TGIF

Hey Everyone!

Tomorrow is feeding tube day. We have to be at MUSC at 10:30am to have the feeding tube inserted. Short notice I know, but anyway it really did need to be done before we start treatment. It is only a 25 minute procedure but he has to spend the night just to make sure all is well. We also have to attend a class to learn how to care for it. We probably won't have to start using it for about four weeks. At least it will be there when we need it. I am feeling melancholy today, not really sure why, maybe because it's all getting so real now. I just wanna cry but see can't because I have to be strong for Earl. We probably won't go back until about 1pm. I will text ya'll when all is done. Deb, thanks for the card today. You always make me feel good. Love you all so much. Donna

May the Force Be with us!

Hey Everyone! We had a good day at our pre-run! I got to go in and see Earl with his mask on bolted down to the table. It kind of freaked me out but he was totally fine. We were able to see his CT Scan of his entire head and exactly where the tumor was. It has grown some since it was first discovered but that is normal. Dr. Harper called it an aggressive tumor but felt confident it would be eradicated and he will be cured. We feel good about his prognosis and I know we are surrounded by a great team of medical Doctors. So Monday, he will have chemo at the Hollings Cancer Center downtown which will take about five hours. We have to be there at nine am, which some of you know is probably a bigger challenge for Earl than the chemo. (He is not a morning person). The chemo treatment (cisplatin) will take about five hours(IV) and then we will head East of the Cooper to the Medical Center there for the Radiation which is only a ten minute appointment. Earl will be completely exhausted by the end of the day, I am sure. Then he will have radiation five days a week for seven weeks, with only two more Chemo treatments. Oh, yeah-we found a good little restaurant in Mt. Pleasant that will probably become his lunch spot, it's called Charleston's Cafe, so if you're over there, check it out. It's really good. I had the Fried Green Tomato & Pimento Cheese Sandwich. Good Lowcountry Eating. Well that's about it, we are gonna enjoy our weekend and just relax before life gets hectic. Earl has a great attitude and is very upbeat and positive about the whole thing. That is 2/3 the battle. Still no word on when we get the PEG tube in, I guess they'll call soon enough.

Thanks for checking up on us, Peace be with you! Donna & Earl

This is it!

Okay Ya'll, We have our date. Monday, 8/3/2009. We don't have a time yet and they are still working on what we do first, Chemo or Radiation. But we do know that the day is Monday. Earl still needs to get some blood work done, probably the latter part of this week for that. Sometimes I wonder if the right hand is talking to the left hand, because one Doctor says one thing and the other says something different. Very frustrating, especially when you're already dealing with Cancer. We still don't know when they're gonna do the PEG tube. If any of you are interested in my new favorite website, I will include it at the end of my blog. You can go to the discussion board there and see what other people are going through. I love it and it answers a lot of questions. Earl is anxious, you can hear it in his voice. We are okay, though. We have the dry run tomorrow, not really a big deal. Just want to make sure all is set. On another note, Drew is getting ready for College and Olivia is planning her 13th Birthday Party. It is August 15, Her actual birthday is the 14th. Earl set everything up for her at the Club House. She's gonna have a pool party and invited 20 friends. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers, Love you all! Donna

check this out: csn.cancer.org

Ready, Set, Go-almost!

Earl got the call from Dr. Harper this morning that his mask is ready. He will go in for a "dry run" on Wednesday, July 29. That is when they do everything they would normally do for a real radiation treatment but they don't actually turn on the juice. That is to ensure the positioning is correct. She is going to call Dr. Shari to set up the 1st Chemo treatment and then we will start the first real radiation treatment on the same day. We are pushing for August 3. However, the first actual treatment may start on that Thursday after the "dry run". I swear it was the best news, just knowing that we are starting treatment. I found a new website that I love! It is cancer.org and they have a discussion board. You can chat with people who are either going through the same thing you are or are survivors of the same type of cancer. It is so nice to talk with folks who have survived this stuff and have a positive outlook. Sometimes Doctors are so negative and full of gloom. I prefer to stay positive, thank you very much. So we will enjoy our upcoming weekend, I hope you will too. Love you all! Donna & Earl

Live.Love.Laugh

Life really is awesome! We grilled out last night and hung out with Olivia and her friend, Ali and in the middle of an oridnary night I realized how lucky we both are to have each other. The real ironic part of all of this is that even in the midst of our great sadness for this illness we both have never been happier in our lives. I told Earl that I use to always pray that I hoped it wouldn't take something bad in my life to happen for me to appreciate my family and all the blessings in my life. Now it has taken someone great in my life to help me through the rough times. I am enjoying today for today. Earl is off to Greenville for work and I am at the Big E, just working too. Soon treatment will begin and things will get rough but today is good and I am so thankful for all my blessings. Thanks to my friends and family for keeping us in your prayers, we love you all! Donna & Earl

