long weekend

Hope all of you are starting the week on a good note. I went camping but we came home early which in the end was a good thing for me. Still having some jaw pain but coping with it.

Came home from the camp out to Balmorhea State Park late Saturday afternoon. There was a miscommunication with the park personnel so we came home on Saturday. Was certainly disappointed about not getting to camp out the whole weekend. But slept 14 hours Saturday night so evidently the short trip took more out of me than I thought. Did some repairs around the house on Sunday and tried to relax. Slept in too long this morning but evidently I needed it and will continue to listen to my body.

The piece of loose bone in my jaw is starting to come out. Hopefully it will in the next couple of weeks. It does affect my eating and drinking. Cold liquids really do a number on this spot. And too much talking and eating also affect the pain level. So I take the drugs when the pain gets too bad. Still at 135 pounds but not eating enough right now to gain anymore weight. But that too shall pass. One day I will be wondering how to lose weight!!

Still have dryness in my mouth so drink alot of water and coffee to keep it moist. Working outside makes it worse so have to get into keeping water handy all the time.

Have more work than hours in the day right now. So I am really getting into time management! So here I am posting instead of working! But need this to keep my mental straight!

Hope everyone has a great week. Each day gets a little better. No one said it would be easy. I lean on God to pull me through the rough spots, and he always does. The past 8 months has really deepen my faith and my witness to others!

Camping

Today is Friday and after a long week I am going to go on a Scout camp out to Balmorhea State Park.

I have been to a couple of doctors this week with in infection to my lower jaw and cheek. It seems I have a loose piece of bone that my body is trying to get rid of. So I just have to wait for it to come to the surface. Hopefully it will happen within the next couple of weeks. I am on some mild pain killers as the pain has become intense at times.

I was at a ground breaking for a new Hope House on Wednesday and the PA at Texas Onocology just gave me an exam right there on the spot and ordered in some drugs. What a place!!! Then proceeded to see two dentists.

Eating has been somewhat of a chore this week as the more I chew, the more my mouth hurts. But just put some numbing cream on the spots and try to eat through the pain.

I have not accomplished everything I wanted to this week but am working towards getting there. My energy level is up some but still have to watch and make sure I don't get overextended.

I ask for continual prayers for Kohen Subia - the two year old boy who had a kidney and part of his liver removed and is going through chemo and radiation. I know what I went through so can I can just imagine what he is going through and not being able to tell anyone!

Recovery is slow. I tire way to easy and so I am trying to take it slow. It is hard but I am getting better. I weigh 135 pounds. My feet still tingle but I just keep going. There could be worse things going on with me. I get up each day and thank the Lord for another day. It's all I can ask. Have a great weekend everyone. Steve

Another week gone

It has been a good week. We met with the chemo doctor and the results of the PET scan were great. Nothing was found on the cross section. So visits with three doctors have resulted in good reports from all. Only issue I have at this point in my recovery is my feet still tingle and my fingers sometimes tingle. My neck is still recovering. Every time I wear a collared shirt, I irrate my neck again. I continue to put medicine and cream on it. Just have to be patience. My jaw is causing me some pain. Was told by the doctor that it is common and have to take some medicine for it if the pain gets too bad.

I have gained another pound this week and now weigh a 135 pounds. Still look like a skinny guy but what a waist!! And no stomach!

Meals have been steack, hamburger patty, pasta, mexican food, oatmeal, eggs, biscuit and gravy. Ate a couple of cookes today with a glass of water. Water is a main staple in my meals as of now. But at least I am eating, and drinking and staying hydrated. I have tried to not work too much this week but we had a sidewalk sale the last two days so the hours have been kinda long. Will sleep and rest alot tomorrow.

Our grandsons are spending ghe night with us this evening. It was their idea. It's neat that they want to stay the night. Of course, their mom and dad just live about 2 minutes from here!

I am tried this evening and will sleep well tonight, even with grandsons in another room! Have a full week next week so have to make sure I go into it with lots of energy. And of course, I will be depending on God and the many prayers offered up to him for my continued healing and getting stronger. I am getting stronger every day and getting more energy to make it through the day. God has been good to us and we thank him on a daily basis for his strength. Later all...

An uneventful few days

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. Worked about 5 hours a day from Tuesday thru Thursday and then a full day on Friday. Saturday was spent working at the kids house painting. Today will work on the cook wagon for Scouts and celebrate Walker's birthday (grandson).

Biggest problem is still trying to gain some weight. Breakfast is the hardest at this point since bread still does not go well. Breakfast bars are about the same as bread. Lunch this last week has been hot links and hot dogs. Had Chinese food a couple of days for supper so I don''t think the weight gain has increased. I haven't lost any weight, just no gain. So for that I am happy. For someone who was only eating 2 meals a day to having to eat 3 meals with alot of calories, it has been a chore.

My throat dries out quickly if I don't drink water constantly. I worked in the yard about 30 minutes last night and my mouth was so dry it took about an hour for it to get moist again. Have to pay more attention to myself when I am working outside and stop more frequently to drink. I now drink an occasional sprite along with water and coffee. But very little ice. For some reason the real cold does not do well in my mouth.

I can tell my immune system is not up to speed as I have a strawberry on my elbow that refuses to heal, even with medicine on it. Did not do Scout trip this weekend as a result of that. My body is getting better but not as fast as I would like. Did I ever say patience is not one of the things I'm good at?

All in all, I am pleased with my progress at this point. I know that the recovery will take time and that the more I rest, the quicker I can recover. So I am trying to mix the two together. When I sit for very long, I sleep. I try to make the most of my time while I am awake, whether it is work, visiting or playing. hmmm somewhere in there I should be eating!

