A Time to Give Thanks

A time to gather together to be thankful for what God has given us. Family, Food, Fellowship. . . .


Dad is pictured here with son Jeff and Grandson Troy just before the guys went to the woods for hunting.


It was a wonderful time . . .
We are Thankful!!!!!

Bumpa's New Hair Growth . . .

His hair is growing back in and he may need a haircut soon . . .

Many have told him that when his hair grows back that it will possibly be a different texture, maybe even curly - it often grows in darker than your original hair - but this is CRAZY.

It's GREAT to see him SMILE!!!

Thank you, Troy (Grandson) for the great picture and to Levi (Great-Grandson) for the Hair Enhancement!!!

Meeting with the Radiologist

Dad saw Dr. Mehta (Radiologist) this afternoon. The report was similar to what Dr. Danso said yesterday. There was conflicting information on the written report regarding the CT Scan.
Dr. Mehta said that he would have liked to see more shrinkage but at least there was not a significant increase in the size or additional tumors. The past chemo and radiation treatments received will continue to work in the months ahead. He will not have any more radiation treatments - if treatment is given in the future, it will be Chemo but not at this time.

Wait and See - Dad will see Dr. Mehta in 6 months and Dr. Danso in 3 months.

Dad's job right now is to ...

• regain strength & stamina by trying to walk a little each day
• gain a little weight (by the way, the weight lost didn't appear as bad at Mehta's office ..... different scales ..... different readings... they report a 10 pounds loss since July - he weighed 153.4 today)

eat, eat, eat as much (high calorie/fortified foods) as he can to build up his strength and weight

Time will tell - continued prayer is needed. Bless you all.

CT Scan results discussed with Oncologist

After a little breakfast at Bob Evans, Dad saw
Dr. Danso (Oncologist) to review the results of the CT Scan taken last week. The images were compared to the PET CT, CT Chest and lung biopsy taken in April.

The tumor on his left lung measures approximately 5.8 cm by 7 cm by 7.6 cm. Since April, these overall dimensions of the tumor appear questionably increased, although measurements may not be exact since the lung has developed a large left pleural effusion (entrapped fluid) - this makes direct comparison somewhat difficult.

The radiation treatment causes scar tissue to form in the lung and around the tumor cutting off the blood supply to the cancer - if the cancer does not have blood to feed it, it will liquefy and die. It is difficult at this point to determine if the treatment was effective since the tumor did not decrease in size. There is currently a "cavity" measuring approximately the same size as it was in April but does it contain cancer???? An x-ray will be taken in 3 months to see if there is a change.

Dad is coughing a lot so he was given a prescription for a cough suppressant. If the fluid on his lungs increase, they will have to removed it by needle. Dad's feet are numb from the chemo which explains the carpet burn on his forehead and nose - he took a tumble in the night on Saturday.

Dad weighed 147 lbs today which is a 28 pound loss since April. He doesn't have much of an appetite - Dr. does not want to have to give him medication to stimulate his appetite. Mom and Dad received his third supply of BOOST and he will begin using that on a daily basis.

PRAISES:

• One lymph node measures 9-10 mm and is stable. The other lymph nodes previously discussed on the CT scan of 4/11/08 do not appear to be present at this time
• No other masses or nodules are identified
• The right lung is clear

Dad has an appointment tomorrow at 2:30 with Dr. Mehta (Radiologist). Possibly there will be further discussion and explanation of the findings. An update will be posted after that appointment. Thank you for your continued prayer.

Keeping each other warm ......

Grandpa and Lindsey try to warm each other up after a busy day at the hospital. They both had tests and are waiting for the results.

Dad had a CT Scan that should indicate whether the past 6 months of treatment were effective. With two appointments next week (with the Oncologist and Radiologist), we should find out whether the tumor has been reduced and what the next step will be..... Dad had an elevated temperature and had the chills - with many errands completed, he was ready to return to his comfortable electric blanket. Please pray as we wait for results.