www.cancermonster.net

Hello world, it’s me, Dan.

I am at this moment 120 miles away from my Teresa. We did not want the children to be without the both of us all week so i came back for a couple of nights. Thank God for family that is there with her while I am gone.

Yes she is sick, she is scared, but she has faith. She knew that it was going to probably be like this but you can never prepare yourself for it. My Teresa is a fighter and she will come through this.

Let me back up a bit and give you a little more details of the past week.

I was able to start work on Monday! But it only lasted one day. That’s why something like this can be so hard on a family not just financially but mentally. Anita took Teresa up to Moffitt on Monday for the CT scans and to meet with the Doctor. It was so hard for me not to be with her at that meeting but I needed to work. The results are what we expected, but not as much as what they found. I need to clarify here: Teresa does not have Bone Cancer or Lung Cancer! It is a Sarcoma Cancer that has Metastasized to the bones and lungs. There is a difference, and it is treated different and has a better chance of reacting to the Chemo then being one of origin. I am not kidding myself, it is going to be a battle.

So the Doc decided to start the Chemo the next day, caught us off guard and scrambling to arrange things. Thanks so much to Anita, Juanita, Pam, Lisa and all the rest of the family that is there to take care of the kids and other tasks and chores that needed to get done. Teresa and I headed up on Tuesday to check into the cancer center and get this thing going.

Wow. This is not your everyday hospital. It felt like we were checking into a hotel. We went to admitting and after being there for only 10 minutes we were told to go up to her room on the 4th floor. We walked in to the nurses station and they said “Go on in you know where to go”. The problem is we didn’t. We told them it was her first time for the Chemo and the showed us in to a large room with a nice shower. Then they showed me the family pantry with the filled fridge and cupboards with soda’s, soups, cereal, etc. (I liked that part). Teresa can wear her own clothes and walk around if she is up to it. They brought in a cot for me to sleep on or whoever else is there. But that is not what makes this place special, it’s the care. When Teresa was at OHSU we had battles with nurses that thought they knew more than the Doctor’s and didn’t want to give her the pain medication. The attention you get here and the concern is second to none. One nurse or Doctor after another came in and really did listen and care. The Pharmacist came in and sat down with us and explained all the medications she would be getting and what to expect and what they can do to adjust it to make her more comfortable. (She did sugar coat the side effects of the Chemo). So that brings us up to the moment now. Teresa is on the 3rd and last bag of Chemo that will end tomorrow night, the 2nd Chemo drug is given for 3 hours a day and will end on Saturday morning. With that I will be able to take her home around noon. Because of our Medicaid pending Teresa will have to go back on Monday for 2 shots that will boost her red and white blood count. About 7 days after Chemo the immune system is about nil and you need all the help you can get to fight off infection of any kind, so these shots are very important.

The Chemo treatment will start every 21 days and takes 4 days to administer. That means she will be back at Moffitt on the 10th of December but home for Christmas! Dick and Anita have brought their RV up to a campground that is only 7 miles from the Cancer center that can be used by all of us as a home away from home. God Bless you two.

I will head back up tomorrow and stay the night and then take her home. Meanwhile on the home front the kids will start school at the beginning of the week. They make it very difficult to just enroll them in school quickly, physicals, immunizations, and school choice slows it all down. I have noticed that the little ones are having some difficulties coping with the situation, all I can do is try to be there for them and let them know how much they are loved.

My wife and my children are my world. I can’t stand to be apart from any of them for any time. Saturday we will all be together again. I love you Treese