January 31

I truly am tired of this weather. Was able to get out for a couple of walks thanks to Mike Strickling (drove up from Albany), Barry, and Carl. The hiccups are finally gone, but the appetite still is not what it should be. Enough of that. Glad to hear from Buck, Jim Ruthruff, Doug, Jeff, Harold, Michael, Reed, and Kelly. Much fun with Mongo from Blazing Saddles. Glad that a lot of us have that sense of humor and were able to follow the silliness that we were having. Answering a few questions, I don't think that we have hired a coach yet for the vacant Beaver job. Don't think that the McMinnville connection has decided to take it, Buck. The endless supply of money from Uncle Phil always amazes me. Can't wait to see the size of the Duck's baseball complex. We Beavers, however, know that it is not the size, but what you do with it. Right, Reed!? Only problem today was when Carl came over and we waited to watch the Arizona/USC basketball game and they decided to air Sports, Bloopers instead. Here's to sun!!!

January 28

It was great to have some sunshine today. Able to go on three walks, thanks to my wife, Barry, and Carl. It was amazing that such a little amount of snow upsets so many people in so many ways. It was nice since very few people were out, so I was able to just go for casual walks in the street. Enjoyed hearing from so many of my friends. Glad to see that Jim and Sandy made a trip to my favorite place (Costco). I laughed out loud about your little stowaway (mouse) you discovered. My mind drifted to another of my favorite places (Palm Springs) after reading Glen's entry. Thanks Reed, for reminding me that OSU has a baseball team and that U of O will try to compete on that level this year. Should be interesting. Thanks also to Dar for reminding me of my years of coaching girls' basketball. Those were some of the most rewarding years I had and know that your daughter will continue to bring you those wonderful memories. Sorry that Jefferson is laid up, but like Mongo, you are pawn in game of life. Thomas, the almond toffee crunch arrived again, which satisfies my candy desire and I appreciate that. Thanks for all of these. This is what I enjoy hearing about and look forward to hearing more of. As for me, my weight continues to fluctuate, but it is okay currently. Food still does not look that appealing, but I am able to get enough down. Here's to more days of sunshine and waiting for the moment that food will begin to have an interest for me. I especially can't wait until pastries start to have an attraction for me! I miss my doughnuts! Have a great week!!

Saturday, January 26

Hello all! Each period of time after each chemo has found me in a different state each time. Currently I have been watching the Duck and Beaver games respectfully. Thought the Ducks were going to get it in OT. Way to go in the first half, Beavs!! It has been enjoyable so far. Looks like the attendance is a bit better there tonight at least. As for my health, I am still fighting the hiccups and trying to keep the weight on. Less and less is sounding good to me. I am forcing food down, but sure wish things tasted better. If I could get these hiccups to go away, I would be feeling much better. Today Tory, Tiff, Michael, and Amber spent most of the day with Kath and me. Unfortunately again the Oregon weather did not smile on us, which cut off my outdoor walks. My wife did make homemade pizza for us. Afterwards we played several games of Password, Outburst, and Guestures. Love being able to laugh. How would you respond to a clue of "straw------"? That was for you, Michael! About a half hour after the fam left, my brother, BC, showed up with his friend Robin and watched all the Oregon game with us. Great time of telling stories and visiting. After BC and Robin had left, I decided to send this message off. I really appreciate hearing what you and your families are doing and what is going on in your lives. This helps give me a better focus. I enjoy hearing about the Beavers and Ducks. I enjoy little stories about what is going on in your lives. Thanks again for reading the blog and getting the information.

Home

Dad is home & hiccups are a little more under control...thank goodness!

The drs released dad from the hospital at about 5:00 pm this evening. Mom said they had dropped the prescription off at the pharmacy, were headed to Costco (Harold...you've NEVER been to a Costco?!?!?!?!) to get dad a salad, back to the pharmacy to pick up the much needed meds, & then off to home sweet home! Mom said dad is feeling so much better (as if he could have felt any worse) & is ready to be home & to relax w/o those dang hiccups. We'll give you more of an update tomorrow...hoping we are able to visit & play a few games of Password w/mom & dad tomorrow afternoon.

