Hot dogs, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut?

I need to vent for just a few lines.....why can't medical professional make this cancer things less stressful? Why does the responsibility to track down the test results and gather CDs with MRI images on it fall on the patient? The patient has just been told that he/she has CANCER! There are so many other things swirling around in the patient's mind and doing homework assignments for the doctors is not one of them! The technology is there people, use it for goodness sake! Sigh......not sermon. Just a thought. Thanks for listening.

On to it....

Dad has been at work all week, and my Yahoo inbox is happy. Knowing him, he's preparing for his upcoming absences after surgery, trying to make sure everything is in its place. What a lot of people may not know is that Dad has volunteered a lot of his time for Kiwanis over the last 30+ years, most of them serving as treasurer. He's not only trying to tie things up neatly for his company, but also his treasurer duties with the Kiwanis Club. It would be unlike him to leave things any other way.

He seems to be doing "okay" in light of his upcoming appointment with the surgical oncologist in 2 days.  We were not able to get in any earlier. Our appointment is at 9:00 a.m. on Friday. The wait is ever so stressful and overwhelming for all of us, but especially for both of my parents. Keeping busy is best right now. Mom has been trying to busy herself with cleaning the house and visiting her family in PA. To make every effort to help keep her mind busy, I've selflessly (of course) offered up MY house for her to clean too, and fyi.... no sign of her yet.

Evidently Dad's appetite that returned after the biopsy and stent procedure has been that of his grandchildren. He had specifically asked for hot dogs, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut for dinner the other night. What's it tomorrow night? Chicken nuggets with mac and cheese? Oh, and let's not leave out the warm apple dumplings topped with vanilla ice cream he's had too. Guess we're working on gaining those 10lbs. back.

I know lots of you have oodles of questions about what's going to happen next. Those questions will be answered on Friday and I promise to post then. Based upon what we've been told so far, although Dad's mass is big (>4cm), it appears to be contained to the pancreas. (Yay!) We are looking at Stage IIA. (Yay!) He is a candidate for "resection." (Yay!) If you wonder what that means, do a Google search for the "whipple procedure." It is an impressive surgery; one that is very involved, and takes more than 6 hours to perform. Dr. Alexander is internationally recognized for his work in this area. (Another yay!) All of this sounds scary, but it still gives us much reason to be optimistic. I feel sure that, like everything else Dad does, he does well. (ok, maybe minus his golf game) Dad will do well with this too.

I cannot thank everyone enough for supporting my parents the way you have over the last couple of weeks. Our 'Honeyworld' friends are the closest "family" my parents have right now. All of us kids have moved away, and having you Honeywood folks in their backyard is reassuring to my siblings and me. You all have been so wonderful and supportive. The other "family" that I have at my school is second to none--ya'll are ROCK stars! The support and prayers and little notes mean so much to all of us, and I'm sure we'll need them more than ever in months to come.

More to come in a few days. Thank you again for so much love and support. Much love to all....Jen