The House of Doo: Life is a Rollercoaster.

I haven't posted much about my stepdad, Allen, lately. He was going to Emory for his cancer treatment and wasn't very happy with his doctor there. They had pretty much "written him off." The doctor didn't seem to want to fight for Allen and I really think that's a darn shame. This past Thursday, he had his first appointment at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Atlanta. He had appointments Thursday, Friday, and yesterday (Monday). He had lots of tests and blood work and also a PET scan. This is a scan that can see cancer pretty much anywhere in your body. Yesterday, he went back to find out the results and his treatment plan. I mentioned a while back that there was a spot on his lung. They confirmed that this spot was indeed cancer. However, the good news is that the spot is only on the outside and can be treated. There are two other tumors, both already being treated at Emory. These two are the difficult ones. They are in the cavity left by the 90% of his pancreas that has already been removed. They also are wrapped around other organs now, including his stomach, liver, intestines, and what is left of his pancreas. They decided to administer chemo through pill form and they will also do radiation. At Emory, they refused to do radiation because they were afraid it would damage his organs too much. At CTCA, they have a "state of the art" machine and they can "dial down" the radiation, so as not to damage the organs, or do very little damage. That all sounds like really bad news, but really, there is good news. Most pancreatic cancer does not respond to chemo, however, Allen's is responding well. At Emory, his last blood test showed that his "cancer numbers" were VERY low, almost normal. 37 is normal, his was 44. Well, he has been off chemo (because they were going to change the form of chemo he was getting) and in those couple of weeks, the cancer number went up to 120. This is good news because the chemo is working. Hopefully this time, adding in radiation may be just what he needs to jump start the cancer killing even more. It may not ever work to the point of getting rid of it completely, they say, HOWEVER, I know God is still in the miracle business. So, please, please, please keep Allen and mom in your prayers. Also, tomorrow is his birthday and he will spend it getting fitted for the radiation machine. :/

Tomorrow, Colt starts his physical therapy. The ONLY spot they have open is at 8 a.m. I don't foresee this going well. ;) I will let you know. Ha! He has gotten to be quite the chatterbox recently. Granted, many times, he repeats the same word over and over but it still sounds lovely to me. The most exciting new "word" for us is that Colt is trying to say his own name. We have been trying to get him to say it for months! His version of his name is "Gut." BAHAHA. Before when you would ask him his name, he would point at his cheek. That is his way of saying "Colt," almost like his sign for himself. He still points at his cheek, but now will say "Gut." It is seriously adorable. This morning, the first thing he did was stand on his stepstool, look at his face in the mirror, point at himself and say "GUT!" Ha. I love it. :)

WARNING! PARENTAL TMI TO FOLLOW. ;) We've also been getting consistent #1 and #2 in the potty. He is doing great! The problem is that I can't get him to tell me BEFORE he needs to go #1. We were using M&Ms as rewards and I saw somewhere to stop giving them every time they go, but to only give them when they TELL you they need to go. That is my next plan of action though he doesn't seem to understand when I explain that to him. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I don't think the sticker chart will work for Colt, he isn't quite "there" yet.

Sunday was the 18th birthday of my awesome nephew, Tucker. I cannot believe he is 18. Today was the first day of his senior year of high school. Wow! The same day, our dear friend and "adopted son," Trey, turned 20. Also that day, Ryan drove Trey back to college in Atlanta. I will miss his smiling face around the house and pray that he has a good and successful second year of college at Georgia State.

I mentioned in the last blog that we "leased to own" our house. I have already regretted that decision and am sick about it. However, I love that we are not having to pay that mortgage anymore. I pray that it will get better because the first two weeks or so have already become a miserable nightmare. If you want to know what I mean, just drive by and look at my house. Oh my gosh.

Life is a rollercoaster for sure. A great big freakin' rollercoaster. I will end this blog with some of the highs of said rollercoaster.