Makes for a long day

On Thursday, Kenneth had a procedure done to remove the fluid buildup around his right lung. As I mentioned in the last post, Kenneth has been unable to lay flat for the last 2 1/2 months. Due to the cancer, a good deal of fluid had filled the chest area and put pressure on the lung and limited its capacity. It was a fairly easy procedure- in fact, it took longer to deal with the billing and wait in the waiting room than it did for the actual procedure! Believe it or not, they removed a liter and a half!!! Picture that!!! I was hoping that this would completely eliminate the coughing, but it only lessened the intensity and frequency. Kenneth still coughs quite a bit, most likely due to the growths in his lungs. The good news is, he has been able to sleep in his own bed lying down since Thursday night!!

As I write this I am sitting by Kenneth's side at the Doctor's office where he is receiving the first round of Chemotherapy. We had to be here at the office at 8:30 am. It is now 1:30 pm and we aren't even through the first of the four drugs. They figure he might be done around 5 pm.

My dear Kenneth, who grew up on a dairy farm, delivering calves, de-horning heifers with the blood squirting all over and having experienced all the other nitty-gritty details in the life of a dairyman, has a real problem with needles. Unfortunately, this entire experience is chock-full of encounters with these necessary evils.

The nurse this morning was luckily very skilled and successfully hooked him up the first try. No fishing around like the nurses did when he had the biopsy done. That wasn't fun for Kenneth.

We aren't sure if it was nerves, the Benadryl, or the actual drug but he did have a slight reaction this morning: some nausea, chills and lowered blood pressure. We know that this is a means to an end. The process won't be fun, but we are confident that when this is all over we can enjoy life together again.

It's an interesting camraderie that you feel with the other people in the Chemo room. The room where Kenneth receives his treatments has 11 chairs. All 11 were full this morning with people receiving treatments and more people waiting for a free one. You all kind of look around and wonder what the other one has, you wonder about their families. One lady who was here receiving a treatment when Kenneth first started and was really reacting gave me a knowing wink and sweet smile with a whispered, "Good Luck" on her way out. We had all ages in here today- the youngest person was 19 and the oldest was probably in his late 70's or 80's.

We are so thankful that Kenneth's sister, Karen and her family were able to come on Friday to be with us. We had a pretty good Christmas weekend (More on that to come!) and it is a comfort to know that our children can be in their own home today with family. When we left this morning 16-month-old little Grant was screaming. He is definitely a Mama's boy and doesn't like me to leave the room, much less the house. Heck, he doesn't even like it when I take a shower for 15 minutes! I just pray that he is enjoying his day with his sisters, Aunt and cousins.

Again, to all of you who have emailed and called and commented, we appreciate your prayers, fasting, and positive thoughts on our behalf. We definitely feel a peace in the midst of this trial. We will continue to keep you updated. In the mean while, look for some posts on some of our happenings in December! We want to remember all these good times we have had as a family!