Not fair

Life just seems to not be fair sometimes, I'm sure many will agree whole heartedly.

Dad & mom headed to the emergency room in Salem last night. Dad's hiccups became a little more frequent. As in, every hour on the hour for at least 15 minutes. As the day wore on, they became deeper, & brought on many unexpected & unwanted things (i.e. acid taste in his mouth). Mom called Dr. Ryan's nurse (chemo dr at OHSU). She finally told them to go to the ER in hopes of them getting some meds in dad through an IV. They ended up checking dad into the hospital late last night & are going to get him some fluids & keep him on the anti-hiccup drug for a few hours.

We'll keep you all updated as we hear more information. Please, especially now, no phone calls or visits. Thank you!

Hiccups suck.

As you can all see, dad's still not up to par. Tried for a walk today, but got the hiccups so bad he had to come home. Went in for his blood work today (his counts are pretty low so he's VERY susceptible to every germ - but that's to be expected at this point in his chemo treatments). He's still nauseous all the time.

The dr. prescribed some new medications in hopes that this new combination will be the right one for dad. Dad had a little talerina for lunch/snack today. He's been drinking & eating as much as he can - talk about amazing will power! We had steak, potatoes, salad, fruit, bread, & a little ice cream bar for dessert - dad did eat with us (great job, daddy, I know it wasn't easy!) & had the hiccups a "few" times. Please, please, please, everyone cross your fingers that this is the right combination of medications!

Thanks to everyone that has been resorting to this blog & email for communication with mom & dad! I know it's not easy to have to rely on modern technology & it takes longer to get a response, but it is very much appreciated! Mom & dad have been trying to nap (sleep has not been coming easy at night) during the day & with the phone ringing, it becomes a little difficult to get those much needed zzzzz's. Dad will let you all know, via the blog when he's back up & ready for phone calls & visits.

January 23

I am home, but really feeling the effects. Got sick last night, have a case of the dad, deep hiccups and no appetite. It usually takes three to four days to get feeling back to my old self. Thanks to Tom for the candy again and Georgia for the stitching picture hangings (pictures of my classier moments). I'll let you all know when I get back to myself. Sorry this is so short, but hands are not functioning well either.

Sorry....still no dad.

Today was another rough one. The days are full of nausea. Dad & mom went to Shapes (no, it's not Curves where women workout in circuit training - it's the lab that cleans out dad's pick line & also does his blood work once a week) & then spent the remainder of the day at home relaxing. They tried to go to Home Depot, but dad didn't feel so hot so they headed home. They got more anti-nausea meds prescribed since this is not subsiding. Hopefully, they will put dad to sleep tonight & help his stomach calm down. He tried to eat a bit, but nothing was even decent to his taste buds nor was it kind to his stomach.

This is not surprising....the nurses & drs told mom & dad that his body hasn't had time to recuperate from all the destruction from the past chemo sessions, so his body's natural reaction is to reject the food.

On a brighter note...they scheduled his LAST chemo session! YEAH DADDY!!! It's almost over! It is scheduled for February 5th. Yes, he'll be done with the most difficult horrible part in 4 weeks time! Radiation is supposed to be a little more gentle (not sure the English is correct on this, but I'm sure my sweet younger brother could give me a English lesson :) - I'm MUCH better at math) on dad's body (because of where they tumor is located it shouldn't disrupt his insides).

Dad'll let all know when the chaos in his stomach is over....it'll make his days so much more enjoyable! Lots of love to you daddy, mommy, & all in "blog land!"

Home sweet home

Hello all!

Daddy is home!!! He was released this morning at about 7:30 am. He & mom had an uneventful drive home...no traffic thanks to MLK day. His nurse from yesterday came in early today so that they could get dad home. How amazing & wonderful is that?!?

Food...don't speak of it at this point...pretty sure it truly is a 4 letter word for dad at this time. So sorry daddy! I've been eating enough for the both of us. :) Dad & mom hit up Costco today (I know, total shocker) to walk around & to have a piece of pizza. Dad also swept up the basketball court in this tundra-like weather. The remainder of the day was spent resting/napping/watching tv.

