On to Plan B

Hi all! Well it has been a pretty uneventful few weeks! Dad has been feeling really great and been getting out on the golf course alot. It has been so hot in Arizona though I don't know how he doesn't melt to death.

Him and I also went shooting (or as Dad likes to say.."pop some caps") last week which was so much fun! He hadn't shot a gun since he was in the Navy but let me tell ya, Dad still has it!

Yesterday was CT Scan day. We were all wondering if the dye he has to drink before would taste as bad since he isn't getting as nauseous...well it still tastes terrible haha dangit.

Today we met with Dr. K to review the results of the Scan...here are the deets:

• The main lung tumor shrunk 2mm...not as significant as last time, but progress is progress.
• There are what the call "satellite nodules" or lesions appearing in the upper left lung near the main tumor. They are about the size of a piece of rice and they aren't sure if they are related to the cancer or if they are signs of an infection. Dr. K said Valley Fever was a possibility so he got tested for that today. We cant biopsy them because they are so small so it is more of a waiting game to see if they change.
• The tumor (actually we aren't completely sure its a tumor, the report says metastasis so we will go with that) on the adrenal gland grew from 1.3x1.1 cm to 3.0x2.3 cm. This was a big concern for Dr. K obviously so he said no chemo for Dad today. Dad will get a biopsy done over labor day weekend and since Avastin (chemo drug) promotes bleeding Dr. K wants it out of Dads system for a month. 
• His labs look really good with the exception of an elevated white blood cell count which means his body is fighting something!

So what now? Well when they do the biopsy they will test for the lung cancer gene to see if it is related to the lung cancer. If it isn't, they will start a new chemo plan that will hopefully work better.  He also let us know of a few other options including two oral drugs and an experimental study that has proved great success at TGen (Translational Genomics Research Institute). Radiation isn't an option because Dad needs whats called systemic treatment which means treatment that targets the whole body, not just one location which radiation does. We are also going to start scanning every 2 months instead of 3 so we can see change without it being too early or too long.

As of right now Dad is scheduled for the biopsy on the 3rd (yes that is labor day, yes they are closed, yes that date might just have to change) and meeting with Dr. K on the 14th to figure out what plan B is! 

Everyone, especially Dad, is doing well. We have a TON of hope and faith in Dad's team and know they are providing the absolute best care they can! All we can do is take it one day at a time and keep doing all that we have been doing! Please keep Dad and his medical team in your prayers, and if you have time leave him some sugar below :) We will keep you updated, have a great week!

Live For The Moment

Hello! I am writing to you from my new cable-less, ethernet cable savy apartment...It's very "starving college student" if I do say so myself. I am sure many of you can't even imagine what this world feels like anymore, but my roommate and I think it is pretty awesome. It has been a busy, but wonderful, three weeks! Dad's melanoma surgery went great! We were and continue to be impressed with Dr. Griego's work. He got all of the melanoma the first time and Dad's scar is healing really well. He was pretty sore for about a week but is back to a painless world now. I wanted to post the pictures, so if you have a queezy stomach...scroll down quickly :)

This is Dad's face after the melanoma was cut out. They left it open for a day (covered by a bandage of course) before they stitched it.

This is the stiching! Right off the bat you could barely see it! There are three layers of stitches that will dissolve in the next 3 months. 

Here is Dad just two weeks later! Can you tell?!

Dad and Cindy went up to Portland last week to visit Cindy's daughter and family. They had such a great time going to the beach, the fair, and everything in between!

Regan, Dad, and little Maddie...she is so cute!

My sister Kristen has also returned home from her two month adventure in Scotland, Ireland, and London. We were so ready to have her home & it is so great to have the whole family back together!

Chemo yesterday went well...for the most part. They changed their procedures so now when we get to MD Anderson for blood work, the nurse will place the IV in the port and draw the blood from there. Previously they drew blood from his arm and Cristine, our chemo nurse, administered the IV in his port. Well poor Dad came out with watery eyes and said that it really hurt. He asked the nurse if she had done a port before and she said "Well, I did one this morning". Hopefully she can get her act together in the next three weeks!

Dr. K said all was well and he was really happy with Dad's scar on his face! He also let us know that he planned his next vacation around Dad's schedule. I think he learned his lesson from his last vacation...We aren't difficult I swear! We will get to do another CT scan on 8/20 to see the current progress. Chemo went great as usual. Dad got a little stomach queezy but only for a little bit. Then, of course, we feasted after!

I feel very blessed on multiple levels, including that Cristine our chemo nurse has inspired me to go back to school and become and oncology nurse! God has been putting this on my heart the last few months so I finally buckled down and I start school August 20th! I'm sharing this with you all as a reminder to LIVE FOR THE MOMENT! Do what you love, life is so short to let worry get in the way of what you truly love and want to do. Even in the face of a negative experience, there is something greater that will come out of it. Thanks for your continued prayers, we appreciate you all from the bottom of our heart!