is responding to the treatments and 2. It is a step toward Dad being able to return home. He will still be in the hospital a while longer but it is progress!

3 Down...

Dad completed his third round of chemo late Tuesday evening, so three down and now the doctors are deciding when to put the rods in his legs. It may be in two to three weeks after his immune system is back up from this last chemo or they may go ahead with a fourth round of chemo and then after his immune system is back up then they will do them. We trust in Dr. Beinart and Dr. Marco in making the best decision for Dad as when to do them. Dad was feeling a little rough today from the chemo but is overall still doing well. We go visit most every Sunday and have lunch in the lobby all together, it's a nice change of pace from the little room on the 8th floor and the babies have more room to run and crawl there. Two months have passed since Dad went into the ER for "arthritis" pain. I sure wish it had been just that. Sometimes I still think I am going to wake up and this will have been just a terrible dream. Doesn't look like that is going to happen though. Since Dad has been in the hospital, Korben has learned to walk, had his first birthday and gotten a new tooth. Since Dad has been in the hospital Kellen has almost completed her first season of coach pitch softball, almost completed her fourth year of dance and can almost do her back handspring on the trampoline by herself. We do a lot of videoing and picture taking and Face Timing so Dad can share in it too. It's not the way any of us wish it could be, but it is what it is and hopefully next year, the year of the second birthday for Korben and the second season of coach pitch for Kellen, Dad can be sitting at the party and at the game with us. I have said it before but I think it is worth repeating I hate cancer, and there just isn't much that I really truly hate.

This Just In...

Dad had some x-rays last night and Dr. Beinart came to talk to Dad & Mom this morning, the x-rays show that the bones are begnning to heal some - not as rapidly as the doctors would like, but they are progressing.  So, this means that they will go ahead and put the rods in Dad's legs to give them some more strength so that they will not be as fragile as they would otherwise.  This DOES NOT mean AT THIS POINT that he will be able to walk, it is a form of protection for him.  It is another small step in the right direction and for that I am thankful.

Happy Day

Well, just when you don't think the doctors are going to stop by and you are going to have to wait another day for results, they stop in.  Dr. Beinart came by shortly after I posted today and with him he brought positive news!!!  The lung nodules are about half the size they previously were and one looks to be almost gone.  He did say that it is harder to interpert the bones from the CT scan, so they are still going to do the MRI and will also do some additional x-rays to get a good reading on how they are progressing.  Over all he said that the cancer is responding to the treatment and that is good news...very good news!!  Dr. Beinart will be working with Dr. Marco after the results from the MRI and x-rays are available to to determine the next steps on Dad's path.  Hopefully the results from today's test will be equally as positive as the results were today if not more so.  Thank you God!!

6.5 Weeks

Dad & Korben just relaxing

Dad has been in Methodist about 6.5 weeks now.  Time flies and it stands still.  Dad had his second chemo and his counts were low for a couple days following that, but they gave him some shots to boost those and now his counts are back to normal.  Yesterday, they had to check his port via x-rays so at the same time they did a CT scan to see how the cancer is responding to the chemo.  We were hoping that they would have some results from that today, but so far we haven't heard anything other than that they are also going to do a MRI this afternoon.  Possibly tomorrow we will then find out how things are progressing.  Being patient is so hard for me, I want to know, I need to know what progress has been made and what the plans for the imediate future are...I think it makes me feel more in control over a situation I have no control over.

I look at Facebook in the morning usually before I start the day and I saw this post on one of my friend's page "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand"  He also had a prayer for his father, which I am copying and adapting a bit for my Dad, because it fits so perfect...God I come to you a humble servant, asking you to guide the doctors decisions for a complete recovery for my father.  Hoping there is a sense of serentiy and peace over my family.  I thank you for all you've done and continue to do.  I will pray hard but walk with faith even more...I can't help but feel better after reading that, I believe when we do get the results we will have positive results.   

31 Days

Yesterday marked 31 days of Dad being in the hospital, so we decided to take some counts...dad has moved rooms 6 times, that's a new room every 5.17 days on average. Today alone Dad had his blood drawn 4 times, and Dad IS NOT fond of needles. Dad & Mom have pretty much sampled the entire Methodist cafeteria menu. Some is pretty good and some leaves a lot to be desired. Dad has had interaction from at least 22 different doctors! Dad has probably seen more different doctors in 31 days than in the whole rest of his life (56 years and 8 months in case you are wondering)!! He has also had in excess of 100 nurses, PCAs, and student nurses. The nurses all LOVE Dad! When Mom sees nurses in passing, they all ask how Dad is doing. In addition to the nurses, PCAs & student nurses, Dad has also had numerous transporters, housekeeping staff & food service staff to assist him. He has had 10 radiation & 1 chemo treatment. And finally, in 31 days, every single day that has gone by Dad & Mom have had either visitors, phone calls and texts and sometimes all three to check in on how they are doing. We are all so fortunate to have such a support system. Tomorrow is Dad's next dose of chemo. I pray that it continues to go well for him, and does what it is supposed to do.

