Well, I just got off the phone with my dad. They are thrilled at the news they found out today!
For all those prayer warriors out there, here are some specific things you can pray for.
First... my dad is trying to continue to work full time while dealing with this. Every day he has to go in for radiation treatments, and obviously that has to fit in the doctor's office schedule. He works in Denver, but it is about an hour commute from the house (which the doctor's office is very close to) to his work. So obviously, time is an issue as he continues to work. He's going to have to leave the house at 5am, to be at work at 6am, work till 3pm, have radiation at 4pm, and then head home and collapse. His supervisor and co-workers are fabulous and totally supporting him. Please pray for his strength as he attempts to handle all this and that he has the endurance to continue all this over the next 7 weeks.
Second... the actual doctor wasn't in today when they went in for test results, but the specialist/tech was able to tell them that the cancer hadn't spread. They meet with the doctor, and he should be able to determine the "stage" that the cancer is in. Please pray for that doctor's appointment... that the cancer was caught early enough to deal with, and it is in it's early stages.
Third... my dad mentioned that there were little spots from the film of possible cancer on his lung, liver, and lymph nodes, but the specialist/tech said those were either misreads by the machine, or will be "zapped" by the chemo. I'm praying for misreads, but either would be great!
Finally... my dad now has to wear this little fanny pack (I immediately thought of Lance!) that actually administers the chemo 24/7, while he goes through his daily responsibilities (which is great!). Pray that he will adjust to life with this contraption attached to him for the next 7 weeks, and that it will do it's job, continuously fighting the cancer.
Thanks for all the prayers, and as you can see, God is sooooo good!!! We probably won't know any more until next Monday, but I'll keep you posted (haha!).
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
PRAISES!!!
My dad just posted this on his facebook....
WE GOT SOME GREAT NEWS TODAY! It appears the cancer has not spread! I will be on Radiation/Chemo for 7 weeks. They installed a 24/7 Chemo pump. At the end of the treatment period, I will have more tests. Then they will decided what to do next (Nothing! Surgery! more Chemo/Radiation! Nothing! etc.) It looks like all o...f your prayers are working. Please keep them coming as I now need to deal with all the side effects.
I'm sure I'll talk to my parents later today... but I just wanted to share the news! More later... many praises go to our almighty God!!!
WE GOT SOME GREAT NEWS TODAY! It appears the cancer has not spread! I will be on Radiation/Chemo for 7 weeks. They installed a 24/7 Chemo pump. At the end of the treatment period, I will have more tests. Then they will decided what to do next (Nothing! Surgery! more Chemo/Radiation! Nothing! etc.) It looks like all o...f your prayers are working. Please keep them coming as I now need to deal with all the side effects.
I'm sure I'll talk to my parents later today... but I just wanted to share the news! More later... many praises go to our almighty God!!!
"Power!"
Woke up early this morning to an e-mail from my dad. This is what he said...
They put the "Power Portal" in today. (You know it was meant for me with the word "Power" in the name.) What is it? A small chamber installed under the skin with a tube connected directly to one of my arteries. A special doctor did surgery in an operating room (sterile environment) with nurses etc. They use the portal to give me Chemo, take blood samples, give me I-V's etc. That way they don't have to find a vein every time they need something. --> (so I was kinda right about that portal thing)
He mentioned that the insurance company finally gave pre-authorization for Chemo to begin. So today he's going to a Chemo class for 2 hours, has a doctor's appointment, and then a 4 hour Chemo treatment, and then a radiation treatment. He said he's actually looking forward to it because it's fighting... not waiting. And then of course, he had to mention the Nebraska game tonight, and how he had to be home from it!
So... your prayers are requested.. especially for today. The Lord is going to show his glory through this!
