Goodbye

We had to say goodbye to Lee this Tuesday, October 16 @ 2:04 a.m.  He was surrounded by family and many prayers.

Duke and more

It is very difficult to post a blog tonight because Lee is very sick. Currently he is in the medical intensive care unit at Duke Hospital.

Last Tuesday, Oct. 10 he was administered a new chemotherapy drug.  It was new only to Lee. On Wednesday afternoon he began to get very sick with intestinal problems. I called Duke Oncology and was told to give Imodium AD and clear liquids. By morning he seemed fine, and requested some applesauce and dry toast .  One bite determined he could not eat, and within the hour was rolling in mid-abdominal pain. I called Duke again .  We were told to go immediateliy to the nearest ER.

After completing the day in the ER, we learned he had pancreatitis. He was admitted to Frye to control pain, rest and evaluate his condition. After 24 hours he was transferred to Duke by ambulance, and admitted to ICU.

Now after having been at Duke  24+ hours this is what  know:
1.  Pancreatitis
2.  Septicemia ( e-Coli And 2 other types)
3.  A blocked gallbladder and cbdx
4.  Beginning kidney failure
5.  Confused and Dissoriented at times
6.  Obstruction middle lobe cancerous lung

We also know that all this is the result of the very powerful chemotherapy. It is apparent that all his vital organs are struggling to survive.

Lee loves loves life ..  Each morning he begins the day with thankfulness for yet, another day. He then prays for another one.

Thank you for your commitment to prayer during
Our difficult day and the ones ahead.

More later....................................Brenda

Duke Visit and PET scan yesterday

This is an update for Lee with a report of the PET scan on October 2.  We have to admit that we both had mixed feelings concerning the unknown events that could possibly unfold.  Lee's increasing fatigue had advanced to the point of having to ambulate with the aid of the rolator.  The recliner for sleep was beginning to become a major part of his day.  In addition, his appetite had waned and food had become something he did not look forward to.  So it was in light of those negatives that we left for Duke as we tried to prepare ourselves for the worst while praying for some good answers.

Praise the Lord!  The report from the PET was good!  The scan showed there was NO cancer anywhere else in Lee's body and the cancer had not moved or spread into his lung any more.  The report was a bit strange and difficult for us to follow but after the two radiologist answered all our questions we could begin to understand their description of the scan.  In layman's terms it essentially means that the cancer cells inside the tumor have been completely killed by the chemo drugs; however in the process the tumor size had somehow "expanded" and there are tumor cells on the outside of the tumor that need to be eradicated.  Imagine an egg where the inside has been destroyed, expanded the shell and still has some cancer on the shell.

This report was encouraging and we were told that there will NOT be radiation because it would hurt the existing good lung and it would make Lee very sick. It was recommended that Lee continue another session with chemo, but with another drug.  He will do one session every three weeks and each session will last one hour. Sons , Lee Jr., Todd, and Doug will continue taking turns to go with their Dad as they have been doing so faithfully since this began last March.  We are blessed to have them!

We are grateful that we were able to attend Lee's high school class reunion on September 22.  He had decided earlier that he was too tired to go, but on the day before he worked hard to regain some strength and enjoyed seeing all his friends.  A big thank-you to all those who helped make that evening very special for him!

Now, we just need to pray for Lee to regain his appetite and some energy!  As our SS class at First Baptist keeps reminding us.........Lee is such a trooper!

More Later........................................Brenda