Boone Hall Plantation

Hello Everyone. We hope you had a good weekend. We sure did! I took Friday off to spend some time with Olivia. My mom and I took Olivia and her friend Ali to Folly Beach for a day of R&R. It was so windy that we only stayed an hour. We spent the day together so that is all that mattered. Earl is feeling pretty good. He played golf Saturday and Sunday while I hung out at the pool. He wants me to start playing with him so I'm gonna pull out Olivia's clubs and give it a whirl. I'm only good for nine holes, my ADD kicks in and i'm lost. So maybe this weekend I can play nine with him. Sunday evening we went and saw The Little River Band perform at Boone Hall Plantation and it was a great evening. What a beautiful place for an event. I think the only original member of the band was the lead singer, everyone else looked too young. LOL It was still fun and the music was good. Some of ya'll may be too young to know them. I'm not! Earl has a dentist appointment today for a checkup. We are just waiting for the call to say, It's time to start the first treatment. You can see the tumor now kind of sticking out on the right side of his neck so I know it has grown in the six weeks since diagnosis so I am anxious about getting treatment started. He is both ready and nervous. I still think it will be one day next week. The club Championship Tournament at Pine Forest is August 8, I hope he will be feeling good enough to play in it. I think he will. On another note, Caroline Lorberbaum lost her battle with pancreatic cancer last night. She is my brother and sister in laws mother. My heart goes out to them. She was an incredible person, the kind you could sit and talk to for hours. She had a full life and had so much knowledge to share. The world lost a good mother, grandmother, aunt, wife, and friend. She will be missed so much. I love you all. God Bless, Donna

Summer in July

Hey Ya'll,

We had a fabulous weekend doing nothing special but enjoying the great weather and a relative pain free weekend. Earl and I did yard work Friday night unitl about 8:30pm, trimming bushes and putting out pinestraw and cutting grass. It was such a nice evening and the yard looks so good. Then we had a little pizza and beer and chilled in the hot tub for about an hour. (Actually I had the beer.) Earl played golf Saturday and Sunday and played pretty good. I hung out at the pool with my mom and sister on Saturday afternoon. He has lost most of his stitches and can pretty much eat anything. Most of the swelling and bruising is all but gone and he is feeling pretty good. We went out on the motorcycle Saturday night and met up with his friends Lane & Joyce at the Dog & Duck. We grilled out burgers Sunday and my mom came over and ate with us. Drew was actually home for a change and ate dinner with us too. That's always a treat for me since I hardly ever see him. Olivia fed most of her burger to Cody ( the poodle). He doesn't mind. Monday-Back to work!!! He has his appointment today to get fitted for the mask and hopefully they will be able to get it done so we can get the treatment going. We are so ready to get it all going. The waiting really is the hardest part. I am guessing that if they scan for the mask today then treatment should start by August 1 or maybe sooner. In case you were wondering he will wear a mask during the radiation treatment to protect his head so they only radiate the part where the tumor is. The mask kind of looks like those masks people wear who sword fight (fencing). It's sci-fi looking but none the less necessary. I hope all of you are doing well. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers, may God Bless you with good health! Love, Donna

My Golfer

Good Morning Friends! We had a nice quiet 4th with family. Earl did not get to play golf, he just wasn't feeling too good. It has been a slow recovery from the dental surgery but he is feeling pretty good today and is able to eat okay. He is still in some pain and uncomfortable but getting through it. He went the dentist yesterday for a check up and the Doc said everything looks good and is healing nicely. They have put off the mask appt until Thursday because he is still swollen. He has a lot of bruising on both sides of his face. With the mask appt pushed back that will delay the treatment start day for probably another week, I'm guessing. He has lost about 10 lbs so far but his appetite is good considering. This is a picture I took of him playing Torrey Pines when we were there last year. It was so cold but so beautiful. We are going to plan a trip somewhere so we have something to look forward to when this is all over. Love to you all! Donna

Happy Firecracker Day

Hello Everyone! Earl and I will be spending a quiet day at the house with family. Please feel free to drop by if you don't have any plans. We always enjoy company. I am planning on having a lot of his favorite (soft) foods. I am hoping he will be feeling good enough to play in the red, white, and blue golf tournament Sunday but at this point I don't really think so. He is still uncomfortable and just laying around. I think the swelling is coming down some of his face. We might ride out and watch the fireworks that evening. Hope ya'll all have a wonderful 4th and enjoy being with your friends and family. Happy Birthday to my nephew, Lane!!! To my best buddy Brad, have fun at your big family party!!! Donna

Whew! That's over

Earl did very well through the surgery. His face is the size of a large cantelope. He was in a lot of pain last night but it finally wore off about 2am and he was able to fall asleep. I woke him at six this morning to see if he wanted to take another pain pill and he said he was okay. So that was good. Thank you to my sister for the medical advise late last night. It is great to have an RN in the family. Earl is up and watching TV, he drank an Ensure for breakfast. My mom is at the house keeping him company and catching up the laundry, THANKS!!! I would have taken a picture of him and his chipmunk cheeks for the blog but he didn't really think that was funny. You will have to use your imagination. Thanks Sunny for checking on us last night. It was good talking to you. Thank you to everyone for the texts, It means a lot to mean. Love you all!!! Donna