Thanks for all the posts...dad will be enjoying them tomorrow (since he won't be on so many drugs)! Hopefully, we'll all get to hear from him first hand, shortly.

Hello all. Nothing new to report. Today was exactly the same as yesterday. Hopefully we'll know tomorrow when dad's going to be able to come home. We'll keep you updated if there is anything new. Thanks again for all the emails & posts!

Day 2

Today has brought about the typical symptoms that dad has been experiencing through these chemo treatments...they just came 24 hours earlier than usual.

Dad has had the hiccups all day. He's also been nauseous since last night. They are giving him anti-nausea & anti-hiccup meds, but they are only helping to alleviate a portion of the pain/annoyance/sickness. The benefit to the meds are that they do wipe dad out & he drifts in & he's been drifting in & out of sleep all day. He also has the shakes so they upped the methalyne blue (the drugs that dilute the most potent part of the chemo) in hopes of stopping them. He's attempted to eat a little food today, but it hasn't been easy.

Only a few more days of this *$@% , daddy! Hang in there! You are in all of our thoughts & when we can't be at the hospital with you, we're with you in spirit. Sleep as much as you can & save up your energy for those walks! Mom, we hope that solitaire percentage is going up!

Day 1

Today brought about a little frustration...the chemo did not start until 2:30 pm. There was some kind of mix-up in the pharmacy that put the treatment off. They finally did get it going & dad will be receiving the chemo until Sunday at 2:30 pm. They will then flush his system w/another drug for another 24 hours.

On the positive side, dad did get a little sleep last night. The nurses brought mom a cot so she was able to catch a little zzzzs as well. Unfortunately, dad can't sleep through the entire night because they are pumping him full of fluids so he has to get up to use the restroom frequently.

The lunch today was some kind of vegetarian quiche (I hope those of you that know my dad well are getting as good of a chuckle as I did out of that). Needless to say, mom went downstairs & bought dad an American dip & a double chocolate Haggen Daz bar (sp?). He said the ice cream was good, but the rest is blah again. For dinner he had a burger, broccoli, ice cream, some Dove chocolate candies & some dark chocolate toffee. Tom Cutsforth....what a WONDERFUL surprise to find chocolates on mom & dad's front porch this afternoon! As soon as I walked into the hospital room & showed them the box, dad asked if he could have some of Tom's candy (& don't we all wish we could have a diet full of steaks & candy).

Dad was able to enjoy a few games of Password with mom, Tiff, & Michael this evening. After dinner he started to get a little nauseous so they gave him some meds to help alleviate the discomfort. He's hoping for another night of restfulness.

Thanks for everyone checking in! Dad & mom both appreciate it. It gives them a little break in the day (watching tv all day can get a little old). We'll let you know how it goes tomorrow...hopefully the days will stay fairly uneventful this time w/the decrease in the Iphosphomide (nurse Dave is very optimistic about it)! Love to you all!

Results...kind of...chemo time

Here we sit waiting to check into the hospital for chemo round #3....

Dad had his MRI this morning at 9:30am, had his blood work drawn up & his appointment with all the drs wasn't until 2:30pm. Mom, Dad, Tiffany, Tory, Michael, Amber, & Uncle B all dined at the Old Spaghetti Warehouse for lunch. It's the first time dad's stomach actually growled & he wanted food (he's been having to force himself to eat). He had a large plate of spaghetti w/marinara sauce, salad, lots of bread & shared a piece of double chocolate fudge cake & ice cream w/his daughters.

From there we headed on to the appointment (lots of time to spare). We sat in the waiting room & played many games of Outburst Remix. Great way to pass the time! Aaron & Andy came to join us at this point, as well....Yep, the drs got the entire family!

The MRI results came back...they showed no change in the size of the tumor - this is very good. The tumor has destroyed dad's bone & the bone will never grow back (we already were aware of this) so the MRI shows abnormalities. The problem with this is that the test results can't tell us if the chemo is working or not. The drs all agreed that, with dad & where the tumor is, they would have to determine if the chemo was having positive effects by dad's feelings & activities. Because dad's pain has decreased so much & he is able to walk so many miles a day, they felt quite optimistic about the treatment so far.

