Tuesday, September 27, 2011

That's The Way The Cracker Crumbles

My darling wife's last post (http://bill46319.blogspot.com/2011/09/roller-coaster-continues.htmlleft out some important information.  I try not to be the blog  patrol  for I do appreciate her updates when I am not able to. I try to have a blind eye to her mistakes, inaccuracies, her one sided opinions, and her tendency to leave out information (when it regards her).  This time though, even though I tried I just can't keep quiet.  I tried, but for sake of keeping this blog honest, I can't let pertinent information go without being on record.


When we went to U.I.C. Medical Center is was a very long day.  I didn't eat before we left. I was in pain and didn't think we would be there all day.  I didn't know either we would be doing a lot of walking (thanks to someone for leaving the CT scan disk in the car).  Between talking with doctors and nurses we had to go back to the car to get the disk.  Sally offered to go alone.  However, it was a couple of blocks away and I didn't want her to get lost and end up in Evanston.  She doesn't have the gift of direction like I do.  She uses her phone GPS to find her way through life.  She even used it to find the car at the Blueberry Fest.  I didn't want her to embarrass herself by walking around with the GPS talking and everyone looking at her.  She seemed concerned that I wasn't feeling good because I was hungry and in pain. On the way back to the doctor's office she mentioned to me she saw a gift shop on the way out of the building.  She told me I should grab a snack on the way back.  I was really looking forward to getting a snack.  I was hoping they sold milky ways.  We get there and Sally pointed me to a closed gift shop.  Yes, I said closed. There was a display of candy bars sitting in front of the window taunting me.  That was such a mean trick.  Why didn't she tell me before we walked to the car, I thought to myself.  Nooooooooo she tells me when it is closed.  I think she did it purposely.  Even though she won't admit it.  But she does love to torment me.  


Finally we were able to leave. We walked to the parking garage and a certain someone had forgotten to get the parking ticket validated.  Which means we would have to pay twice the amount to park.  So we had to walk again trying to find someone to validate the parking pass. By this time I thought I was going to faint and waiting for Allen or Peter Funt to jump out and say smile your on Candid Camera ( Allen died so I guess it wouldn't be him duh).  I was starving,I thought I was going to die (Sorry bad choice of words, my bad).  We finally get the pass validated.  We were walking to the car when Sally points to a lady who was caring two cases of taffy apples.  The next thing I know, Sally darts off towards the lady.  I am thinking I have never seen Sally move so fast in my life, it was like a blur. I hope she doesn't tackle the lady. I am happy too.  My wife does love me.  Then I looked and I saw the taffy apple lady staring at my wife. When Sally approached her the lady gave her that look.  The look like "What the heck do you want lady".  I then saw the lady shaking her head and as Sally walked away empty handed.  The lady started talking to a man, a mean looking man and she pointed at Sally and both were laughing.  I asked Sally what happened.  She told me the lady wasn't selling apples.  In fact they were empty boxes she was taking home.  I wanted to laugh but I was in to much pain from hunger. I thought I was going to die(Sorry).  When we drove away the  two people were still standing there laughing at her.
Bag Lady
We finally get to the exit of the garage and I go into my wallet and asked Sally for the parking ticket.  Sally hands me the ticket and I looked at her.  I couldn't believe what I saw.  She had cracker crumbs on her face and the front of her shirt.  I am the one who hasn't eaten all day.  I am the one who is about to faint(and die).  I am the one who is sick from cancer.  When she went in her purse to get the ticket she found a package of crackers Kaity put in their.  Instead of offering them to me, she ate them.  She didn't even show any remorse.  When I questioned her about the crumbs she just licked them off  her face as if she was Scooby Doo.   Here I was thinking she was concerned about me.  I think she she was chasing the apple lady for herself and not for me at all.  


Scooby Doo


Of course she would not admit anything she done that day.  But it is the truth. The entire truth.  At least it's the truth as far as I am concerned.  I wouldn't dare to embellish the truth.  

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Am Going where.........






