Beach Life

My parents let me and my oldest daughter tag along for their first beach trip since dad got sick, and we had SO much fun.  Dad did SO WELL!  He attended a car club BBQ dinner, went to the car show, went out for lunches and dinners, and attended church on Sunday morning.  Guys, it's an enormous deal for him to be able to get around like this and to go more than a couple of days without feeling some sort of side effect from his illness.  I'm just so excited for him I could explode! Here's a picture of us with Papa before dinner at Rosa's.  Yum.  Doesn't he look amazing!!??

Pismo, here he comes!

Hello Readers! A quick update to let you all know that overall, my dad is doing better!  He has good days, and he has bad days, but thank God he has finally caught that break we were all hoping for and has had two or three good days in a row.  So good that my mom and dad drove to Pismo today and will stay for the weekend in their home there! How exciting is THAT!!

Dad saw Dr. Nguyen on Wednesday the 23rd.  He is anemic and will need to go to Mercy on Monday and have a blood transfusion.  We aren't sure of the cause of this, its to be determined.  He was also given a B12 shot to help the bone marrow to be a bit more consistent.  His marrow is up and down, and really at this point should be just climbing back up into normal range.  The good news is that the percentage of the abnormal white blood cell that was elevated in his last blood screen has since gone down, YAY! He still is not well enough to go back in for consolidation chemotherapy which is standard to be done on a time schedule from when the last chemo was given, so we are waiting a bit more so he gets as well and as strong as possible before that trip for three weeks of chemo in the hospital....as you all know from our previous blogs that it wrecks havoc on all internal organs.  Next week, dad will have more blood work done and has a Friday appointment with Dr. Nguyen.

So, I leave you with this:  Enjoy the day.  Enjoy every moment with those around you.  Try to find happiness in whatever it is that you are doing because as cliche as it sounds, every day is a gift from God.  I am grateful for this day, as it is such a gift that my dad was able to withstand the car ride and had the energy to pack and plan for a weekend trip.  He is enjoying the cool air, listening to the waves crash onto the beach, and living life in his favorite location. Thank you Lord for that gift for him, it is a long time comin!

Results in. Well, kind of

Hello All,

This week was a busy one.  Monday night my dad was discharged from the hospital, Tuesday was my Mom's birthday, (sorry mom! Next year we will make it a big "bang up job" of a birthday - I'm already plotting a big 60th birthday for you and dad!), Wednesday he had a PET scan performed to try to further identify the spots on his bones, Thursday he had blood work done/home health nurse visit and yesterday was the follow up appointment with Dr. Nguyen.

We were all expecting to get some definitive answers and next steps on consolidation inpatient chemotherapy plans, however after performing this scan the Doctor is STILL unable to diagnose the spots.  Dr. Nguyen said he was specifically looking to identify a main lump or tumor that would be "feeding" the other spots that come through on the scan, but there wasn't one (thank God!).  These spots are so minuscule that they are immeasurable and he also noted it would be "nearly impossible" to get a sample via biopsy.

Again, these spots seem to be a secondary concern per a new finding on a specific kind of cell that was found in my dad's blood stream that is considered an immature white blood cell.  Further testing will be done on Tuesday to see if there is a pattern developing, which could result in another bone marrow biopsy.

So guys, please know how powerful you are to my dad's recovery.  We thank you for your prayers.  Please continue to lift him up in prayer.

I am really hoping and praying that my dad can catch a break.  It is ideal to keep the positivity up but some days are harder than others to do so, for me anyway.  May it be in God's great master plan to heal him, give him peace and the will to keep fighting this terrible, terrible disease.

Please feel free to post comments or text, email, etc. your love and support for my mom and dad.  It really is a spirit lifter!

Worth the watch

Did you happen to watch the ESPN ESPY awards the other night? If you're a female and aren't a sports enthusiast, you probably don't know what the ESPYs are and have no idea who Stuart Scott is.  The ESPY awards are the equivalent to the Grammys of the pro athlete world, and Stuart Scott is a long time commentator for ESPN.  He has been battling cancer for 7 years and has shared his story with the world.

I think it was meant to be for me to have turned the channel to this program at the specific time his tape piece started rolling.  If you have 12 or 13 minutes to spare it is worth it to watch.  The first 5 or 6 minutes of this video is the tape piece with Stuart's back story and the remainder is his acceptance speech for the "Jimmy V perseverance award".  I found it uplifting and inspiring, hopefully it'll do the same for you.

Home Again!!

Hello all, a short message to say a huge thank you to the followers and prayer warriors that have been praying and cheering dad on.  He was discharged Monday night and is so happy to be home! His obstruction in the small bowel has resolved and he feels no pain, definitely on the mend!! The doctors said this could have happened to anyone at anytime, it isnt necessarily related to the leukemia or its treatment.  In fact, it could be related to a surgery my dad had three years ago to remove a benign tumor in the small intestine....but they dont know for sure.

Tomorrow my dad goes to Kern Radiology for a PET scan to further assess the spots found on the bones.  Any and all prayers are welcomed for a clean report.

