update on my family

Morning all.. well, I have good news and bad news..

Good news.. my sister is doing pretty well this morning.  She said that she didn't sleep too well last night, but that is to be expected considering that she is
          1. in the hospital and who gets any rest there, and
           2. had a neck brace on all night that she is not used to
She had a morphine pump and that kept her relatively pain free.  She is thinking that she will probably go home today.

Bad news.. dad got the results of his biopsy and the tumor is malignant.  It is covering a major vein and artery somewhere around his intestines.  They are going to come up with a plan for chemo and radiation to shrink it and hopefully then remove it.  There has been talk about doing a Whipple procedure, which according to the internet is: 

   In the Whipple operation the head of the pancreas, a portion of the bile duct, the gallbladder and the duodenum is removed. Occasionally a portion of the stomach may also be removed. After removal of these structures the remaining pancreas, bile duct and the intestine is sutured back into the intestine to direct the gastrointestinal secretions back into the gut.

He was actually in surprisingly good spirits and basically said that there is nothing he can do about the results except go through the treatment and see what happens.  And commented that now I know to add family history of pancreatic cancer when I fill out medical forms.  He is such a positive force in my life and I'm glad he can face this with the positive attitude he has.  This way I am sure he will have good results!  I'm sure I will talk to him again after the Oncologists come in to discuss treatment.  I'll keep you informed. 

Thanks again to all of you for your support in everything!

Hey Lisa - good to hear about your sister - and to be perfectly honest - the results you got for your dad were expected - and AWESOME that he has such good spirits to handle this!  I know with my mom - the reason she lived so long with cancer was because of her spirit and willingness to fight!  It sounds like your dad will hopefully have the same experience!  It is very scary - My only advise about being an adult child of someone with cancer is to be sure to be involved with it all - let your dad make the decisions, but be sure you are available as much as possible to talk with the doctors and ask TONS of questions!

I will also tell you that, again, in my experience, telling my kids that their bubby had cancer, but was doing great because they loved her - made it less scary for them.  I don't know how your daugther handles these things, but if you are sad or crying in front of her and she doesn't know why, it may make her think that something she did was wrong.  I always told my kids that I was just sad because I didn't like that bubby was sick and sometimes I was just sad and needed to cry.  They would then just hug me and tell me it would be alright - while I knew differently, they were able to show compassion and continued to love my mom and not be afraid of her illness.

I am again sending you strength and love and wish you and your family peace at this crazy time!

I told my daughter that things didn't look great with him the other day.  I will tell her the truth about him so she knows how serious it is.  I guess the fact that he is already bald will help if he loses the little bit of hair he has due to chemo/radiation.. LOL!!! 

Unfortunately, my poor child has seen a lot in her short life.  My mom, her bubby, died 3 years ago.  She was sick for a long time and Siehara saw her through the sickness, the dementia, the falling out of bed/chair, mental illness... she saw her when she was dying.  I think she's going to end up being a doctor or nurse just for the fact of everything she has already seen. 

I don't think she is phased by anyone who is different or has a disability or anything.  That's a good thing for her to not judge, but not necessarily the best thing for a 10 year old to have experienced so early in life.    Maybe that's why she has so many issues of her own.

I am having the Rabbi keep my sister on his mishebeirach (sp) list this week and my dad on until further notice.

Great news about your sister. Who sleeps in hospitals?! lol

As for your dad - his spirit is what will get him through! My Mom had the same attitude last year when we found out she had rectal cancer. I've been through having a parent with cancer, it isn't easy, in-fact at times I think that it was harder on me and my Dad then it was on her! If you need ANYTHING you know where to get me! Sounds like a great plan of action is in place and they will get it moving quickly;

*hugs*

Liz

Hi Lisa - I'll echo everyone else that the news on your sister is great and hopefully she'll be up and out of there soon and getting real rest.

Of course very sad to hear the news on your dad but he sounds like he has a fighting spirit and that's half the battle right there. The wife of one of my husband's friends had the Whipple operation 5 years ago and is still going strong, and they never thought she'd make it this far - she has been battling cancer for at least 10 years now and just when you think she's going to lose she rallies and does better. Its a very HUGE procedure and one that isn't done often, but he sounds like he'll do well with it.

Will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers - I hope you have a good support system around you as well - that is so important. You know you have all of us out here.

I just got off the phone with my Rabbi and he also said the same about his spirit.  I am grateful to have all of you guys because I don't have too many other people in my life.  There are only a few people in my "regular" life who I consider close friends and they have done so much for me already, too.   I think it's time for a night out!! 

I'll drink to that night out stuff!! As a matter of fact I'm going out tonight!

You seem to have a strong faith and spirit as well and that will definitely help you through these difficult times. People sometimes tell me they're amazed at my strength as I go through this with my mom but you never know how much you can really do until you're put to the test. And trust me, I have my 'meltdowns'! I have siblings but 2 are in Florida and one is in Ohio so I am basically alone here with my mom, and that makes it really hard sometimes, plus she lives with me. So you know I'm with you on this - what do they call us now - The Tweeners? Taking care of our parents AND our children?

I will supply as many prayers and well wishes as I can to come your way - stay strong, but if you really feel the need to let go jump in the shower, turn on the ho****er and let it all out - not sure its great for water conservation but it sure works for me!! LOL!!

Lisa,

I am sorry your family seems to be having health issues at the moment and truly hope that everyone recovers and does well.  I will keep them in prayer and positive healing thoughts. 

With cancer, half the battle is in attitude.  My only living uncle was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer back in October of 08, he has amazed me with his attitude and his results have been impressive, they were able to shrink the tumor and his prognosis is actually pretty good, they even asked him to take part in a trail study.  So keep the faith and I hope for a good outcome for your dad.

Prayers and positive healing thoughts, as well as hugs for you, Laureen

Lisa,

Thanks for the udpate.  Glad to hear your sister is doing relatively well so soon after surgery!

Thoughts and prayers to your dad.  Yup - he's certainly got the right attitude.  I honestly wasn't aware that they were still performing whipple procedures until just a few weeks ago when I had a patient who had it done recently.  Yes, it is a major undertaking and, like anything, has varying results.  I do hope everything goes well with him!

Pam

Lisa-  great news about your sister- hopefully she is up and about soon.

So sorry to hear about your Dad's diagnosis, but as everyone has said- his attitude is amazing!
That really is 90% of the battle sometimes.     My mom is an ovarian cancer survivor and it is so true that you find strength you never knew you had when going through these battles (yourself or with a loved one).

You are all still in my thoughts and prayers.