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.