Two Felines and a Pot of Italian Wedding Soup

After an emotionally trying four nights in the hospital, Dad was finally discharged from UMMC yesterday afternoon, only to get stuck in traffic on the way home and be stricken with his gout. Poor guy. Mom and my sister, Jill, were tired from the day and the drive, yet still needed to join the rest of the Walmartians (possibly in Sponge Bob PJs) in WV to battle to get prescriptions filled. Good grief, everyone was exhausted. Blessings come in the most wonderful disguises, though....

Two felines and a pot of Italian Wedding Soup....

For those of you who know my dad, it's probably a little difficult to believe that he's one of those cat people. Sammy and Rummy, the feline children of the house, are far more spoiled than any of us human kids were growing up, and most times, I actually think my parents like them far more than they did us too. Eh, who could blame 'em? No one made Dad feel more welcomed than those two felines. Dad resumed his normal position on his sofa and Rummy resumed his normal position on Dad's lap. Empty house. Peace and quiet. Remote in hand. Cat on lap. Feline therapy, with a little Judge Judy in the background, had officially kicked in. The little things....the small blessings.....

My parents moved to the Honeywood neighborhood in WV during the summer of 1979. They are still there along with most of the neighbors my siblings and I grew up with. What a family we all have become over the years. I have "sisters" and "brothers" and "parents" that far extend my genetic family tree. Although during times like these I feel guilty for moving kind of far away, I find comfort knowing that Mom and Dad also have many "brothers and sisters" who cannot do enough to support my family right now. These folks have watched my Sam, taken over the yard work, winterized Dad's boat, and last evening a "Honeywood sister" made a pot of her Italian Wedding Soup, of which my dad LOVES, and delivered it with love. Say what you wish about folks in WV, these neighbors are a blessing.

A good night's rest in his own bed without being awakened every hour led to a productive Tuesday for Dad. Yup, he went to work for 4 hours. I know, he's amazingly tough. It's how the Snead's roll. My brother is like that too. Hopefully that tough spirit will stick with him over the next couple of weeks!

CT results regarding the lung spots are not conclusive, at least not that we've been told. The spots are less than .5mm each and there is one on each lung. They are too small to biopsy at this time. We continue to pray that these are a result of the bacterial infection and NOT pancreatic cancer cells that have spread to the lungs. We have an appointment tomorrow with Dr. Alexander, and we hope to get more info from him. On that note, there's been a very recent change in the treatment plan. Dad received a call from Dr. Regine this evening, the Radiation Oncologist. The "team" met again today and discussed Dad's case and the most recent events leading to his infection, and his overall health at this time. In light of the infection and inflammation in the gut,  the team has now decided to change their plan. They now want to delay surgery and do chemo/radiation first. We are all a little deflated by this news and will seek answers to our many questions during our appointment tomorrow. The last time we met with Dr. Alexander, we left on a high. We left with such hope that this horrific disease was going to be conquered and managed by Dad and his team, versus the other way around. We pray that after we meet with him again tomorrow, we leave feeling the same way. I know that Dad wants this darn "THING" (a descriptor borrowed from a dear, dear friend also battling this very cancer) cut out sooner than later, but I trust that the team knows the right path to take. We just pray that God's plan also aligns with this path.


What a roller coaster.

Much love and thanks to all.............Jen