We met w/Dr. Hayden first (the orthopaedic surgeon that performed the open bone biopsy). He gave us more information about the surgery that could be used to remove the tumor. With all the information & his recommendation not to...we decided that this is not an avenue we are willing to explore at this point in time. He was very impressed with how dad looked & his activity level.

We next met with Dr. Hung (the radiation dr). He was quite impressed with dad as well. He said that he was going to push for a few more rounds of chemo. He reiterated that we needed to go by how dad was feeling & that it seemed as if the chemo was having a positive effect on that darn tumor. He then went over the radiation treatment dad would undergo (when the time comes). Dad will do about 7 weeks of radiation. It lasts for about 15 minutes & is every day. He will begin this treatment about 4 to 6 weeks after his last round of chemo.

Then Dr. Ryan came in (chemo dr). Dr. Ryan said that he & Dr. Hung reached a consensus that they would perform 2 more rounds of chemo. Usually, 4 rounds of chemo is what the number is for angio sarcoma patients. This way the patients get plenty of chemo, but also are able to start with the radiation therapy quicker. He said that he was going to reduce the amount of Iphosphomide (you happy, Michael? :) I know I didn't spell it right, but at least I attempted this time - you know I love you & your teasing) by 20% & is also going to give dad the Metholyne Blue the entire time (this flushes out the Iphosphomide & makes it a little less potent) in hopes of curbing some of those horrible side effects (the shakes & confusion).

Dad is now checked into OHSU for the night. They are going to pump him with fluids (also hoping this helps with the side effects) tonight & start the chemo tomorrow late morning, early afternoon. He will be there for the 3 24 hour IVs & we are hoping for a release on Monday - keep those fingers crossed! He is back in isolation so mom gets to wear those beautiful long sleeve yellow aprons & purple latex gloves at all times. Fun times! :)

In summary...MRI results showed the tumor has not gotten bigger. Bone is permanently damaged. Drs, dad, & family are all feeling good that the chemo seems to be producing positive results (we know, daddy, it totally sucks while you're going through it). They are going to decrease the pain meds even more. He has 2 more rounds of 3 day (in the hospital for 4 - 7 days) chemo treatment. Starts radiation after the 2nd round. Radiation is for 7 weeks.

Heeeeeeeere's the annoying daughter....please try to refrain from calling mom & dad for a few days. It's not easy for either of them to talk on the phone while they are in the hospital. We know it's difficult, but please know that we will communicate everything on the blog & it's very much appreciated (just one less thing for them to worry about).They would love to communicate via the blog & email (much easier because they can answer when the time is right) - both will be checked many times throughout the day! By the way, dad says "this thing is @$#*!!!!"

Thank you thank you thank you to all of you. We can't even begin to tell you how much we appreciate all your thoughts, prayers, love, support, cards, words, & you & your families. Without each & every one of you, we would all be lost. You have all offered so much of yourselves & your lives...dad has the most wonderful support system. Please know that a day doesn't go by that you each aren't thought of & appreciated. Your friendship & words are a very precious gift, so thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

January 14

Spent the day running errands with my wife. Didn't have a very good night sleep last night, too many thoughts on my mind. This may be my last blog for a couple of days as I will be checked into OHSU for my next round. I will have to leave it up to my daughters to add any entries. Picked up a new electronic Guesstures game to play with our daughter and son-in-law (Tiff and Andy). While Kath cooked dinner, Andy and Tiff went on a walk with me. I have been fighting queasiness all day. Steak is still the only thing that appeals a little bit to me. I had a bowl of ice cream with Tiff and that didn't even taste that great. Looking forward to dinner tomorrow night with my oldest daughter and my youngest son. Chris will be working so hopefully we can make up a plate for him.

Hope all is well and I look forward to reading all of your comments during my next round beginning on Wednesday. Take care!

January 13

Had a wonderful night with my daughter and son-in-law, Tory and Chris, friend Bill Rupp, and wife, Kathy. We played games (Password and Scattergories) until midnight. Fun just kicking back and laughing. Went on a great walk with my scummie, Big Buck. Nice to see him and catch up. Later my buddy Barry stopped by and helped me cut up some wood in the backyard. Traveled to Albany to have some lunch at Costco with my mom. Enjoyed reading the comments on my blog. Spicy food does sound good, Linda. Problem is that I never know if it is going to taste good. I just want to get off this medicine and get my taste back. Thank you all for checking on me.

