September 25, 2008

Hey Everyone,

Joe went to the doctor on Monday which took most of the day. I think it takes me a couple of days to process the information they give because it is just so much. I am a person that has to process or put things down to visualize what the are saying. Then I have to research the information so I can attempt to be on the same page.

With that being said, Joe had a CT scan on his body and another on his head. The body (liver, kidneys and lungs) are getting worse. This is where I have to see a diagram to understand.

I will start with his liver: the widest point of his liver is about 20cm and tallest point is 17.5cm. The tumors that were measured (only the 2 largest) were 10.2cm x 10.8cm and the other was 8.4cm x8.2cm. Joe has been scanned 3 times this year and each time the tumors have doubled in size so if the pattern continues then at the end of December his tumors will be larger than his actual liver!

Kidney's: same thing here - if they double again the tumors will outgrow the kidney's.

Lungs: we did not even talk about his lungs - not sure why but with all the other information it did not even cross my mind.

Brain: More swelling around one of the brain tumors in the area that controls his balance, coordination, dexterity, etc...

Face tumor: Joe will go in on Monday to see the ENT doctor and also see an Anesthesiologist to have a biopsy done on the tumor coming through the roof of his mouth. The doctor did verify that's what it was for sure the tumor coming through. That tumor is massive in size when you look at the scans. It is hard to believe that tumor is so large in his face. - I don't know if they are planning the biopsy on Tuesday or Wednesday we are still waiting on a call.

Joe is still determined to help others and this Saturday he will ride his bicycle to raise money for MS (Multiple Sclerosis) in Mobile with a couple of friends. The ride is 150 miles in 2 day - I'm not sure how he is going to feel on Monday but I cannot tell him "No". He keeps his mind on the Lord to see him through all of this and I stand with him. That's not to say I'm not scared when he rides his bike but I am learning to handle it better.

The Lord is blessing us through all of this and we love all of you.

God Bless,
Crystal

September 20, 2008

Hey Everyone,

Please forgive me that I have not kept you up to date on Joe. Things have been very busy and Matt is off to school in Texas now and we miss him very much. We pray the Lord keeps him safe and under his wing while he is away from us.

Sometimes it is hard to determine how Joe is doing day to day because most days he looks great. The doctors have given us bad news after bad news. I get very nervous when we have to see the doctor because of what they are going to tell us next. This is the latest information I have:

The tumor in Joe's face that they did radiation on the end of May has grown significantly. The ENT doctor called Friday afternoon and wants Joe to come in Monday the 22nd for a CT scan of his face including sinus and eye cavities so they can see where the tumor has gone. It was the size of my fist about 3 weeks ago and is still growing. Joe has a hole in the roof of his mouth were the tumor looks like it is coming through. It is just taking over in his face. It is causing him problems with his eating, jaw (talking) and headaches. The ENT wants Joe to also come in on Monday the 29th to get Pre-Admission testing. Not sure what they are going to do but that sounds like surgery to me. I will try to find out Monday what they are going to do.

The next thing is a brain tumor they did Gamma Knife on in May has started growing again and also has some swelling around it. They have placed Joe back on Steroids to minimize the swelling and try to control the swelling from the tumors in his body which have become worse.

His belly has swollen quite a bit in the last 2 weeks and I hope the doctor gives us some in site on that Monday. I read that it is caused from tumors in the liver but I don't have confirmation of that. Nights are long as he cannot sleep very well. He keeps me up most of the night having conversations or thinking it is daytime. He woke me up the other night asking me why I was out in the driveway doing u-turns?? I was not outside doing u-turns but he was convinced that I was and wanted to have a conversation about it. :-) It was about 2:00 in the morning.

There are many other little goofy things but I have listed the major ones we know of right now. I will know more once we see the 2 doctors on Monday and have both scans done.

His mood/spirit is great as anyone knows that have talked to him. He says the doctors are promising him paradise and they can't deliver! He also says that he is past his expiration date. His love of the Lord is contagious and it just draws you to him. He is so awesome and has such a peace beyond understanding. Joe was telling me about some pain he was having and I told him it was caused by the cancer and he looked at me like Who has cancer? He made me think I was crazy to say that. That's okay though because we deal with it differently.

We love you all and thank you for keeping up with Joe. I apologize again for not keeping this blog up to date like I should be.

Love and God Bless,

Crystal