A couple of weeks ago Sally wrote a posting with the title "I Need A Vacation" http://bill46319.blogspot.com/2011/09/i-need-vacation.html.  The following evening Sally received a phone call from Tess, a travel agent.  She informs my wife a nameless friend is sending my family to Disney.  Can you believe that? I was at work and Sally left me a message to call A.S.A.P.  That it was an emergency but not a "real" emergency.  I was confused by what that meant(she usually leaves me confused so that was nothing new).  When I called back, I thought she was kidding, then I thought it was a prank, then I asked who did it, then I realized I was at work and I needed to get off the phone.  Plus, it was hard to hear Sally because Zachary and Kaity were in the back ground shouting "WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY" repeatedly.


After I had time to comprehend what just happened, I called Sally back.  I was very curious which "friend" would be so extremely generous. She called her mom and talked to Michael trying to pry information out of them and couldn't.  Made some calls to friends and again nothing.  I did the same and was left scratching my head.  In away Sally and I are both like little kids staring at a pile of Christmas gifts wondering in anticipation what they are.  We are in reverse though.  We are staring at all this great news in anticipation who is this "friend".   We decided it's kind of fun guessing and not knowing so we decided to stop questioning everyone.  


We will be going to Disney for 5 days and 4 nights.  I am the only on in the family that has been on a plane (which has been almost 30 years ago).  So flying itself will be an experience.  With all the new airline rules and us not knowing them it's going to be challenging to pack.  Not sure why I mentioned that because Sally will do the packing not me haha.  We will be going after Thanksgiving.  The kids are so excited.  Zachary is planning on what toys to bring.  Kaity has 3 bags pack already.  She keeps asking Sally if she is saving money for Swimming World, and wants to know if she can sleep in the Castle.


If per chance, my "friend" will read this, I would like to personally thank them.  This has been more then a generous gift that I will be forever grateful.  We have never been on a family vacation.  I always wanted to take my family to Disney but I was never able to.  Every year I always hope next year we will be the year.  After I was diagnosed with cancer and the medical bills started to mount up, I gave up on that dream. This summer has been a hard on me.  The last two months have been a living nightmare.  Not only for me but for my family as well.  The two little ones do not know what is going on but they can feel the dynamics in the house has changed.  They realize something is wrong and ask a lot of questions.  Sally and I are trying to keep them from worrying but they still do.  It's seems like lately there has been very little to look forward to.  My "friend" you have put a lot of happiness in our life and made our days much brighter.  We are dreaming again and looking forward to the future again.  Our days are brighter because of you.  I am very humbled someone would think so much of my family and myself to be doing this.  Saying Thank you seems inadequate.  My friend, I hope you will be blessed as much as I have been.  Thank You for making my dream come true.  Just give me your name and address and I will give you a special gift. I won't say a word,wink wink.  Thank you and God Bless, you really made this family feel special and humbled.

Friday, September 23, 2011

The roller coaster continues

Sorry I didn't post yesterday.  I was exhausted by the time we got home last night. Yesterday we went to UIC Medical Center.  Bill was to meet with the oncologist for a second opinion.  We were both very nervous.  We have not spoke to the regular oncologist after the ERCP.  We both feared the oncologist from UIC would tell there are no trial studies and he would recommend discontinuing chemo therapy treatments.  


The oncologist said there were no trial studies in our area that he is aware of.  He did say that he believes Bill should continue with chemo therapy.  It will not cure him from the cancer but it is slowing down the progression.  He said he has seen many patients like Bill who has lived several years.  I asked about the pain Bill is experiencing.  I asked if it could be caused by the gallbladder (ultra sound showed gall stones).  He said that could be causing the pain.  UIC does robotic surgery for this and it's a rather simple procedure.  Bill agreed to meet with the surgeon.  At this point he is willing to do anything to get relief from the pain. I mentioned to the oncologist about traveling in December and he said he thinks Bill should be fine then.