January 12

I just got back from spending three hours at the Wilsonville Costco with my mom, my brother Brad, son Michael, daughters Tory and Tiffany, and my wife. Like my younger daughter said, only the Careys can enjoy spending three hours at Costco shopping, eating, and visiting. Love spending time with my family. We started the day off with my kids running 7 and a half miles while Kath and I walked a much shorter course. After I got home, I was able to find a break in the weather, so I could rake a few leaves in the backyard. Exercise is something that keeps me going. Like I said, I am not much for sitting. Did watch a bit of the OSU basketball game until I couldn't stand it any more. Let's just get this 0 and 18 season over with and on to baseball. For the positive out there, we might win a couple of games, but I don't know where. We don't exactly have a home court advantage. How do you have that when the attendance is only 3 to 4 thousand and you can hear a pin drop. I wanted to thank cousin Bruce and his new wife, Becky, for the comment. I would have loved to have been at the wedding, but unfortunately was getting my second chemo treatment. Look forward to seeing you both at a reunion. Kath and I are finding out that there is very little on TV and especially the weekends. Pretty rough when you are just sitting down trying to watch something entertaining. The Seahawks and Beavers sure did not provide it. I have been having a hard time finding something to eat that has taste and sounds good. Still it is steak and Tom's candy that has the slightest taste and appeal to me. Pretty rough when pizza, ice cream, and the like does not sound that good. I look forward to when I am done with all treatment and off this medication, so I can again taste everything. Hope all is well this weekend with everybody.

January 11

Finally the weather cooperated with my walks today. Much easier not having to carry an umbrella. Great walking with Reed, Barry, and Carl the past two days. Looking forward to tomorrow where my son and two daughters (Michael, Tory, and Tiffany) are running from the Wilsonville Costco and my wife and I are walking from there. After our respective run and walk, we are meeting back at Costco for shopping, lunch, and visiting. Great way to spend a Saturday. That night, Bill Rupp, my daughter Tory, Kath and I are having dinner and then playing some word and board games. Love all the activity. Look forward to walking with vBig buck (Corky) this Sunday. Sorry I was not arpound to walk with you today, Tom. I also appreciate hearing from my computer challenged friends via slow mail. Thanks especially to Sue and Chuck for your special card. Nice to hear from those that have gone through this process and done so well. I plan on joining those successes!! Tom, your candy is now officially gone! It lasted an entire three days and that was it. What a great way to help keep the weight on. Must be 100's of calories in every bite. Just went to the scales and am registering 176.5 pounds right now, so that is holding constant. Guess I'll have to find a replacement now for Tom's almond cluster rocha candy! That will be a hard thing to do. Kath and I have been spending our nights watching episodes of Mash and Andy Griffith. I love the comedies and try to stay away from the serious shows. I do love the old comedies and am not much in to the new shows. Everyone have a super weekend!

January 10

My son, Michael, has beem getting after me for not writing in my blog everyday. I think I will start filling it in every other day unless something comes up. My big thanks again to Doug, Mike, Carl, and my daughter Tory for getting me out on walks the past few days. I am tired of this rain and look forward to a period of dry weather. Keep the snow in the mountains, but give us sun in the valley! A special thanks to Tom Cuttsforth for having a package of Almond Toffee Chocolate candy delivered to my house. The note said that this should help keep the weight on me. It is delicious! Thanks again, Tom. After my 10:15 walk with Carl this morning, I will be making my daily Costco trip with Reed at 12:30. Since I have to keep the weight up, I always grab a slice of pizza from their food court, whether I want it or not. Bill Rupp had dinner with us last night. Always nice to have friends over. He and my wife played Password forv four games while I gave the clues. Score Kath was 4 and Bill was 0. Better luck next time, Bill. I'm always trying to stay busy. Cleaned my roof and gutters off yesterday between the rain showers. Weight is still good at around 175 pounds. Kath has now finished all that she needed to do to make the house ready to show. Now hopefully someone will see it and want it. I am ready to live in a smaller house. We plan to stay in this general area because we love it. Hopefully all will work out. Until later!

