Well, things were going so well for a while I thought I didn't need to post any updates. Daddy was doing really well and slowly regaining his weight and his strength. In late February, an absess came up and Daddy went into the hospital to have it drained and tested and it was an absess and cancer again. Daddy stayed in the hospital for about two weeks and got out and started chemo again (last week). He had gained back about 30 pounds and was looking pretty good and a little thicker when his peg tube site got infected and the docs decided it needed to come out. It was removed on Wednesday, March 7th, and we were back to the ER on Saturday night with issues from the peg tube but the ER docs got a little more excited about whatever they were hearing in his lungs. He was admitted back into the hospital in the wee hours of the morning, March 11, and really started developing breathing problems on Sunday. The problems grew worse and they put him back on a ventilator and back into ICU this morning. He is resting much more comfortably and we are relieved he is back on the ventilator and getting such much needed rest. They can't seem to say for sure if it is pnemonia or ARDS (acute respitory distress syndrome), but it looks to us be a repeat of the last big round of chemo (that resulted in ARDS) that had him in the ICU back in October/November. Up until Daddy went on the ventilator, he was lucid and still wanted to fight this thing so we will continue to fight. Please pray for a quick recovery for him.

Cindy

Don's progress

He is home and tucked into bed all snug as a bug!! He had a visitor within a half hour and was all smiles. I got on to blog that he was home but my sister beat me to it. He is in a great mood and seems to be a little bit better every day. His voice is coming back a little bit. Faye got a baby monitor so she could hear him if she needed to be in another room and also to amplify his voice when he talks. That worked way better than Emily's Karoke machine that I tried.

Cathy came down last week to stay with Daddy and visit and I know he enjoyed her so much. Mark and Marty are coming in tonight and are going to start building a new porch with a ramp so that we can get Daddy in and out of the house a little easier. Hopefully, when it is all said and done, he will only need the ramp to pull up his wagon full of fresh summer vegetables.

Thank you again all for all the prayers, visits, calls, cards, blogs and e-mails. As Emily said when she found out Daddy was coming home "I knew my prayers were working!!! Now we have three miracles to look forward to." I asked "three?" and she said "Pappaw coming home, the new baby, (new baby cousin arriving any day in Len's family), and Christmas." God often reminds me that we can all learn things from our children.

We know we will still have some rough days ahead of us but we have put ourselves in God's hands and trust in his mercies. Please continue to pray for Daddy's healing and for all or us as well. As Emily said, we know the prayers are working.

Thanks again,
Cindy

Don's progress

YEA!!! We are coming home. As I write this, dad is on the best ambulance ride of his life. We are so excited. We just want to thank each and every one of you for all your prayers and calls. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. From the bottom of our hearts Thank You So Much.

Please pray that he will continue to improve daily and be able to go through the rest of his chemo with no problems. Pray for us we continue to care him.

We hope you all have a Merry Christmas.

We love ya'll.

Cathy

Don's progress

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Daddy is doing really good. He walked five steps with a walker today. Yesterday he walked two steps for the first time in weeks. It doesn't sound like much but it is huge to us. He just has to get another step in everyday and eventually we will get there. His sense of humor is definitely back and he is always smiling again. I wish I could be more like him.

Daddy is going home sometime later this week. Probably Thursday or Friday. He is getting another modified chemo treatment tomorrow but no side effects are expected from it.

Emily's number 1 thing on her Christmas list was for PawPaw to come home from the hospital. When I told her he was coming home she said she knew all her prayers were working and now we had three miracles to look forward to ....... PawPaw coming home, Noelle's baby, and the miracle of Christmas. Who says miracles don't happen???

Please keep praying for us because we sure need them.

Cindy

Don's progress

We had a small Thanksgiving in that we weren't ever all really together at once but it was o.k. We kind of all went back and forth to the hospital visiting Daddy. Daddy has looked really good for the last few days. He wanted some pants and wanted to sit up in the chair. So we got his pajama pants and got him up and in a chair. He sat in the chair for about 20 minutes before he was ready to get back in the bed. That wore him out but he seems to have a good attitude again about his therapy and getting better. He is joking and smiling again which is nice to see. On Wednesday, they took the NG tube out of his nose and put in a peg tube through his stomach. His stomach is a little sore still but the peg tube feedings seem to be working out better. He should be gettting more nutrition this way and hopefully will get stronger a little faster.

More later,
Cindy

Don's progress

Daddy's doing pretty well. Still not out of bed much. Physical therapy sits him in the chair for a few minutes. Anyway, he is still a lot better than before. He is getting a round of chemo today. This is the modified version because his body probably can't handle the full chemo treatment at once. Yesterday afternoon and last night he was wanting coffee and was a little mad that I couldn't get it for him. Anyway, he's doing as well as can be expected at this point.

More later.

Thanks for all the prayers.

Tracy

Don's progress

Daddy is still in room 528, the isolation room, and will be through at least the weekend. They don't think it is tuberculosis but something in that family. They won't know for sure until Monday. The room itself is nicer than the other room but we all have to wear mask when we are in there which gets old quick.

We have three therapists there working him everyday. The occupational therapist has been working with him in the bed. The physical therapist has gotten him up and out of the bed into a chair. He isn't able to do much more than put a little weight on his legs but that is a start. Speech therapist is working with him on swallowing but his throat is so sore he isn't able to do much. Yesterday they ordered something with lidocaine to help numb the throat a little and hopefully this will help with the sore throat and enable him to do a little more.
The telephone in the room number 387-7528. He can't/won't really talk right now but perhaps he will soon with the lidocaine.

Keep praying.....
C

Don's progress

Sorry we haven't updated in a while. Mark, Lesa, Cathy and Katie came in for the weekend. Daddy was glad to see everyone but he mostly slept. Yesterday they moved Daddy to Baton Rouge General Mid City to a skilled nursing unit where he could receive therapy for swallowing so we could get him back eating and more physical therapy to get him on his feet. Today we got the news that the endoscopy performed several weeks ago grew something on the culture they took and so now he has been put into an isolation room so no visitors are allowed except the family members who have been with him previously. They won't know what it is until Monday but they are assuming it is contagious and taking precautions. He is in room 528. I think the phone number is 387-7528 but I'm not sure.

Please continue to pray.....

Cindy