What's Happening

1. Russ had his second chemo treatment today in Chattanooga. His platelet count was low, so they lowered the dose. Most likely he will skip his treatment next week, though he will go in for blood work. I also project he will get another evaluation mid June at Johns Hopkins.

2. Fishing, fishing, fishing. Uncle Sam came in for an extended visit and he has been fishing with Russ. They both seem to be enjoying the time out on the water. Who could blame them?

3. Late in April Russ also had a visit with his daughter Terri and her husband Jeff. They flew in from Arizona and stayed for a long weekend. It was so nice to see them again!!!!

4. Russ's honeybees have been doing great and he has been able to sell nucs from his hives. We are both crossing our fingers for a decent honey surplus.

5. The peach trees are loaded with fruit. Now, cross your fingers that the coons don't pick them all first:-)

Post-Pone and Re-Schedule

Russ had a CT Scan and it showed that his tumor has not shrunk enough for surgery. The doctors want it to get a wee bit smaller so that they can ensure clean margins when they remove it, they do not want to leave even a trace behind.

Here is the new plan:

He will need 2 months of chemo treatment and tyen they will do another CT scan and measure the size of the tumor. Further plans will be made from that point.

The good news is that it is being arranged so that he can receive the treatments here in Chattanooga and although the tumor has not shrunk much it has also not spread.

I expect them home this weekend sometime.

Surgery Is Next

Russ got his last chemo treatment Monday and he is now home for a short while.

He will go back on April 13th for an MRI and then his surgery will be the next day, April 14th.

The surgery he is having is called a Whipple and it is intended to remove the tumor that is on his pancreas.

The recovery after this surgery is about 6 weeks, although I do not know how long he will have to stay in Baltimore. I will update as I know more. Thanks for checking in.

Our African Roots

We had a great day yesterday!
My nephew, Bryan, returned last week from his 2 year stent in Ghana, West Africa and everyone came to mom and Russ's house for a visit.
Bryan looks great and had some dresses and shirts custom made in Ghana for us all. This picture is all of us showing off our beautiful apparel.
We spent the day cutting down some dead trees, eating a great meal and playing outside in the beautiful weather. Russ felt good and helped cut trees and play with the kids. Yay!
They will drive to Baltimore this weekend so he can get one more chemo treatment on Monday, then the doctors will wait a week to run test and determine how much all of these treatments have helped in regards to "shrinking" the tumor so that it can resected, or sugically removed.
In the meantime, we have more visiting with family this week and I will update!

New Update

I apologize for the loooong absence.
Russ is doing well. Last week his 2 brothers came in town to visit. They also took him to Johns Hopkins for his chemo treatment. It was nice to have them in town and Russ enjoyed their visit greatly.
This weekend he will go to Johns Hopkins again for another round of chemo on Monday, then he will have one more treatment the following Monday.
Tuesday my sister and her family will arrive in town for a short visit and we are very excited. She will not only have her oldest daughter and son in-law and baby with her but she is also bringing her oldest son who just arrived home lastnight from a 2 year mission in Ghana, West Africa. I will post some pictures next week.
Thanks for the support and for checking in....I promise not to be gone so long next time:-)

Home Again, Home Again

 

They left about 9 am this morning and are headed home for a nice week. Russ was able to have his LAST radiation treatment done very early so that they could come home today.

His two brothers are driving up this weekend from Arizona to spend time with Russ and will even be driving him back to Johns Hopkins next weekend for his chemo treatment. That is fantastic!

Russ will need to get three chemo treatments each Monday for 3 three Mondays in a row starting on the 15th.

He feels pretty good and I am sure he will feel better after a week of home and family.....and warm weather! It is supposed to be very nice Monday!

The Ugly Truth

 

When you have radiation treatments on your pancreas, it also affects your stomach.

Ouch.

Russ has a peptic ulcer in his stomach and it has been very painful.

It hurts all of the time.

Eating is a chore.

It's an ugly truth about cancer treatments.

They have side effects.

The good news is that his doctor prescribed him a new medicine and he is starting to feel human today.

The week long break is helping him as well. 

He is still weak and low energy, but everyday gets better.

Tomorrow is another day to heal and rest.

Thanks for checking in!