Another round of Chemo completed

August 19, 2016

Last weekend was a rough one for my dad.  He was extremely weak, not able to eat much, and experiencing pain again.  Monday morning he managed to get to Raleigh for his chemo treatment.  They checked his labs and said that his platelet count was back in the "good range"; and proceeded with the chemo.  He went again on Tuesday and Wednesday.  As strange as it may sound... when he gets the chemo he feels better.  So, less pain/more appetite/etc.
In addition to the chemo treatment, he also got to wear home an "auto-injector" again to bring up his white blood cell count. 
On Thursday they made the trip to Raleigh again, but this time it wasn't for chemo.  He finally got his "port".  They finished in record time, and he made it home in time to attend the Colin's Crusaders fundraiser at Zaxbys! 
Next Thursday, the 26th he is scheduled for a CT Scan.  When we get the results back we will know if the chemo is doing it's job.   Based on the way he feels afterwards.... my guess is - Yes, it's working. 
The next round of chemo is scheduled for September 6,7,and 8. 
Thank-you for the many prayers, we love you all.  Have a great weekend!

Feel free to leave comments below.  It is my hope that our transparency will benefit others.

No treatments this week

August 8, 2016

Last week when they did Daddy's labs the numbers came back good - even the white blood cell count was up!  The only problem was his platelet count.  Dr. Agrawal said that he had to temporarily stop taking his blood thinner.  He cannot get his chemo treatment until his platelet count gets a little better.
He rescheduled his chemo for next week.  So, at least for this week -  No shots, no chemo, no driving to Raleigh!!  If all goes well, he will have his chemo treatments next week - Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  (8/15, 8/16, 8/17)

In the meantime, he is feeling good.  His spirits are up, his pain is gone, and his appetite seems to be returning to normal.  God is Good! 

Feel free to leave comments below.  It is my hope that our transparency will benefit others.

Miracles can happen

August 1, 2016

Wow, so much as happened since my last post!  Sorry for the delay.  I really did not know if anyone was following my blog... but,  Mom told me today that some of her friends had questioned her about the lack of new information on the blog.  So, back to work - and thanks for the gentle nudge! 

So, we had a rocky start last week.  (Dad was still in some pain and on the oxygen 24/7.)  But, then we got some great news on Wednesday.  Dad had an appointment with Dr. Agrawal.  They drew blood for the labs, and then we met with the Doc.  He said that all of his "numbers" were looking better - except for the white blood cell count.  During the examination he detected more movement in the left lung... and Daddy said that he had also noticed that the left lung was beginning to work harder. Yippee!  He was concerned about his white blood cell count due to the decreased immunity. He ordered a "shot" of something to help with that... and two more shots scheduled for other days. (which means driving for one hour - get a shot- and then drive another hour back home) This better work! :)

He told him that his goal was to gradually get him off of the oxygen.  I am proud to say that today my dad is not tethered to the oxygen anymore! That was fast!  Praise the Lord!

When I call him on the phone now and ask how he is doing  he says "GREAT".  God is working.  Now we just need to pack back on some pounds, preferably with good foods - not ice cream.  Here is a picture of Dad with his great-granddaughter, Jewel.  This pic was taken on Saturday 7/30.

Feel free to leave comments below.  It is my hope that our transparency will benefit others.