January 7

Progress still seems to be going well. I am so blessed to have friends that are willing to walk with me. Barry, Carl, my daughter Tory were able to motivate me the past two days. I am excited to get to walk with Doug Eaton tomorrow and Mike Strickling on Wednesday. Barry is starting me off again tomorrow with a walk at 8:30am. Today's weather was perfect during the day. Although I am a native Oregonian, I am getting real tired of this constant rain. Guess I go more for the sunshine! My appetite/taste is really up and down. I have a taste for certain foods, yet others still taste very bland. Steak is still the best. I weigh myself several times each day to constantly stay where I need. Currently I am trying to stay between 170 and 180 pounds. At 9pm, I was 176, so feeling good there. I am trying to eat four different times a day to make sure that I put on enough. Carl took me to Costco tonight, so I had a 7pm hotdog to top the day off. I feel good that my wife finally gets to rest. In 24 hours she taped the dining room, primed it, and finally painted it a sage color. The house is now ready to be shown thanks to her. If you give her a project, you better stand back because she will stay after it until it is done. Been hitting Costco twice a day. Feels good to walk around the store with no real agenda. On a first name basis with most of the employees there. Several of them joke that they have a table reserved for us. Hope everybody has a good week!

January 6

This morning finds Tiff and I walking in the snow again, taking Bailey (her puppy) for a walk. I am pleased to announce that I have put on two pounds today, I weigh myself three times a day and as of yesterday at ten in the morning I am exactly two pounds heavier. This is after a great breakfast of eggs, cheese, toast, orange juice and cocoa. Pastries are still off limits to me; they sound horrible. Brother Brad came down and went for a walk with Tiff, Andy, Kath and I. Walks continue to be the highlight of my day because I get to be outside and it does wonders for my mental outlook. Kath and I beat Andy and Tiff at Password last night, stayed up late to get a few games in before bed. I had a good night sleep and I know this because I woke up at 4:30 and 8:00 because I sweat the bed so badly we had to change all sheeting. It is always tough to get a good night sleep because I do sweat the bed and if I don't sweat the bed then I don't have a good nights sleep. It is a catch 22. Kath and Andy textured the wall this morning. We are continuing to get the house ready for someone to buy. Again, I appreciate hearing comments from my family and friends. I continue to do well and we are witnessing a monumental occasion right now. Kath is sitting on the couch relaxing!!! Granted she is fidgeting her leg right now, which is a common thing. Another positive is that I have cut back on all medication and I am only taking the nausea medication as needed.

Thanks and have a great week everyone!

January 5

Sorry I have been out of touch the last few days, but I have been enjoying my time with my daughter, family and friends. The time seems to have flown by and I have forgotten to keep in touch. My constant battle with gaining weight continues. last night I ate two steaks, two helpings of cheese mashed potatoes, and two helpings of broccoli and yet I still lost a pound. Monday, Costco has scales on sale and I intend to keep a close watch and monitor my weight with this new scale. I appreciate those people who have asked to go on walks with me, consider yourself on, I am ready to go and walk. I am continuing to average three to four miles a day. Todays walks were gorgeous since Oregon decided to let up on the weather a bit and we had dry weather. I got a kick out of comments sent, especially all of the Pro Beaver statements; like Reed said he felt like he entered a Beaver Chatroom. By the way; how do you go into double overtime if the other team only has two players left to play...only in Beaverland. As for my health; I am feeling great. I worked on the yard today; raked leaves while chatting with my daughter Tiffany, took down some of a deteriorating fence in the yard and made two trips to Costco. I did feel the ill effects of a 3.5 mile walk with Barry yesterday, but everything else has felt great. Thanks again to Barry for getting our dining room into shape to show as we are looking to sell the house in the future. Again, thanks to Carl for being ready to take me on walks and to keep me active. I look forward to walks this week with Doug and Ken and my usuals. And a special thanks to my wife for preparing high caloric, yet very tasteful edibles. I don't know how she keeps all of these pills in order. She keeps track of everything, it blows me away. Tonight I look forward to another great meal, a walk with my family and some password with Tiff, Andy and Kath. As most people know me, it will blow them away to realize that the only thing that sounds terrible to eat are pastries; usually one of my staple goods, I can't stomach them now. In the past there was nothing like a good donut to keep me going in the morning. (donut in staff room!!)

