The 3 Hour Appointment

Today could have possibly been one of the worst emotional days of my life. I attended a series of appointments with my father. We attended these appointments at The Oncology Clinic. *sigh* Most of my readers know what I am going to say next. Two weeks ago my father had a surgery to remove a mass on the side of his neck. It was biopsied prior and the tests were odd, so they wanted to remove it. Less then 24 hours later they called my father back to the hospital and asked him for more samples, swabs, cultures, scans and scopes. All were taken in the mouth, neck, throat and stomach area. Today we met with the doctor. They confirmed by father has cancer. He has Squamous Cell Carcinoma. For those of you that hate medical jargon, it’s head and neck cancer. This is most commonly found in cigarette smokers and alcohol users. My father smoked for 30 years. He quit 6 years ago. Unfortunately, his fate is set. He will now go through 7 weeks of treatment. Treatment consists of Radiation and Chemotherapy. Radiation is Monday through Friday and Chemotherapy will be weekly on Wednesday unless he needs it more often. During this time he will lose his tast buds, may lose or break teeth and have travels daily. He will not be able to work due to the compromised immune system. If he gets sick, it will make things worse. He will get a tube placed in his stomach for eating and nutrition. This is because he needs to maintain his weight and consume and extra 5000 calories per day. His throat is going to be very sore, raw and feeling like a very bad burn. For his teeth he will see a dentist every 2 weeks to make sure they are stable. Because the radiation kills the saliva glands there is nothing to “wash” the mouth and your teeth become dry and brittle. He is also scheduled for a PET Scan. This will be soon, they couldn’t give us a date today. This will check if the cancer is anywhere else or just in his throat, tonsil and neck area. If the cancer has metastasized he will need more treatment and longer treatment. This also lessons the change of recovery. Once cancer starts moving it becomes difficult to stop. The survival rate is good. Not great, but good. However this form of cancer almost always comes back. This is a major life changing experience for my father and family.

A month ago I couldn’t tell you much about Cancer other then that is was a HORRIBLE disease that took way to many special people way too soon. Today I feel like I could win ‘Who Want To Be A Millionaire‘ I know so much about Cancer, treatments, etc. I know this is going to be a rough road. For my father especially. However, daddy’s little girl (me) is not taking the news so well either. I do not want to show any weakness around my father as he needs us to be strong. I feel fortunate that my husband is being so very supportive and that I have him to lean on.

No one knows what the future holds. This is especially true for my father, my family. I ask for prayers. I also ask those of you that know someone dealing with this, go help them. Do a small chore for them, fold laundry, vacuum, mow the lawn. People undergoing any cancer treatments are TIRED, fatigued, and often can not complete tasks they used to do. Most of them miss some work and/or end up with heavy bills to pay. So small tokens of appreciation mean a lot to the individual and FAMILY going through this. I know one friend that is going to know exactly what I mean. This is all new right now for us, but we already are adjusting schedules around treatments, getting things ready for when treatment starts and he’s not feeling well. I couldn’t tell you how much a warm meal is appreciated. In just this ONE day I spent over 3 hours in the doctor’s office with my father, after getting my 2 kids off to school… when the appointment was done, we had to get him a late lunch, it was almost 1pm… then I came home, did a load of laundry, had to pick up my kids from school, head to MY doctor for my weekly injection, head home, do homework with both kids, bath them, and get them off to bed so I can sweep and mop my kitchen. I am not complaining by ANY means… please don’t take that from this… I just want you to see how CRAZY a day is when you are working with these schedules. Even if it’s a neighbor… try doing something small for them. They appreciate it! More then you know.

This is my life for now. I will truck through it. I will manage. I have a great support system of friends that have been AMAZING to me. To each and EVERY ONE OF YOU, Thank you from the bottom of my heart!! I can’t even begin to explain how much that phone call, email or text message gets me through some weak moments. You all know who you are… I love you all!

On another note: I really need to move. This weather is a drag! Seriously consider SOUTH… looking at Saint Louis homes for sale and seeing the pools in the yards and lovely weather are bringing me down!!