Update on Earl's treatments

Sorry, we haven't updated in a while. I guess you could say "No news is good news".

Radiation started on Nov. 19th. Earl has had 15 radiation treatments to date. He has these five days a week, excluding major holidays. None the Thurs and Fri of Thanksgiving week. We assume there will probably be none Christmas Eve and Christmas. He has 10 more treatments, so we guesstimate he will finish up Dec. 27th. Doctor finally settled on five weeks of radiation, which he is saying is the "minimum" recommended.

He is taking chemo pills (three twice daily) on the days he gets radiation. So far, he has not had any of the sore hands/feet as predicted. Why am I not surprised? He hasn't done anything else like the Doctors said he should or might!

I take part of that back. He was told he might have some problems with diarrhea... and he has. He was prescribed some pills for that and they seem to work pretty well..... always after the fact. He doesn't take them until he needs them. He lost two pounds last week due to this.

He was told today that starting tomorrow, and , I guess, continuing thru these last ten treatments, he will be shot with radiation on all four sides. He didn't know it, but the first 15 treatments were only to the front and back sides. From what he was told, the diarrhea stems from the radiation. Guess he'll soon find out just how bad it may get as he starts getting more radiation each time.

He has been fighting this cold and congestion that is going around. So far, it hasn't gotten real bad. Just hope he can get thru these next two weeks without getting sick. His bloodwork last week was "okay", so guess he's holding his own with the chemo pills, too. His Oncologist called him a "poster child". We took that to mean he is doing well.

Well, this year has been a real roller coaster ride. It's been perplexing, unsettling, anger ridden, to the very bottom of the deepest pit, scary, devastating, trying, uncertain, challenging of our determination, faith testing and faith building, joyous celebration and humble thanksgiving. I think I could just go on and on. I am sure there are many more places we have been during this year that I can't even think how to describe.

What we haven't seen is the place where we were even close to giving up and accepting defeat, in spite of what we were told in the early days. That just was never an option. We thank God that information came, doors opened, and opportunities presented, which we grabbed on faith. The three weeks we spent in Philadelphia were so long and hard, but the outcome has been a miracle. There's just no other way to describe how everything has transpired.

My wish and hope for each of you is that if you ever find yourself in the place where you are faced with hopeless odds, don't just accept the first answer you get. Particularly if it isn't what you want to hear. We found out there are other opinions and alternate avenues. Search for them! It's amazing what one can do when faced with the unthinkable!

The next few years will tell the final story, but Earl is determined he is going to be that one in four that survives pancreatic cancer. With your prayers and God's help, he will.

With thankful heart,
Lillian Lancaster