5/12 Update

Well, it's been a while, but there hasn't been much going on. My dad has had the challenge of gaining weight over the last month, with last weeks dr's appointment the goal. Well, he went to the dr, and the dr ordered his PET scan. After some complications with the insurance company, he finally got his PET scan, and went in this past Monday to talk to the dr about the results.

This was the e-mail I received from him on Monday:

Just got home from the doctors office. Pretty good news.

The cancer has not spread. The spots that my December PET Scan saw on my lung, liver, and limp nodes were not present on this PET Scan with the new (better) machine. The cancer in my stomach has gotten smaller but it still needs to get smaller before he wants to pursue surgery.

He is going to start me on chemo again on Monday. I will get a dose for three days every two weeks for the next 6 months. He will be monitoring me as we go. It will be a different chemo formula than last time. We will see if I react to it.

He has me scheduled for a test of the fluids around my stomach for Thursday. It will be early in the morning.

I will be able to do Power Tour and most everything else. My energy level may be down, I may not want to eat red meats, I will be more sensitive to sunlight, and my hair will thin again.

The red meat part is king of strange. I just started eating red meat again in the last couple weeks and had my first steak yesterday. Now that will be going away again. Guess I better enjoy it while I can.

So, overall, we are pretty happy. Praise the Lord! I think we are all being taught a lesson here. My dad, mom, and brother's and our families were all looking towards surgery as the solution. The Lord simply stated...nope, not yet. Your not done with what I want you to learn through this. So with open hearts and minds, we are pressing on as He is asking us.

Thanks for your past prayers. We really appreciate.

Please continue to pray for the following...
1. That the Lord will allow the chemo to work on the cancer, and decrease the size of it.

2. That the Lord will be with my dad and whatever reaction he has to the chemo, and that the reaction will not be as bad.

3. That the Lord will help us become aware of what we should be learning through this trial ... it's not over yet, the Lord wants us to spend more time in this. Praise HIS name for all his doing!