the latest...

last thursday dad had another blood transfusion receiving 2 units of blood and the infusion went well. he has a bit more energy... enough to come to Ian's first birthday party and socialize a bit! yay!

his gout is gone... and yes, it was gout. he was given some meds for it and he has been drinking the concentrated black cherry juice to keep it away and it has worked. on wednesday last week dad was able to walk through the hospital to the dr's office and back to the car on his own. this is the first time in weeks that he was able to walk any distance without use of a wheelchair. the chills and fevers have subsided, but he still sweats terribly at night. he has also been having terrible itching, creating a hives-type rash on his neck, torso and legs. dad has also had a loss of appetite and mom has been having a tough time trying to make food that is appealing to him. he just does not want to eat. he has lost a considerable amount of weight, so prayer is needed regarding his appetite and desire to eat.

the encouragement you all have been sending and your many prayers have been much appreciated. dad really knows that he is loved [insert warm fuzzy here :) ].

a longawaited update

[sorry it has been so long since i posted... life has been busy for me and my family!]

dad is doing pretty well since his last round of rituxan 2 weeks ago. physically he is a bit tired but he has been able to join mom to go out with friends a few times, which is a big improvement from before.

this past week, he began having a terrible pain in his right foot, so bad that they had to get crutches so he could walk. it has been completely disabling, to say the least. yesterday he went to the doctor to have it checked and, at first he believed it to be gout. but after doing a blood test for uric acid [high levels are related to gout], it was discovered that it is most likely some sort of infection. the uric acid levels were very very low, so he will begin taking antibiotics on monday for the pain in his right foot.

this coming tuesday, july 8, dad will continue chemo treatments for merkel cell carcinoma, as two of the lumps on his face have returned [he only did one treatment for MCC when he was supposed to have had 4 -6].

dear friends, please continue to pray for my father regarding these issues. they seem neverending and it is exhausting to both he and my mom. let us pray without ceasing so that our Lord might be victorious!

father's day and today

dad and mom came over for a nice brunch at our new place yesterday. my brother scott came over as well. it was a very nice time for everyone.

today, dad's having his 3rd round of rituxan. there were little or no side effects with the 2nd round so we all have high hopes for these next two.

thanks for all your prayers and words of encouragement. please post a note of encouragement for him as he could still use some. thanks!

home again, home again

dad went home last night and was happy to be there. he is feeling okay, but still has the fluctuation between hot and cold. he is scheduled to have 2 more courses of rituxan in the next two weeks.

please pray that he will be able to come to a father's day celebration this sunday and that he will be able to remain at home!

rituxan today

just a short blurb about today. dr.p decided to keep dad in the hospital and administer the rituxan there while he was already in the hospital rather than send him home and have him come back tomorrow. at 3pm of so, he changed rooms to a floor where there's a chemo nurse and infusion room. at 9:15p the rituxan started up so he's in process as i write. it's a 6 hour infusion process so he'll be there a while. mom is going to stay with him as it's a comfort to them both to be together, especially since today is mom's birthday. happy birthday, mom!

continue praying for elevated spirits and strength of all kinds for them both. thanks for your prayers and good thoughts thus far. they have been a blessing and a hope.

Philippians 4:

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

an extended hospital stay

dad will have to stay in the hospital until monday [or his next round of rituxan, if he has it] because his white blood cell count is so low. they say he has what is called neutropenia. the doctors think he may come in contact with a bacteria at home that his body may not be able to handle. one's white blood cells attack bad bacteria and dad doesn't have enough WBCs to adequately fight such bacterias.... the hospital is much safer, though he hates being there.

and prayers have worked because his nurses have been angelic... :)

tomorrow, brian, the kids and i will be bringing dad a latte because he just wants a good cup of coffee. it will go well with the cookies a dear friend left on their back step... thanks, sue!

the next post will be on monday.... keep praying!

tests and more tests

dad is once again undergoing tests to figure out what is causing his breathing difficulty. they are going to test for emphysema since he was a smoker for many years in his youth. currently he is undergoing breathing treatments to see if that will help to open up the airways so that he can take a deep breath. the chills, fever and sweating are side effects of the CLL and rituxan.

tonight, he also had a CTScan and an EKG to check out his lungs and heart. the EKG looked good, but they won't know the results of the scan until tomorrow.

dad just wants to come home; he's tired of the hospital. please pray that for the remainder of his stay [however long that may be] that he has angelic nurses who treat him with understanding and encouragement and his spirits would be cheered [your notes and words of encouragement have meant so much to him and to mom]. also, a special prayer for his oncologist, Dr. P, that she would answer all of mom and dad's questions [even though they might not know what those questions are yet].