Up Hill Battle

So dad has been doing alright lately.  Unfortunatly he has been having more bad days than good days.  His parents (my grandparents) came over last week and we all had lunch together, and Grandma made him a pineapple upside down cake-dads favorite.  But he hasn't been out much since then.  He has been dealing with his cough which is showing its ugly face again, and he has been really tired and wore out.  Earlier today we went and got his blood work for his doctor appointment and chemo next week.  That took a lot out of him!  We have been watching his blood pressure really close and keeping a daily log of the results, something I plan on taking to the doctors appointment on Wednesday!
Tomorrow dad will be getting out of the house for a little bit, we have a memorial service for someone who is very close to us.  Our thoughts are with the Lewis Family!!!!!!!!
Other than that, nothing really has changed since I last wrote... we are all doing fine and just dealing with everything day by day!
Everyone have a great Memorial Day!! Hopefully the good weather stays here for a while!!!!

"May every sunrise hold more promise, every moonrise hold more peace."

-unknown

Finally some hopeful news!!!!

So dad finished his first round of this chemo yesterday.  He also had an appointment with the doctor as well.  The doctor mentioned something that we could possibly go in and cut out the cancer spots on his liver.  This is not saying its going to happen, or its a strong possibility....but it is out there, and they are talking with surgeons about it.  That made us all very excited!
Dad has been doing really great this time around with the chemo.  He gets the shakes for 2 days after his chemo, and he gets tired a lot easier, but his voice is a lot more...well....he just sounds happier-not really sure how to put it into words right now.  He kind of knows what to expect in the days following the treatment, which makes it a little more tolerable I guess you can say.  Although we all agree we do not like chemo days, but for right now we will deal with it! He is out doing more things, and staying active. 
We had the clean up at the lake last weekend, and he came out for a little bit and went to the board meeting the following day.  Which is great for my dad!  He has also been getting out of the house more and spending a little more time up at the lodge with Bob!
Speaking of Bob.... I would like everyone to know what a life saver he has been to us!!!!!  He is always there when we need it, and he is keeping dad as busy as he can!  We defiantly appreciate it!  Thank you very much!!!!!
Like I say in many of my blogs...we appreciate what everyone has been doing for us!  We love our great support system!
I would like to say before I finish (and I will finish with a quote-that my mom so kindly pointed out that I have been lacking).  I would like to send our thoughts and prayers to a family friend (part of our family really)...Wanda Koval!  You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers as well!!!!

"God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight." 

-Reggie White

latest update!!!

So dad got the results to his PET scan yesterday!!!  Good news!!!  The tumor in his lung has shrunk!!!!  He will be starting chemo again next week.  He will do two weeks on, and 1 week off.  This will be a different type of chemo, and will affect his blood counts a lot more than the last round!  We will have to keep an eye on that and continue to watch him really close!  This round of chemo will help shrink (we are hoping) the spots on his liver!  He has his cough again :(, but we are doing alright with managing that as well.  He is getting out of the house more often now which is really great!! 
My sisters and brother and I  just got back from a great trip from Tennessee!!  We went down there for the Memphis in May concert and had a blast!  It was a nice little get away, but it is great to be back home!
I will continue to keep everyone informed on how my dad is doing with this round of chemo!  We have great expectations of modern medicine!  One thing I do ask of people reading this and the ones who come around my dad, if you are sick or feeling under the weather...or even if you have been around sick people, we ask that you get better before seeing him!  His numbers are fine now, but during the course of the next couple weeks we expect his numbers to drop, which will lower his immune system (his body won't be able to fight off the common cold as easy as me and you).
Thank you again and hope everyone is enjoying the warm (ish) weather we are having!!!!