Hooray for Progress

Hey everyone.

We are one week out of treatment and doing pretty good. Earl is now eating soup and soft food and not using his PEG at all. He is feeling really good. He played nine holes on Saturday. I am so Thankful that he is improving everyday. It is so nice to have him back. I know it will be a slow progress and he will not be fully back to himself for a while but it is so nice to have him up and around and feeling good. We all take our health for granted and sometimes we don't take very good care of ourselves and just think that we are always gonna have good health, but when you are down and sick and can't do anything for months you realize how important it is. Our next big hurdle is getting the PEG out. I called the DR today to see when we can and I am still waiting on him to call me back. Earl hates it so much that I just think that will be one last thing that will make him feel even better. I am just so excited each day to see him improving and I know by this weekend he will be even better. Thank you so much for the prayers. We love you all! Donna

It's a wrap!

Good afternoon all,

Earl finished his final radiation today! All the Doctors and staff gave him a round of applause when he came out of the "room". I could hear him smiling over the phone when he told me. They let him bring his mask home, kind of creepy. Oh well, Halloween is right around the corner. He doesn't have to go back for four weeks. Now we can celebrate! Dr. Harper said she really doubted he would need any further surgery, so hopefully the PEG will come out soon. They just yank it out, OUCH! So yesterday when I got home from work he wasn't there. That was unusual because he is always in the same chair watching TV. Not today, he decided to go play a few holes. It was like he was a new person. Tired, but he did managed to finish six holes. He said it just felt good to get out. I suspect now he will do more of that. Besides the fact that he is a bag of bones, he really looks great. I will keep you all updated on his progress. Thank you all for the support over the last three months. I love you all! Donna

Great Weekend!

Good Morning,

It was a super great weekend. It started with Friday, I took off to go to Earl's checkup with him. Doc was very pleased at how well Earl is doing, although he would not commit to a date when Earl can get the PEG out. Earl was feeling pretty good so we went and got his hair cut after the appointment. Thank you Lisa for our free hair cut, that was so sweet of you and his haircut really made him feel better. Olivia had a friend over Friday night and we went to dinner with Grandma. Earl went to bed pretty early Friday night but woke up a new person Sat morning. He ate breakfast (waffle) and took a shower and headed down to the driving range with his friend Jeff to watch Jeff hit some balls. Earl hit a couple but too weak to do more. He said it just felt great to get out. He felt good enough to go to Fleet for dinner Saturday night. It was my mom's birthday. Drew, Gracie and Olivia went too. Earl managed to eat some grouper and grits. It was a wonderful evening for the whole family. Tomorrow will be our last radiation treatment. I never thought the day would come. It has been so slow. So far Earl has lost about 20 to 25 lbs. He is very thin, but really looks good for all he has been through. Hopefully in a week or two he will improve significantly. Thank you all for your prayers. We love you all. Donna & Earl

GOOD NEWS FROM THE DOC

Hey Y'all!!!

Earl saw his radiologist this morning after his treatment and she said the tumor is GONE! She said she can't feel anything and that she cannot see anything in his mouth either. That is such good news. She told him that most people can't handle the whole 7 weeks without taking a break so he has done REALLY good. He only has four more radiation treatments and NO more chemo. The end is near. We know we really have to wait until two months after the treatment for our final PET scan and a clean bill of health but this is some good news. She said in the beginning she was very concerned because the mass was big, but she is so impressed at how well it responded and she cannot believe it is GONE! God is Great! Earl looks like he has been to hell and back, and he has. He is so tired and weak but still has a great attitude. He is my hero. I love him so much, I am so excited about getting our lives back. Thank you all for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers, it really does work. Love you all! Donna

Monday Morning

It's Monday for sure. I am really dragging today. It was a super weekend. Earl is doing fantastic. He is not queasy at all now and is only taking a small amount of the naseau medicine. He in still really tired. He has been taking long naps all weekend and that is just what he needs to do. He has been getting all his nutrition in like he needs to and that has helped him feel a little better. See, the chemo drains your body of everything and then it forces your body into working overtime to rebuild all the cells that were destroyed that is why he is so tired. So any extra nutrition helps you have more energy and feel better. He completed his 29th radiation treatment this morning so he only has six left! Yeah!!! He hasn't lost anymore weight over the weekend so that is also a plus. I just need to keep him away from any germs, at this stage of the game we can't afford for him to get sick. Oliva and I went to the Kenny Chesney concert Saturday night. We has such a great time and Kenny really rocked North Charleston. I am glad I was able to share that with Olivia. We will both always remember it. I can't believe that Friday, Earl will be almost finished with his treatment. It has been a long road. I am ready for him to start healing now. His new nickname is Slim! I don't think he likes it. Oh well, it's much better than the nickname his family calls him. Sorry, I can't post that. Y'all have a good week. Love you all! Donna

Weekend is upon us.

Happy Friday Y'all.