I also want to thank my mom for making me her famous homemade chicken soup and driving it down for me. I love you mom. Thanks again for all of the positive comments. I will continue to keep you informed.

January 3

Day two at home finds me with a pretty good night's sleep (as good as you can get when you have to get up every 4 hours to take medication.) I really want to thank my bud Carl and my daughter Tiffany for both going on walks of 1.3 miles each with me during the torrid rains yesterday. Thanks to my son Aaron for stopping by top spend time with me late last night. I love you, Aaron. Big thanks to my bud Barry and again my daughter Tiffany, for both going on a 3.5 mile walk with me today. I am feeling pretty good except for stomach pain caused from indigestion. Having problem now processing the food that I am being fed. Seems that if it is not one thing, it is another. I plan on continuing to work at gaining weight and getting exercise from walkiong to gain strength. Thanks so much again for all your support. What would we do without family and friends!

Back home again, January 2

Heeeeerrrrrrreeee'sssssss Ronnie! Let's just say that the past six days have been less than a walk in the park. Once again, I reacted to a certain drug in the chemo process. Bottom line is that now I am somewhat normal (as normal as I could be for me) and am working at getting it back. Positive signs are that my blood readings and vital signs are all strong. I slipped in weight however, losing 12 pounds. I am working at eating what I can of greasy, decadent foods to get those pounds back. Will start up my daily walks again. Spirits are high and thanks to all those that responded to the blog. I didn't feel like reading them until this morning, but when I did they brought smiles, laughs, and tears to me. Thanks so much for the shot in the arm. Thanks also for my very protective daughter in keeping the blog updated. I love you, Tory. Also thanks to my other daughter, Tiffany, and her husband Andy, for the pedometer, so I could keep track of my miles. Love you both! To my son, Michael, thanks for the football updates during this bowl week. I love you, son! Thanks to everyone that have been following my progress. It really helps. I will now be home until the 16th. At that time I will have an MRI and decide what the next step will be. Either one more chemo or radiation. At least I will not be in a hospital away from everyone for two weeks. Love and thanks.

A little more info...

Well, dad & mom are home safely.

Dad's not feeling up to par (this would be an understatement) & is comfortable at home with just mom right now. We will let you know when he is up to phone calls & visitors. No food or drinks sound good. He's supposed to eat VERY bland food to keep his stomach as settled as possible. He still feels nauseous & the Dr said that is would last for awhile.

The last time he came home from his chemo treatment - he is much the same today as he was then. The chemo has caused him to be unsteady on his feet & he isn't eating much of anything. He also isn't (& wasn't) very social because talking & visiting caused those painful/annoying hiccups. The hardest part for dad (& all of us) is that it was easy to forget all the challenges the 1st chemo treatment brought...but Dad, you'll get through these rough patches again.

So (here comes the annoying daughter part), please do not stop by mom & dad's & please do not call them. It's hard for mom to talk on the phone (it's difficult for her to keep answering everyones questions & to rehash all that is going on) & dad wakes up when the phone rings. We will let you know when they are ready for phone calls & visitors. We think it was about a full week before dad was up to it (& this time he was sicker, so it may take awhile longer this time). Sorry for the bluntness, but we are trying to look out for mom & dad & do what's best for dad's speedy recovery.

What you can do, is keep saying hi via the blog or email or snail mail. Mom does read the postings/emails/cards to dad & they both appreciate the distractions!

Happy New Year!

Well, don't have much to report, but if any of you are like me...you are wondering if Dad's coming home today.

I am happy to report (after much deliberation - should I call, should I not? - I bit the bullet & called) that they are heading home. Dad answered the phone & said mom can't talk while driving (good advice). He said that they are heading home. He also informed me that it would take several days until he feels right again. He told me that mom will call me when they get home & I will give you all a more in-depth posting at that time. But...the good news...all those toasts, glasses raised, & positive thoughts have sent dad home!