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Friday, December 23, 2011

Update on Dad


Just wanted to give a quick update on my dad.

We found out yesterday that he has 3 large masses in his body.

2 of the masses are in his upper left chest area. One of them is 7cm in diameter. The other is smaller but is in his lung.

The 3rd mass on his spinal cord between his shoulder blades.

There are also multiple little masses all down his spinal column.

They are going to do 2 things today.

First, they are going to do a biopsy of one of the masses. They have not said officially what these masses are, but they are fairly sure it is probably lung cancer. (Surprise, surprise, you don't have to smoke to get lung cancer...)

Second, they are going to start radiation on the mass on his spine. They don't want that mass pressing on his spinal cord. If it started to put pressure on the spinal cord, it could cause paralysis. We don't want that.

If this does turn out to be lung cancer, they are saying it is most definitely stage 4. (The very worst kind.) There is no cure for this type of cancer, but it can be treated to hopefully prolong his life.

Their very first goal is to get his pain under control. He is still in a lot of pain. He can't move and can do nothing but lay flat on his back. He's pretty miserable.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. I have been reading dad all of the comments here and on facebook. He is shocked at all the love and support that is surrounding him.

We are all hanging in there. Family is surrounding him. We are all shocked and devestated at the diagnosis, but I know we will remain strong for each other.

Please continue to pray.

14 comments:

Joe said...

Sorry to hear of this diagnosis. Praying for your dads comfort both mentally and physically. Praying for his healing. Praying for the doctors wisdom, that they would be able to do all they can to help him. Praying for you and all of you family, that God would give all of you peace that passes understanding.

BlessedMommy said...

Praying. You definitely do not have to be a smoker to have lung cancer and I hope no one assumes that of him.

Praying and praying, Jill.

Avery Tales said...

We're praying for your family in Birmingham.

Kristin said...

Praying Jill...I am SO sorry about this. It doesn't make sense and it isn't fair. I don't want to try and say something to "make it all better" because I know that isn't possible. But please know that a "stranger" blog friend from MN is lifting you up in prayer and praying specifically that your dad's pain be managed and quickly!

The Price Family! said...

Praying for your dad and entire family! He has lots of prayers going, I have put him on the prayer list at our church as well, and we will be having special prayer for him and some others in our church during our Christmas service!

Cait said...

You don't know me, but I am a friend of Nabrissa's at the 509. I am praying for you and your family. My dad has had 2 rounds of cancer, so I can relate to a bit of what you're going through. It is truly amazing the treatment options and the care that the doctors can provide. I pray that he will find some comfort and that his doctors will be used as instruments as God does his work!

ladyturtle2 said...

Prayers for your father and whole family. Try your best to enjoy Christmas.

A Daft Scots Lass said...

Sending prayers up for yer Dad.

Have a peaceful Christmas

Auntie M said...

Much love & support to your family at this time. Will continue to keep you all held up in prayer.
Love to you and yours.

leah said...

Hey, 'dad', since Jill is reading these posts to you I thought I might as well address this to you :-)
It is a privillege to know you and 'mom' thru Jill, Shane and the kids. I pray God will give wisdom, peace and most of all COMFORT. I'm praying for you & your family. Praying also for the doctors, nursing staff, techs, even houskeeping that God will provide wisdom as they do their jobs. Love you all!
God's Peace be with you!

Yuuup said...

All of us at Taylor Chapel knew of John's recent back pain and how he has been suffering and have been praying for relief. We never expected this news, especially at Christmas time. But that won't keep us from praying! We still believe in miracles! John, you are in His hands and He will take care of you and your family. God never said he would help us avoid these things in our life. But He did promise He would always, always see us through. We love you both.

Ausmerican Housewife - Creating with Kara Davies said...

Ai yi yi, definitely keeping you lot in our prayers.

Lots of love from Australia.

Auntie Mip said...

Dear Dad,

I am an oncology nurse. Actually I manage a large oncology center in the Seattle area. One of may many roles includes teaching a new patient orientation slide. One thing I tell patients who are just starting their cancer journey is that no matter what their diagnosis, stage or how advanced their cancer is they must always have hope. There are always reasons to hope. As hard as it must be to believe right now, there is immeasurable comfort in starting this journey at a time when a lowly babe in a manger promises hope everlasting. I hope your pain is controlled and that you know a peace that can only come from knowing the Prince of peace! God bless you all this Christmas!

Michelle said...

Jill, ASK ABOUT CYBER KNIFE!!! i find it incredibly annoying when people say "ask about this, try that, etc." when it comes to medical things, but i'm breaking my rule of not being one of those folks because it's worth it in this case! my Grandma has had breast, colon, and lung cancer, and they found these tumors by her spine... kind of towards the lower end of it.

anyway, the Cyber Knife procedure is non-invasive as far as i remember, much faster than typical radiation, and far fewer side effects. it's a very intense treatment crammed into 5 days in my Grandma's particular case, but it's over & done with after that. it is relatively new so may not be one of the options presented even if it would be an appropriate treatment choice. some doctors may not even know about it! and of course not all insurance companies will cover it, but i would REALLY encourage you to at least ask about it. worst case, it's a no-go. no harm in asking, right? and with nothing to lose, there sure is a lot to gain!

i'm praying for all of you... this is our first Christmas without our cat, our 14-year-old dog, and my uncle who committed suicide in april. i know you've faced the holidays without your baby boy before, but it's still relatively fresh and you're going to be hurting the rest of your lives. although God has blessed you with another little guy to cherish & celebrate, he will never replace Joshua, so i'm praying for the emotions this time of year can bring up, especially now that you've all got this additional hurdle to surmount & clear standing in your path. please let me know if there's something i can do other than pray!

Merry Christmas!

- michelle

 
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