James, the kids, and I rode our bikes to Mom and Dad's house today and let me tell you...we were quite a sight!! Anyway, it was great to see Dad. As always, his spirits were high and he was basking in the sunshine. I have to say what a beautiful thing it was to see Dad so peaceful and calm out on his patio sitting in the sunshine. I will cherish that memory for a very long time! We had a wonderful lunch and then Dad started to get the pains in his back again. Our peaceful and calm afternoon turned kind of stressful as Mom tried to rush to get dad his pills and try to keep track of the last time Dad took his meds. Dad made this crazy comment like, "I can't wait for the radiation". I was completely taken off guard...who thinks radiation is a good thing?? Dad was actually excited and looking forward to the radiation in hopes that it would relieve at least some of the pain! WOW--kind of hard to hear! By the time we left, Dad was more comfortable but still in pain. I feel badly that I subjected him to about a hundred pictures with the kids! He was wincing and trying to be a good sport, but it was definitely time for us to go home!
***I thought I'd cut a paste an email that Desi wrote yesterday about the upcoming radiation schedule. Thank you Desi for keeping us up to date on the latest doctor's appointment.
I just wanted to give you a heads up on today's doctor appointment with Dr. Jeffery Lee. Dani, Craig, and I were there with Dad and Mom. It was great to see Dad in such good spirits and even making jokes about the unironed hospital gown. He was so cute with the nurses, as he kept sneaking the taffy out of the candy basket on the desk!
It looks like the radiation will take place Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. It will be 10 treatments. One treatment of about 15 minutes, every day for 10 days Monday through Friday. The radiation will continue to work for a week or so even after the treatments are complete. The doctor said 80-90 percent of patients feel a considerable amount of pain relief, some even 100 percent relief where no pain medication is needed. He had a scan done where they mapped out measurements for the treatments. The pains in Dad's stomach most likely will not be helped with the radiation because it targets one specific area. Mom will talk with the other doctors about that. All in all it went really well, and we are thankful for great medical care. I sure love you all, and am grateful for our wonderful family! Love, Desi
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