Again, thank you for your thoughtfulness, your prayers, and for following this journey.  A pack of supporters speaks volumes for dad and his will to keep fighting. Jen & Nicole

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, back to the hospital we go

It's been a very strange week! On Tuesday July 8th, dad had a follow up visit with his infectious disease doctor that was caring for him while hospitalized; this doc played a large part in the overall care plan.  He was thrilled with dad's progress, said lungs sounded great and no more need for all of the pill form antibiotics my dad was discharged with.  He also informed very frankly that my dad, well, almost died on two different occasions while in the hospital.  We knew this but didn't quite feel the need to tell him, like Dr. Raman did.  There was a point in the hospital that this doctor looked my sister and I right in the eyes at the nurses station and said, "your dad is a very sick man".  We told him that we realized this, but that we have faith in God and faith in him to provide care that would help save my dad.  It is a very sobering fact and just reminds all of us that God grants miracles and we believe He granted many to my dad.

To celebrate such a great report my parents felt energized and braved the heat....they did normal things you and I get to do everyday like go out to lunch, went for an oil change, to the bank, and just lived normal life.

On Wednesday July 10th, dad was feeling a bit sluggish and sore, and on Thursday he was flat out ill.  This he says was the worst day he's had since he's been home.  He experienced sky high nausea, pain, vomiting, felt hot although he did not have a fever, just very ill.

Friday, saw Dr. Nguyen and received IV anti-nausea medicine as well as fluids for dehydration.  He felt a bit better after but something still didn't feel right.  Last night around 7 pm I met my mom and dad at Accelerated Urgent Care, trying to avoid ER at all costs, but looking for some answers and trying to survive the weekend without any medical help really wasn't an option.  The plan was to give IV fluid, IV anti nausea meds and do a blood panel.  There, they also took an X ray that showed there was some sort of obstruction in the small bowel.    He was transported by ambulance to Mercy Southwest ER.  They didn't get to the IV fluids, nausea meds or blood screen there so they did all of that at hospital and did a CT to further identify exactly what was happening in the small bowel.

It was determined that my dad does not have a full blockage, it is in fact a small obstruction.  A tube was ran through the nose to the stomach to drain fluid he is retaining, at this point no surgery is needed.  He will also need a blood transfusion as his hemoglobin level is a bit over 7 right now, very low.

The next step is to take an X ray to see if the intestine is clearing...if not surgery will need to be discussed.

So folks, again a bump in the road.  We simply request your prayers, thoughts, and well wishes at this time for my dad.  He is certainly "sick of being sick", and rightfully so!  Thank you in advance.

Jen and Nicole

Here Comes the Sun-day!

Another music inspired post...my sister admitted she didn't know that many Beatles songs (and I gasped!) so here's another one.
I recommend pressing play before you continue reading.


My dad is doing so well!! It's shocking to see how much progress he has made in the 11 days that he's been home.  Initially he could barely take 8 steps and was still using the hospital urinal we took (don't tell).  Then he progressed to walking down their hall with the walker. This weekend he is oxygen free during the day and walks on his own, even walking all the way outside to watch the girls swim in the pool!! It is just incredible.  God is soooooo good.

Please keep my mom and dad in your prayers, its working!! My mom needs strength to continue her amazing work of caring for him round the clock.  Please pray for my dad as he needs peace of mind for his bone scan and prayers for continued healing and strength.

Smiles are returning to our faces!
It's Alright.

Love, Nicole and Jenny

Update from Dr. Nguyen office visit

Hey All! We took Dad to his first follow up at Dr. Nguyen's office since he has been home (has been home for 8 days now).  I am happy to report that the visit was EXTREMELY positive!!!  Dad's numbers are all increasing on their own, thank God! When we left the hospital a week ago his white blood count was at 2.7, now it is 5.5 (back in normal range).  Within a week! Amazing.  His hemoglobin is just under the benchmark number but is increasing, which means the bone marrow is functioning properly on its own and producing only the normal cells, no leukemic cells (Dr. did a test for this and it came back negative, hooray!!!!!).

The doc's words were "I couldn't have asked for a better report".  How exciting is that!  He is a little low on his protein level, so he needs to continue to get as much protein and nourishment as he can.  He was given an appetite stimulant medication (as you will remember he has hardly eaten anything in 5 weeks and has lost 32 pounds).  This medicine has really worked.  He is eating like a champ!  His blood sugar is still a little high, but this is not a worry at the moment.  He can maintain for a few months at this elevated level without anything happening.  Dr. said we would revisit his sugar levels a little later.

He is still on his low level of oxygen, however the doc said to take it off and leave his finger pulse oximeter on to watch what his oxygen saturation level is.  If it remains at 96-97% while off, he can leave it off!  The goal is to wean.  While dad takes his showers, it is obviously off and he maintains at 97%!  Doc said his lungs sounded excellent and the method they are using right now for his recuperation is absolutely working.

You should see him guys, he is going outside to sit and eat breakfast on the patio, went on a walk with my mom with the dogs the other night around the block, and is gaining tons of strength back.

He will go to Dr. Raman's office next week to see how much longer he needs to remain on the pill form antibiotics he was discharged with.

The final "checklist" item we have is to go for another scan of the bones, doc suspects this will come back clean but we need to conclusively identify the spots on the bones.

Thanks again everyone for reading, praying, and staying interested in dad's recovery process.  In my prayers I constantly thank God for those who are praying for dad.  We have almost 8,000 views on this blog.  He has so many people who are praying and cheering him on.  HUGE hugs and thanks to each one of you!