April 25th, 2011

I talked to Dad about his new Chemo treatments. He's getting Chemo on a weekly basis, now. He will have treatments once a week for 4 weeks, then take 2 weeks off. Then, 4 more weeks of treatment, and 2 weeks off, etc. Dad only has one Kidney, so they can't give him the full strength treatments - they have to be broken out into smaller doses. He's extremely tired - can take up to 30 minutes to get enough energy to put his shoes on. The dreaded diarrhea is also giving him trouble. However, other then that, he's feeling pretty good and still has a positive attitude. He's working as often as he can. He doesn't qualify for disability, yet. I'm not sure how disability works when you have Cancer. If any followers know the answer, please post and let me know. I would think that disability would kick in to cover the time he is unable to work?

It is so hard to believe that 4 months have gone by since the start of Dad's treatments. The Cancer is smaller then it was 4 months ago, so we're feeling pretty good about things. He's definitely heading in the right direction.

Please continue to pray for Dad's health, strength, and a positive attitude.

Much love,

Shanon

March 30th, 2011

I talked to Dad tonight. He said that the Cat scan showed that the tumor in his neck had shrunk by 50%. The other tumors (in the esophagus, across the chest, and arm pit) had also shrunk. They did note a suspicious spot on his Liver, but said they weren't concerned about it. They said that the Cat scans show false positives often. They'll keep an eye on it, but didn't feel like Dad should worry about it. The Doctor was happy about the results, but wanted to get a little more aggressive with a new Platinum based Chemo. This will bring new side effects. The most noted side effect is diarrhea. Nothing like crapping the disease out! Hey, what ever it takes, right? The doctor didn't do any Chemo today. He wanted to get as much of the previous Chemo out of his body as possible. He'll have his first round of the new Chemo on April 13th (in 2 weeks).

Please continue to keep Dad in your prayers.

Much Love,

Shanon

March 20th, 2011

Overdue update...

There really isn't anything new to report. Dad is doing about the same with his chemo treatments. He's still doing the Taxotere chemotherapy once every (3) weeks. He always takes it with Dexamethasone and anti-nausea meds. He also continues to take shots to increase his white cell count. The side effects have been things like extreme fatigue, bone pain, diarrhea, swelling in the feet/legs, loss of taste or foods like hamburger tasting very badly. He's also having some pain in his fingers like someone smashed his fingers. He says that the pain moves around from one group of fingers to another group. His fingernails are also getting discolored with white spots. Dad has been able to continue working except the week following a chemo treatment. This seems to make Dad happy. He's talked about working in his garden, so obviously he's not letting this get the best of him. Mom and Dad are very happy that they didn't get rid of their Aflac Cancer insurance policy. Mom and Dad considered getting rid of the insurance when money was tight. They are very thankful that they decided to keep it. The insurance has come in very handy and has helped relieve a great deal of stress.

The tumors haven't spread, but they're shrinking a bit too slow according to the doctor. Dad will have another Cat scan on Wednesday. The doctor will review the results and determine where they go from there. He has mentioned moving onto a more aggressive chemo, but the decision hasn't been made at this point. It's great that the tumors haven't spread, but we really need to shrink the existing tumors in order to kick this Cancer's butt and put it into remission. Dad may have to switch to a new chemo treatment with worse side effects in order to get the process kicked into high gear. Slow and steady is not going to win this race.

Thank you for all of the prayers. Please continue to pray for Mom, Dad, the doctors, and everyone effected by this terrible disease.

Much love,

Shanon

February 16th, 2011

Dad had a Cat scan done last Friday. Today the doctor went over the results of the Cat scan. According to the Cat scan, there really hasn't been much change. The tumors in the lymph nodes have shrunk a bit, but the rest appears to be unchanged. This isn't necessarily bad news. It's still early. He's only had 2 chemo treatments. The positive news is that there is no new growths. The doctor wants to do 2 more chemo treatments - same as the last 2. Then, he'll do another Cat scan and decide where to go from there.

Dad received his 3rd chemo treatment today. We're hoping the recovery from this treatment is as good as the last treatment recovery. Overall, he did very good after his last treatment. He tires easily, but that was the worst of it.

Prayers for a smooth recovery and lots of cancer shrinkage!

Love,

Shanon

January 30th, 2011

Tonya talked to Mom yesterday. According to Mom, Dad is doing much better after his second chemo treatment. So far, he's feeling pretty good. He hasn't even experienced a soar throat! Amazing! He has 3 more days of the nasty white cell boosting shots, then he gets another break.

Still waiting to hear when Dad will receive his next Pet scan. I'll keep you posted.

Thank you for the Prayers. I believe in the Power in Prayer. Our God is an awesome God.

Much Love,

Shanon

January 26th, 2011

Dad met with his Oncologist today. The news was very positive. The lump in Dad's neck has shrunk by 1cm - down to 3cm from 4cm in size. This means that the chemo is doing it's job and the torture has been worth the reward. He gained 3lbs. Mom attributes this to her fabulous bread pudding. The good news really lifted Dad's spirits. The Oncologist said that for now, he plans to do 5 months of chemo. More will be known once Dad gets his next Pet scan.

With no time to waste, Dad was sent for his second round of chemo. Dad was feeling pretty good after getting his chemo. In fact, he felt so good, he went for a walk in the mall. Dad has been really weak since his first round of chemo. Partially due to the chemo, part due to recovering from bronchitis (he had the bronchitis right before his first round of chemo), and part related to being unable to do much because of the chemo and the bronchitis. Needless to say, he wasn't getting up and about much during that time.

Dad starts his week long series of Neupogen shots tomorrow. He's not looking forward to the shots, but again they have to be done to boost his white blood cell count.

Please continue to pray that the chemo is able to shrink the cancer into remission.

"Everything is possible for him that believes." (Mark 9:23)

Much Love,

Shanon

January 21st, 2011

I talked to Mom tonight. She said that Dad has had a nice break from the chemo. He's still very weak, but he definitely feels better. He was able to work and is going to continue to work when he feels well. This helps keep him busy and keeps his mind from wondering. His bones still ache, but not nearly as bad as they do when he's getting his shots to boost his white blood cell count. His throat feels better, so he is able to eat again. He isn't eating steak yet, but he's definitely consuming more then just fluids. Dad is starting to lose his hair. In Dad's words, "Hair today, gone tomorrow".

Dad sees his Oncologist on Wednesday, then will receive his second round of chemo. He had blood work done earlier this week. He didn't hear anything back about his blood work. Typically, no news is good news.

"St. Jude, you witnessed the healing power of our Lord Jesus. You saw his compassion for the sick and dying. You yourself touched the sick, shared the sorrows of the mournful, and encouraged the despairing. You received this authority and healing power to work wonders, to cure the incurable, to make people whole. We ask you to intercede with our brother, Jesus, to send his saving grace to heal the sickness and suffering of Alan, to uplift his despondent spirits, and to instill hope in his heart. Amen."

Love always,

Shanon