Doing Good

Besides being a little more tired than usual, Dave is getting through his radiation without any side-effects. I'm amazed at his stamina!! He works all day, then comes home and gets the ATV out and plows snow. He not only plows our driveway and sidewalk, but gets some of the neighbors plowed out too! This evening after plowing, he was pretty tired, but now is warm and comfortable in the recliner. I don't even mind waiting on him! I'm trying to get him to rest up tomorrow (his day off), but I'm sure all my nagging will be in vain. I think he and D.J. are planning a trip to Home DePot to check things out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2007 sure wasn't our favorite year, but it went by quickly and we're thankful that Dave made it through it. Yesterday, was his first day of radiation and it went well. He was impressed at the speed of that high tech piece of equipment that they have at the Cancer Center in Kalispell. We were pretty low-key on New Year's Eve, just a bite to eat at a little diner in Whitefish with Joey, Joe and Linda. Then we came home and enjoyed some quiet before all the fireworks got Penelope (shih tzu) all worked up! Dave went to bed fairly early and left me with trying to calm Penelope down. Finally after 12:30, the noise stopped, and Penelope and I finally slept. Dave slept through it all, which is great as they told us at the Hutch that sleep is good. I guess I can't argue with that! We wish everyone a Happy and Blessed 2008!

Breathtaking

All is well here, and Dave was out today snowplowing and enjoying the beautiful day. As you can see, I've added a little slide show of today's pictures. Hope it works! Dave has been feeling well and stronger every day - his balance is also much better. Radiation will begin on Monday, but we are confident that he will sail through it without much for side-effects. Our excitement for being in our own home hasn't worn off yet and we are so thankful to being back in Whitefish.

Ripley waiting for squirrels

Enjoying Winter

Today's Appointment

We met with Dr. Gunn today, who is filling in for our radiation oncologist, Dr. Stillie. Things went well and both Dave and I feel very comfortable with the next step. Kalispell Regional Medical Center has a state of the art piece of equipment called IGRT - or image-guided radiotherapy, which basically refers to the use of sophisticated imaging to guide precise forms of radiation therapy. The tumor can be more accurately targeted, sparing more of the surrounding healthy tissue, and reducing side effects. Dr. Gunn feels Dave probably won't have a problem with side-effects because of the location and size of the mass. He is also quite confident that they can kill the mass without any problems. The "stubborn mass" that was radiated in Seattle is now completely dead - GREAT NEWS!! That was the original mass which was the size of Dave's fist. Today, Dave got "tatooed" and had a CT scan for measurement purposes. All that said, radiation starts on Monday and will be 5 days a week for approximately 4 wks. That's doable, and I think we'll sleep better tonight!

WISHING EVERYONE A

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS

Friends and more Friends

Had a great Christmas celebration with Rick and Carol Seddon, Ike and Gus Gustafson, and Orland and Jan Leland. Of this group, the three from the left on the couch all have cancer (two with lymphoma and one with multiple myeloma. What a great supporting group, and have been friends for years.

Here We Go Again

First of all, Dave and I wish everyone a very, very, Mery CHRISTmas! We appreciate everyone's love and support and prayers, and hope your CHRISTmas is meaningful and joyous. Our meeting with Dr. Hunt went well and she has spoke with Dr. Pagel in Seattle about the situation here. Dr. Hunt has never seen such an "unique lymphoma" before. The new mass is located in Dave's lower pelvis, out of the zone where previous radiation was done. Dave has an appointment on the 26th to see the radiation oncologist, and will start with radiation sometime soon after. Dr. Pagel is actually leading the way and would possibly like to see Dave in Seattle after radiation is complete. We really aren't sure though, as things can change in a day's time. We enjoyed dinner at Molly and Jeff's last night followed by a drive around the area looking at Christmas lights. It was a great evening and Stella and Sully always kept us smiling and our spirits up. Today we will be busy preparing for our Christmas Eve celebration and then will be going over to Orland and Jan Lelands for a bit of Christmas cheer! We are so very thankful for our friends and family and of course, our Savior. MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

RESULTS

Dr. Hunt called Dave today to let him know that there is a new 4 cm. mass in his pelvic area. This area is outside of the previous spot radiation area he had done in Seattle. That wasn't what we had hoped for, but Dr. Hunt is consulting with our Seattle physicians to see what the next treatment will be. It does sound, however, that it can be done locally, either chemo, radiation or both. We have an appointment on Friday with Dr. Hunt, so I will keep you posted as soon as we know something. Looks like the fight is still on, and we will take each day that God gives us to remain strong and positive. Please fight along with us with your prayers of healing both physically and emotionally. God Bless to all!