God has been good to Lucille and me. And I know that it is the prayers that have been given on my behalf that has resulted in my treatment and recovery progress. And I continue to thank God for each of you for your support. I hope each of you has received a blessing this past week. Every day I get one when I look back on the day. It may be feeling better, being able to lift more weight, being able to work longer, my mind clearing up, being able to help someone in need, or just plain old doing a good turn for someone. Oh, and stopping to smell the roses. We should all be thankful in that if you look around, there is always someone who has it rougher than you and me. And that is a blessing in itself. Have a great Sunday.

Another doctor visit

Well, I worked too many hours last Thursday and Friday and spent the weekend recovering. Slept til 10:30 Saturday morning and then messed around house all day. Sunday I had an Eagle Court of Honor for two of the boys in my Boy Scout Troop.

So yesterday and today, I took it a little easier at the office. Went to Dr V Patel this morning. This is the doctor that found the cancer to start with. He did another scope down my throat and I got to see it on tv while he was holding my tongue out. He did not see anything and said the next 18 months would be the most critical for cancer. He also said I did better then 95% of his patients as far as how I was doing at this point. So all in all, it has been a good day. Another doctor visit and another good report. The big one will be the chemo doctor a week from Thursday.

I still weigh 134 pounds. It is hard to eat enough to gain! But I am not losing and that's good. So will keep working on putting on a few more pounds. I am working out more and that is helping my endurance. I trust that God will bless me as I need to be in regaining my strength. I just have to be patient.

A lady I know from Scouts has a grandson that is two years old and he has cancer. He has already lost a kidney. I am asking you for a special prayer for this young man and his family. He starts chemo and radiation shortly. It will take alot of faith for this family and alot of support.

God grants us many opportunities for us to display our true faith. I know my faith has increased tremendously and I have been blessed as a result. I know he has blessed each of you for your support and prayers. It is amazing what prayer will do!

I'll keep you posted with my progress.

IT'S GONE... IT'S GONE !!!!!

Went to Dr Corwin's office and the PET scan to get the initial results. He proceeded to show Lucille and me the initial PET scan and the scan they just finished. Turns out I have 4 lymph nodes that had cancer and the cancer on my throat was much bigger than we thought. But the newest scan showed NOTHING! Yes, it showed there was no cancer anywhere in my body. The doctor was even surprised as he had forewarned us that a test this early will show hot spots and that the real test would be in 3 months. He was as pleased as were we. While they will review the cross section of the PET scan, I do not think they will find anything.

It was like a big weight just lifted off my shoulders when we looked at the scans. I did not realize that I was as worried about the test as I guess I was.

And I believe that the prayers offered by all of you across this world had a tremedous effect. I truly believe God heard these prayers and made sure the cancer was gone. The support has been wonderful and has kept me going all these months. And knowing that God would carry me when I couldn't or wouldn't walk myself. And I can assure you I had those days when I wondered if I could continue.

So here I am the first of August without cancer growing. I got up this morning and did a limited workout and will continue to try and get my strength back. I weigh 134 pounds and will start eating regular items. I would like to weigh between 145 and 155. But I don't care if it takes months to get there. As long as I have the energy and endurance to do what I have and want to do, then weight is not an issue.

Right now I am hoping to be able to work 40 hours a week by the end of the month. Have to earn a living, but life is about smelling the roses and I intend to do more of that in the future. I do not know how long my life will be from this point forward so will use it to smell lots of roses. Later gang and thanks again for your support and prayers......

Start of new week in recovery

Good morning all. Well, the weekend was in that I gained another pound and now weigh 134 pounds. I did however, fall off a ladder yesterday while doing some work for my daughter. Just a strawberry bruise on my elbow and head. But everything is good now. It is sooooo nice to be done with the feeding tube. I will have a permanent reminder of the tube in that there will be a nice quarter inch hole at the top part of my stomach. But it served its purpose and is a small price to pay. Looks kinda like a belly button that is misplaced. The numbness in toes and fingers are getting better as is my tongue. Just keep on going as it will take some time to get over that. At least that is what I'm told. Found out that my rash on neck and now ankles is most likely due to some bath wash I started using. Will stop using it. While my neck still itches, it looks better already. Hopefully by the end of the week, it will be gone.

Went to an outdoor concert at Museum of the Southwest to listen to my son-in-law play last night. A beautiful evening and enough of a breeze to keep the bugs away.

Am basicly back to water drinking as it seems all other liquids seem to dry out my mouth. Drinking alot of water to keep my mouth moist. But that is a good thing. Keeps me hydrated! Had pancakes this morning. Had pasta Friday night and pizza on Saturday. Anything is possible with water. Have not tried a hamburger yet. Too much bread.

Did finish a couple of projects this weekend around home. Will continue to work on list that has piled up over the last seven months. Even helping Paul and Sarah get some stuff done at their new home. Plan on working a little more this week. Slept good last night but was really tired. I probably worked too much this weekend and not enough rest. Will try to curb the work some this week to make sure I stay rested.

Have the PET scan tomorrow and wait another week for the initial result of the CT/PET scan. Then will have another scan in a couple of months. It is all about recovery and getting back to normal, as normal as one can get. Every time my ear hurts or my throat hurts I think about cancer. Guess it will always be with me from now on. Just have to trust in God and the doctors that all is ok!

I hope everyone has a great week. The rain is over and hot weather suppose to set in for the balance of the week. The rain was great but now things will dry out some. Thanks for your continued support and prayers. Have to admit that I am somewhat anixous about these scans. But I also know that I feel good and at this point the doctors feel good about the results of the treatments. It is all about faith. Faith in God, and faith in yourself (attitude). Thanks to you all for your support. Later gang...