Chemo Fun With Dad

Happy Belated Father's Day to all the fathers who read this blog. I will post some pictures and the story of Bob's father's day tomorrow.  Today, I am watching my dad sleep through chemotherapy session #4.  The doctor said that the results of his last CT scan (from last Wednesday) show that the tumors are unchanged and stable.  Whatever that means.  Since the original CT scans used to compare to the most recent CT scans were done in March, the doctor and my dad both concluded that there is no way of telling what actually happened between March and June.  However, the chemotherapy may be keeping the tumors from growing any further and so the doctor has decided to continue with the current treatment plan. I know secretly my dad was hoping to get out of having to continue with chemotherapy, but for now...we will continue on through this painfully emotional process.  Luckily though, he is physically feeling fine. He has gotten use to his nephrostomy bag, AND he is still able to take 2-mile walks, complete 20+ mile bike rides, and clean the gutters (much to my mom's disapproval).  It usually takes 5 days for my dad to start feeling back to normal, so hopefully, he will be up and at 'em by the weekend. I will be leaving to finish up things in D.C. on Friday and then I will be flying back to Atlanta mid next week to spend fourth of July weekend in Atlanta.  By the way, my dad had a GREAT father's day. Of course he would...he has some awesome kids and a great wife (if I do say so myself). Until tomorrow....

Just Another Day...

So, I'm back in Atlanta for about two weeks spending some time with my family in between jobs. I arrived Tuesday afternoon and my dad picked me up from the airport. I will say there was a bit of a change in his appearance. He now has no hair. He has some little baby hair that he has decided to keep on the top of his head, but other than that...there is nothing there. Luckily, I saw a picture before I arrived so I wasn't in complete shock. We were both hungry so we went to Monterrey's Mexican for a little lunch. I love Mexican food and you can't really find cheap Mexican food or good Mexican food in the D.C. area. So I was in heaven.  We arrived home and both took a little nap. Mine was a little longer than his, but I had a long night the night before packing and gearing up for my move to Chicago. My dad, mom, brother, sister-in-law, and I went to dinner Tuesday night at this place called Technique. It was a three-course dinner that was prepared and served by student chefs. The food was quite good, but it took a long time. My dad was very concerned because the head chef was yelling at some of the chefs in the kitchen. After a nice dinner, we came home, watched a little baseball, and went to sleep.

Wednesday, my dad had to get up at 4:30am and 6:30am to drink a tasty beverage for his CT scan later that morning.  He then had an appointment to get a scan of his lungs, stomach, and pancreas to see if the chemo has had any effect on his tumors. My dad got a chance to speak to one of my cousin-in-laws, Thuy, later in the day about some of this treatment and results and was excited to get a very candid consultation. He also was excited to install the bird feeder that someone (he can't remember) bought for him on a tree in the back yard. Our across-the-street neighbor, and friend, Harold helped him to install the bird feeder with a rope and pulley. This afternoon, we had our first visitor. He starred out of the window for a couple of minutes like a little kid at Christmas. It was quite funny.

Last night my mom had Spanish class, so my dad and I had dinner on the porch. If you have ever been to our house, you know that the porch is his favorite place. We ate dinner, readjusted the bird feeder, and watched the storm come and go. Later on we watched some of the Braves Game on tv and just talked.  Life here at the Keegan household is pretty calm. My mom left for Albany this morning to visit her family. So, my dad and I are preparing to move some of the furniture from the basement to the upstairs part of the house.  Should be interesting. 

He should receive the results of his most recent CT scan by Monday, which is also when he has chemo session #4.  We have a big day planned for him on Sunday, Father's Day, so hopefully his mind won't be focused on anything but family and love.

Here is a picture from the bird feeder installation....

New Pictures

The above pictures were taken on a bike ride my dad went on recently with his friend Santi.

Don't Worry

Hey all..sorry I have been a slacker in regards to the blog, but I've been pretty busy these days quitting a job, getting ready for my new job, and finding a place to live in my new location of Chicago.  My dad is doing well. His brother Timmy came to visit last weekend and they spent time riding bikes, drinking beer, and talking finances. I know my dad has his next appointment on June 13th and I will be arriving in Atlanta on June 14th, so I will update the blog with fantastic stories and wonderful pictures of his new hair style when I get in town.  Just wanted to let you all know that he's doing great, all things considered.  Better update next week I promise!

Chemo Session Three...Check!

So today my dad completed his third session of chemotherapy. He handled the treatment in his usual cheerful fashion (*note sarcasm here*). My mom sent us an email while he was undergoing chemo, and he was sound asleep as usual. I don't know why he complains about this stuff when he gets to sleep through it?!?!? (Just kidding dad!).  My parents finally moved back into their house and my dad spent the weekend cutting down trees with Harold (the across the street neighbor and family friend) and getting the electricity fixed.  I called to check on him this evening and he was visiting with other people in the neighborhood and talking to babies instead of talking to me. I get it dad..I'm no longer cute and cuddly.

Next steps: my dad has a follow-up appointment I think on June 13th to check his blood and his body to see how the chemotherapy has effected the cancer.  He believes that he is already cured and that the next three sessions of chemo that are already scheduled are completely unnecessary.  Hopefully the doctor will have some form of good news at the next visit (*fingers crossed*).

My uncle Timmy is coming to visit my parents this weekend and my dad should be almost recovered by the time my uncle arrives.  I should be able to visit my dad soon as well.  When I do, I will make sure to get a picture of the new head piece he's been wearing.  Until then....

Update to the Update

My dad has been fairly busy lately, so I haven't really been able to find out what's been going on in his life. I think he's more busy now then he was before he had cancer! I will say that I have also gotten in "trouble" from multiple people for not updating the blog.  So here goes. He's lost, I think, almost all of his hair. My mom got him buff head gear to wear on his head. He said it looks like a do-rag. I was rather impressed that my dad even knew the term do-rag. He is so hip sometimes.  He's also been having dinner with a lot of friends. Every time I talk to him he is either on his way out or out already. He has been faithfully attending the Friday gatherings at Moe's. My parents spent the past weekend at a lake house with some friends.  My dad has been riding his bike. I'm sure he's doing some Gates Foundation work on the side. Probably saving someone from something and taking Abbott on 3-mile walks. If he didn't have a tube out of his back and the no-hair thing going on, you probably would never know he had cancer!

He's also gearing up to walk the Peachtree Road Race in July with my uncles and my brother and I'm sure my mom is going to be running in the race as well. I plan to be down there for the July 4th festivities and to welcome everyone home from the Race (I am not getting up that early in the morning to cheer them on).  This weekend they are going to another lake house with some friends.  And then on Tuesday, May 31st, my dad has his third session of chemo.  I should get to spend a significant amount of time in Atlanta in June, so I am excited about that as well.

On another note, Stacey's friend Susannah made this for her. Great gift!

No News is Good News

Since my dad no longer gets poked and prodded by different doctors every week, there isn't much to blog about anymore. This is a good thing! He had his last chemo session a week ago and when I talked to him by email this weekend he sounded much better. He even went for a bike ride this weekend, which I'm sure made him extremely happy. He spends most of the time reading, sleeping, complaining about health care in America, and visiting with family and friends. I probably won't get to see him again until June sometime, but hopefully, it will be a much longer visit. He has a doctor's visit next Monday to check his blood levels. I'm sure his antibodies will be fine. And then, he has his third chemo session the Tuesday after Memorial Day.  So far so good (I'm sure he would disagree with this statement since he hates chemo, like most people do I suspect)!