Earl did pretty good through the night. He was a little queasy last night but after some good ol ginger ale he felt better. Went to bed early and slept well. We both feel if we just make it through the weekend without getting too sick then we are over the hump and well on our way to the end of this nightmare. Saturday is the Kenny Chesney concert and I am taking Olivia. She is so excited and so and I. Just a little sad that Earl can't go. We only have seven radiation treatments left. It's all downhill from here. I really hope he can get his PEG out before the end of the month. He wants that out more than anything. No cooking for me this weekend, I will have to go out in the mornings to get my coffee. The smell of any food or coffee makes him sick, I don't mind not cooking for a few days. Thank you for thinking of us, I will update you on Sunday at our progress over the weekend. Enjoy your family. Love you all. Donna

Last Chemo Finished!

Good Morning Everyone!

We finished our last chemo yesterday and as of today we only have eight more radiation treatments. We are so glad that we are done with the chemo. It is a long process. We were at MUSC yesterday morning at 8am and got home at 4:30pm. Earl is doing well today. If we can just make it over this hump then it will be all downhill from here. Hopefully by Oct. 1 Earl will be starting to get back to normal. We can't wait to ride the motorcycle and go have a beer. The weather will be perfect for riding. This has been such an incredible journey for us and we are changed, no doubt. Through this all I have become amazed at how awesome God is and how when you need Him the most He is there. Sometimes I am just so full of awe that I feel like I could explode with joy. You learn to take joy in the small things that most of us take for granted everyday. Thank you all for being here for us. I truly don't know what we would have done without our friends and family. Love you all. Donna & Earl

Countdown!

Good Tuesday Morning Everyone.

We had a fantastic weekend. Aunt Sis and Larry came down on Sunday and spent the afternoon with us. They have been at the beach and drove down for the day. It made Earl's day. We started our sixth week today. I can't believe the end is near. He is so ready to be done. The main thing he hates is just being tired all the time. He takes a shower and that wears him out. He has started eating more, so he can get the PEG out as soon as he's done with the last treatment. We will know this afternoon if they are going to do the chemo tomorrow. We only have 10 radiation treatments left. TEN!!! I went to the pool with mom yesterday. It was so nice and relaxing. My boy came home Sunday night, stayed about three hours, long enough for me to wash his laundry and feed him. I loved every minute of it. Hated to see him leave. Olivia got home from Alabama Sunday evening. She had a good time at the Auburn game. Earl and I did some yard work on Saturday afternoon. I cut the grass and he trimmed some hedges. All in all it was a super weekend. I will keep y'all posted on the chemo. Love you.

Labor Day Weekend

Hey y'all,

We have finished week 5. I am so excited that the end is near. Earl is doing great. He is so determined that he is pushing himself really hard. He is eating soup now and that is a big deal since he hasn't eaten food in over two weeks. He is still doing the feedings for extra calories and nutrition but he is really determined to get the PEG tube out ASAP. As you know the last chemo treatment keeps getting pushed back. I have just accepted that and we will get it done when he can handle it. It is the last one so no big deal. I want him to be as strong as possible anyway before he gets it. I can tell his energy level is improving everyday. He hardly takes any pain medicine, maybe only once or twice a day. His voice has completely come back, so that is good. Except for the weight loss, he looks great. So we have a long weekend, as no treatment on Monday. Olivia went to Alabama with her Dad, so we will be home alone. We will just enjoy each other's company and get him rested up for the last chemo. Oh yeah, and I will probably have to cut grass. I guess you're suppose to cook out on Labor Day, but since we can't grill soup, I guess we will have to skip that. I am so excited about the upcoming fall and holidays. I am anxiously waiting our new life. Thank you all for keeping up with our story. Love you bunches. Donna

Quiet Day at Home

Hey Y'all,

Okay so here we are, a quiet day at home instead of getting our chemo. Yeah, that's right, postponed, AGAIN. We got up this morning at 5am, to be at MUSC by 7:30am. Went to the Lab and they said his count was not quite there. I had a small melt down in the office. This is the third time they have postponed it. No ones fault but it is frustrating. So we had the radiation treatment as scheduled and came home. We both took naps. That felt good. So we will try again on Wednesday. It is our last one so I am just ready to mark it off the list. Only 13 more radiation treatments now. Talked to the radiologist today, she said Earl is doing fantastic. She was very excited. Says she sees a lot of people getting the same treatment as him and he is doing so good. That made me feel better. I came home and opened all the windows, it feels so good outside. Back to work tomorrow. Love you all. Donna

Dancing in the Rain

Hey Y'all,

I got an email from Sunny today and one of the quotes that I really like and thought I would share with you said, "Don't wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain. I really feel like we have been doing that. Even though we are in the middle of a storm we find time to "dance" everyday. Our chemo was postponed again yesterday to Wednesday.(white cell count still too low) It is a definite go tomorrow and it is our last! He is doing quite well today. His mouth is a little sore but other than that he feels pretty good. His weight is down to 169 lbs, so he has lost 11 lbs so far. My goal is to maintain it at that number but the last three weeks will be the hardest. Please pray that this last chemo doesn't hit him too hard. I am trying to encourage him to do as many feedings a day as he can. He really needs about 2500 calories to stay nourished and hydrated but he is actually only getting about 1500 and that's why he is losing weight everyday. He is not eating any food by mouth and only drinks a small amount so thank God we had the PEG tube put in before we started. He has completed 21 rad treatments so that means only 14 left. I was so glad to turn the calender to September today! We are in our finish month. Love you all! Donna