They put the "Power Portal" in today. (You know it was meant for me with the word "Power" in the name.) What is it? A small chamber installed under the skin with a tube connected directly to one of my arteries. A special doctor did surgery in an operating room (sterile environment) with nurses etc. They use the portal to give me Chemo, take blood samples, give me I-V's etc. That way they don't have to find a vein every time they need something. --> (so I was kinda right about that portal thing)
He mentioned that the insurance company finally gave pre-authorization for Chemo to begin. So today he's going to a Chemo class for 2 hours, has a doctor's appointment, and then a 4 hour Chemo treatment, and then a radiation treatment. He said he's actually looking forward to it because it's fighting... not waiting. And then of course, he had to mention the Nebraska game tonight, and how he had to be home from it!
So... your prayers are requested.. especially for today. The Lord is going to show his glory through this!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Ready to go!
It's Tuesday night, December 29th... my brother's birthday. I was waiting for contact from my parents to see how everything went today, but nothing as of yet, so I thought I'd just post what I know.
Yesterday my dad posted the following on his facebook..."Had a PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography) today. A lot of staying very still while the radioactive material and the machine does it's thing. We will find out the results on Monday. I get my "portal" installed tomorrow AM. I'm ready for the tests, etc. to be over and start fighting the disease." It's awesome seeing his fabulous attitude, and that matches up exactly with what my dad is... a doer. Give him a task, and he will accomplish it, not matter what.
Well, if you are anything like me, I didn't quite understand the all the medical stuff, so I searched a bit tonight, and this is what I found...
"A Positron Emission Tomography (PET/CT) produces cross-sectional whole body images of metabolic function. A diseased organ may use greater or lesser amounts of energy or glucose than normal organs, and diagnoses can be made from the amount of metabolic activity measured by a PET/CT scan. Because malignant tumors use more energy than normal tissues, PET/CT is particularly useful for the diagnosis and staging of cancer, and to determine the effectiveness of treatment." - care of www.georgetownuniversityhospital.org
The "portal" that he is referring too, I believe, is some piece of technology that the doctors use to hold all the information that the tests are providing. Basically, it holds all the pictures that the doctors need to see to determine if the specific treatment is working or not, and to make recommendations for the future.
So that's all I know for now... please continue to keep us in your prayers. This isn't the best way to start off the new year, but I just keep thinking that next Christmas, when the whole family is together, this will be behind us, and we can rejoice in each other's company!
Yesterday my dad posted the following on his facebook..."Had a PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography) today. A lot of staying very still while the radioactive material and the machine does it's thing. We will find out the results on Monday. I get my "portal" installed tomorrow AM. I'm ready for the tests, etc. to be over and start fighting the disease." It's awesome seeing his fabulous attitude, and that matches up exactly with what my dad is... a doer. Give him a task, and he will accomplish it, not matter what.
Well, if you are anything like me, I didn't quite understand the all the medical stuff, so I searched a bit tonight, and this is what I found...
"A Positron Emission Tomography (PET/CT) produces cross-sectional whole body images of metabolic function. A diseased organ may use greater or lesser amounts of energy or glucose than normal organs, and diagnoses can be made from the amount of metabolic activity measured by a PET/CT scan. Because malignant tumors use more energy than normal tissues, PET/CT is particularly useful for the diagnosis and staging of cancer, and to determine the effectiveness of treatment." - care of www.georgetownuniversityhospital.org
The "portal" that he is referring too, I believe, is some piece of technology that the doctors use to hold all the information that the tests are providing. Basically, it holds all the pictures that the doctors need to see to determine if the specific treatment is working or not, and to make recommendations for the future.
So that's all I know for now... please continue to keep us in your prayers. This isn't the best way to start off the new year, but I just keep thinking that next Christmas, when the whole family is together, this will be behind us, and we can rejoice in each other's company!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The News
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009, we all found out that my dad, Ken Campbell, has been diagnosed with gastric carcinoma (stomach cancer). What a shock to all of us. Thanks to facebook, many of my friends, my brothers' friends, and my parents' friends have rallied behind my family to encourage and pray for us as we take steps to beat this challenge. Along the way, I have received many requests for updates on my dad's progress, so we decided a blog would be the best way to convey information to those who were interested. So here we go... hopefully I'll do a better job of updating this than I do my family blog!!!
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