A Little Less of This and That

A little less of this, radiation is done! A couple of weeks after his next chemo a series of tests/scans will be completed to see how Dad is responding to treatment. We are praying for the best results possible. Physical therapy and occupational therapy will continue. Right now there is no timeline for when he may get to return home. A little less of that, Dad is losing his hair. It started coming out a lot Thursday and Friday, so he asked Kara to bring her clippers. So, today Kara took her clippers when she went and gave Dad a new do. I am sure he looks great! I looked at Kristi's blog a couple of days ago. The blog she had posted 4 weeks ago was about the reveal party and pictures from it just before all of this started. Just four weeks ago we were "normal". So much has happened since then it seems like ages ago and it seems like yesterday. I hate cancer.

How's Your Dad?

That is the number one question I am asked now, and I hate the reason it has to be asked, but I love that so many people are thinking of him and praying for him! So, how is Dad doing? Well, he still continues to look great, but he is tired more easily from the radiation and chemo. We enjoyed the weekend at the hospital, first celebrating Korben's first birthday there with Mom & Dad. We brought Pappasito's for lunch and cake from The Sweet Tooth in Rosenberg. The hospital food is reasonably good, but once you eat something three times a day every day, a change is good. Then on Sunday we had Easter lunch with BBQ and even an egg hunt in The Healing Garden. Kellen loves for us all to go to The Healing Garden so the egg hunt for her there was extra fun. The waiting game from the last blog also ended, at least in regard to the room change. Dad and Mom are all moved over to the skilled nursing unit. The room is a lot smaller! And getting to it is like going through a maze, but after a couple wrong floors and turns I can eventually get there. Some new news from the doctor, from additional testing it now looks like the cancer may have stemmed from the bladder, which is better than it originating from the lung. I had always thought that these things were more direct, it either stemmed from this place or that, but it doesn't seem that it is so, at least not in Dad's case. Bladder is more treatable or responds better to the different treatments, so it is a better bad. The rounds of radiation are almost complete as well. They are hitting six spots each week day and if I am counting correctly Dad should be done this week with that part of the treatment plan. I am not sure if they will move to other areas then or if we will be in a holding pattern with that phase of treatment.

It's A Waiting Game...

Probably just about the time Dad and Mom get completely settled in the new room, it will be time for another change. This time it will be a move to a room in the skilled nursing section. Here the physical therapists and occupational therapists will be working more with both Mom and Dad to help them learn to deal with and adapt to Dad's mobility issues. Mom says they are both eager and hesitant for this step, the new life we are facing is a little scary. But again, it's a waiting game. We have to wait for a room to become available to take this next step. From Mom & Dad: "We would both like to send our thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, the visits, phone calls, the cards, gifts and words of encouragement. There aren't enough words to describe our gratitude."

Weekend Review

Easter at the Methodist Hospital Healing Garden

Dad & Joleigh

Well, this weekend brought some changes, Dad is no longer on the orthopedic floor. He was moved very very early Saturday morning to a small room on the oncology floor. A very small room, fortunately his stay in that room was brief and Sunday afternoon he was moved to a larger room on the oncology floor. Saturday morning was the first round of chemo, and so far he is not suffering from any side effects from it. Yesterday was also the first opportunity to get out of the room without having a test or a treatment to go to. Kara & Michael were in EC for the weekend and picked up some Hinze's barbecue for lunch for all of us to enjoy, so we had a nice family lunch down in the lobby and then went out to the garden at Methodist, it was really nice for Mom & Dad both to be able to get outside for a little bit. On another note, I want to say thank you for all of the prayers, thoughts, visits, concerns and actions that have been had for my Dad and our family. It is really touching and humbling to know you all care so much.

Doctor's Update

10:30 A.M., Friday, March 30, 2012

What the Dr. Beinart knows:

·         He is positive it is cancer (Dad asked just to make sure)

·         The cancer did not come from the kidney, prostate or any other organ

·         It is lung cancer that has metastasized

·         The tumors that have spread to the bones are the type that leach calcium out of the bone, making them extremely weak and brittle

What will happen today:

·         A port will be put in place

·         Chemo will start today

Chemotherapy:

·         The chemo drug will be very similar to what Mom had

·         There will be 3 – 4 treatments

·         The treatments will be approximately 3 – 4 weeks apart

·         After the treatments, they will re-test to see what the results are on the tumor

·         Side effects will be similar to those Mom had

Clever, huh?

Well clever girl that I am I managed to delete my initial post...and unfortunately some of your wonderful comments too. Darn it!

And So It Begins...

A lot has happened over the last couple of weeks, mostly tests and doctors visits, but today something new began, the first step to healing. Today was Dad's first day of radiation, it took around three hours because it was the first time, the remaining sessions should go a bit quicker. Tomorrow another step to healing is scheduled to start, the first day of chemo. I remember was it was like for Mom, so I worry for Dad. But it is a necessity at this point, and I pray that it does what it is supposed to do. Both MRI's done over the past two days returned clear, so the cancer has not spread further. I am still thinking that I am going to wake up and this will all have been a terribly bad dream.