ch-ch-ch-chemo

Well, Dad's (non) response to the treatment for the obstructed bowel indicates that it's probably actually the cancer that's causing the obstruction. The original plan was to wait till he recovered from the obstruction before starting the chemo, but that's not going to happen if cancer is the cause. So they decide to start the chemo today. They give him 3 chemo drugs; two of which will be given right away, one that will be given through a port for 20 days. We're relieved that chemo will finally be started; it's been hard knowing that the cancer has been growing unchecked since we first learned of it.

Which is better: Mayo or Miracle Whip?

Dad wakes Amy around 2 AM saying that the pain is too much and that he needs to go to the ER She takes him into Methodist Hospital and they admit him. He has an obstructed bowel. This is bad, of course, but several good things come out of it:

• He's in Rochester, in the hospital connected to Mayo Clinic. So he'll be able to get the care they were hoping for directly.
• He still gets to keep the Monday morning appointment and hear about the chemo treatments
  Mayo has a team of people that help with making decisions and working with him. The care and setup of the clinic are excellent. They get to really watch him; gauge real-time what the effects of their interventions are, and set up appropriate plans for pain, nausea, and diet management.
• The nutritionist/dieticians sit down with them and answer questions. At one point they spend an hour working through all the struggles they’ve been having about what things are good for him to eat and what things aren’t. Knowing that it’s better to get calories than vitamins (vegetables – too much work for his body to break down those nutrients right now) takes a TON of the day-to-day stress they’ve been living with away. When they go home, they both know the kinds of foods that his body most needs right now.

Rochester Take II

Dad & Amy drive down to Rochester since the appointment for tomorrow is at 8:00 AM. They meet up with Augusta & Chris for lunch. Dad’s feeling pretty well. They stay with some friends-of-friends in Rochester. As they settle in for the night, Dad starts feeling worse.

Rochester Take I

Dad and Amy drive down to Rochester for blood work. Dad starts feeling miserable on the way home.

Johnson Family Reunion

Ben & I head up to Shell Lake for the Johnson Family Reunion. We have a great time of catching up with everyone. Aunt Lynnette is feeling too poorly to be there, so we miss her. It's nice to see Dad and Amy for the third weekend in a row. We end up out at the farm, where Uncle Dean, Dad, Ben and I go for a walk around the farm and they tell us stories about different places and how things used to be. Ben and I end up going to Iron River with Dad & Amy and staying overnight before heading back to Appleton.

Independence & Apostles

I head up to spend the July 4 weekend with Dad & Amy. We have a great time bumming around, messing in the garden, pulling apart windows for the garage, playing Scrabble, and (of course) napping! On Monday, we head up to Madeline Island - the biggest of the Apostle Islands - and spend time there and in Bayfield. How can you go wrong when each day includes Dairy Queen (or A&W) , beautiful sunshine, and a dip in gitchi-gummi?