Do you hear what I hear?

Some of you have been asking how Dad is, so I wanted to catch up on the situation to help keep everyone in the loop.

In early October, Dad began chemotherapy and it really went very well. He had no "ill side effects", like the typical hair-loss and loss of appetite and nausea. His numbers remained steady or improved, including kidney function and details of that nature. He was in some pain, but after some pain-management steps put in place, things looked OK for the time being.

This type of cancer, being a sibling to lymphoma and leukemia, takes it's toll on the bones, primarily (as mentioned before, it directly is cancer of the plasma cells in your bone marrow). It affects the "core" of the body first, and extremities later, so hips, ribs, skull, and vertebrae are hardest hit for pain and "weakening". He had a fall in the driveway, due to the increasing unsteadiness caused my the illness. Fortunately, he was alright and we moved on from there. He had another when Laura was home, but again, aside from having to scoop him up, he was OK.

MM (Multiple Myeloma) causes forgetfulness, balance/coordination issues, confusion, hearing loss, and an eye-issue that he's having evaluated later today, among who-knows-how-many-other-things.

This brings up through last weekend, when Dad began having pain in his ribs, creating some uncomfy breathing problems - just labored, really. They proceeded to worsen and on THursday, he was brought to the ER at BID-Needham. Following the XRays, a diagnosis of "several" broken ribs and probable pneumonia as well. He was admitted, given morphine in addition to his already high-potency regimin and he was able to rest up a little. He was discharged in under 24 hrs, and sent home in extrordinary pain, and thus trying to "move about" with the rib pain that is painful to even watch. He is obviously in enormous pain, even while sleeping - which also isn't easy.

The possible pnuemonia promptly cancelled his next round of chemo (set to begin on Friday, the next day). This felt like an enormous setback, but hopefully we can resume quickly and stay on with the progress. Like all of you, we wonder how bones that are compromised enough to break under the simple weight of breathing or normal movement can heal, but that's one of the next questions...it's not hopeless at this point, but it's clearly very serious and severe and aggressive. We won't give up without doing everything possible to take care and protect him until his body is able to do it all again.

Also determined in the last week or so is that he has lost (Get A Load of This, Kids...) SIX INCHES in height, due to the bone-loss in his spine and vertebrae. He was 5' 8.5", and is now 5' 2.5"!!! His mobility, between poor balance and sheer pain and trying to compensate/protect his ribs and such, is prompting us to relocate him to the first floor, probably by the weekend.

And in the final segment of the SadNewsUpdate, he fell during the night again, and Mom found him, but we've reached a point where he can not be left alone for any period of time and we are going into "shift mode" to make sure there is always someone home with him.

I appreciate every prayer, well-wish, and kind thought that we have found in our fantastic and enomous network of friends. To those of you who have remained in touch so constantly and think to ask, it means the world. And to those who haven't been "kept up to date", I am really sorry. We've been so busy trying to sort this out that I know I personally have neglected to reach everyone that I should, and again, I feel terrible about that.

Love to all, and stay in touch...I'll try and do better with keeping this up.

~L