Your Prayers Are Needed!

I know that I haven't kept up on the blog that well, but I am going to try to do better. I wanted to let everyone know that I am writing this from the Valley Care Hospital Lobby as Dad is in surgery.

Yesterday was such a big day at the doctor's office. The reason for the surgery is due to his left lung filling with fluid again. It has only been a week since his lung was drained. At that time Dr. Wong drained 2 litres of fluid from his left lung. The fluid actually builds up in the space between the lung and chest cavity wall. After x-rays yesterday it was determined that his lung had filled again. During the procedure today the surgeon will drain the fluid from the lung and then inject sterile talc into the space between the lung and the chest cavity wall. This causes the lung to get irritated and swell against the chest cavity wall. The lung heals against the chest wall and closes the gap where the fluid is building up. This will hopefully keep the fluid from building up in the lung area.

The procedure should take about 2 hours and he will continue to stay in the hospital for 2 or 3 days while the lung heals and the fluid continues to drain. All of the nurses have been wonderful this morning and really enjoy Dad and his smile. I think that we all agree with them. We were visited by Pastor Jim and he said a wonderful prayer asking for strength for all of us through this and helping to secure that seat in heaven!

Barry's pulse rate has been high and this has resulted in a referral to a cardiologist and another echo cardiogram. Dr. Kang just wants to be sure that nothing in his heart has been overlooked. It is also obvious that the cancer cells in his liver and belly are showing up stronger on the CT Scan. This means that it is time to change the chemotherapy regime. The next treatment will now be repeated every 2 weeks. He will have to take home a pump for 2 or 3 days that will administer one of the drugs continuously over that period. It was also brought to our attention that the cancer cells are also in his spine (lower back). Dr. Kang has recommended radiation treatment for his back. They cannot do radiation and chemo at the same time, so he will get a couple of weeks off of chemo while they proceed with the radiation treatment.

I hope you got all that! I hope I do too. This all feels so overwhelming. We are hoping that Barry is well enough to attend Relay in a week. He is most concerned with being a part of an event that is all for him. I really appreciate all of the support that you showed at Sweet Tomatoes last night. I will post the total earned as part of the event when I find out.

We appreciate your prayers and thoughts! During this time in the hospital, Barry will be in a lot of pain which will require sedation and drugs to combat the pain. We ask that you please keep telephone calls and visits to a minimum. If you would like to visit please try to contact a member of the family first.

We Love You All!