We waited for the surgeon to meet with us.  We were told that the surgeon himself was unavailable and his assistant would speak to us instead.  He looked over the reports and PET scan.  He seemed more concerned about the tumor in the liver that was treated in March with the SIRT procedure.  From what I understand it's no longer cancerous and more like dead tissue.  He wanted the surgeon to go over everything and talk to us.  We had to walk a block to another building to talk with the surgeon's nurse to schedule an appointment.  She told us the surgeon can see Bill in 2 weeks.  I explained to her that Bill has been off chemo for over a month.  With the possibility of surgery he could not resume chemo.  I didn't want him to wait for another 2 weeks to see if he may or may not have surgery.  She said the surgeon was in a meeting and if we would wait he would talk with us.  


We finally saw the surgeon.  He went over everything.  He seemed more concerned with the liver and the bile duct then he did with the gallbladder.  He said he recommends removing a section of the liver.  He explained leaving it can cause Bill to develop jaundiced and could be causing pain.  He also said Bill would respond better to chemo.  He was concerned about the bile duct.  He said the "tumor" could be caused from many things.  It's not near the cancerous areas.  He said it could be a lesion caused from the SIRT procedure.  He said he would like to examine the slides that were taken at the ERCP last week.  He also said he would like to speak to all the physicians that are treating Bill so they can treat Bill collectively and not individually.  He said that after he receives all the information he needs and talks with the other doctors he will call us.


4 hours later we were finally on our way home.  Bill was in a lot of pain. We were both hungry, tired and stuck in traffic during rush hour.  This morning, I called his regular oncologist office.  I wanted to see if there was a different pain medication Bill could try since the current one is helping very little.  The nurse called back and said the doctor wrote out a script for something else and we could pick it up right away.  I called the hospital where the ERCP done.  I needed to get slides plus the pathology report on the tumor.  I was told there was no report and I need to ask the doctor who performed it. 


We went to pick up the script.  The oncologist saw us walk in and told us to take a seat, he wanted to talk to Bill.  He said that Bill is looking good and he doesn't look jaundice any more.  He wanted Bill to have blood work done to see if the liver enzymes are low enough to resume chemo again.  I mentioned the possibility of surgery.  He didn't think it was needed but said that he is going to talk with the doctors at UIC to see what they had to say.  I asked if there was a biopsy done during the ERCP procedure.  He said no that there was no need considering Bill's history.(So there is a chance it's not cancerous)  He also mentioned about trying to find a trial study for Bill but we might have to travel for it.  He didn't seem as optimistic as the doctor at UIC, but he wasn't depressing either.  Bill is going back next week to see him.  Hopefully by then all the doctors will have spoken to each other and we will know what's going on.  


The roller coaster continues..... It's been the longest ride of my life.  

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Road Trip

Just a quick update.  Nothing really has changed since my last post.  Bill worked 2 days this week.  He is having a lot of stomach pains.  He was given pain medication but he can not take it all the time because it makes him tired.  He doesn't want to eat.  He says it makes his stomach feel worse and nothing appeals to him.  When he is home he sleeps most of the time. We have not talked with the oncologist.  The doctor wants to wait and talk to Bill after the appointment at U.I.C. which is Thursday.  

Bill has been wanting to see the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Health.  http://shrineofourladyofgoodhelp.com/  It's just past Green Bay, Wisconsin which is about a 4 hour drive for us.  Not knowing when Bill would feel better, we decided to go yesterday morning.  I am glad we went yesterday.  The weather was perfect and there was little traffic.  The shrine itself was beautiful.   Zachary described it as peaceful and sad. There are a lot of reminders about death so I can see where he came up with the sad part. It was a very enjoyable experience.  Even the 2 little ones seemed to enjoy it.  Both has a lot of questions to ask.  It was a long day for all of us but especially for Bill.  His stomach was hurting for the majority of the day and on the drive home his back started bothering as well.  Being in the car for eight hours didn't help him.  I am hoping he will feel better today after a long rest. 


I have something to add(This is Bill). Sally and I were telling Zachary about cheese curd and how good they are, as we were passing Mars Cheese Castle. Told Zach we will stop when coming back. Now fast forward to 5pm when we decided to leave. We are on our way home and decided to get a bite to eat. We stopped at Culver's had our dinner and Sally decided to go into Wal-Mart to get something for the kids to keep them occupied for the long ride home. Back on the road and an hour later Sally tells me to stop so she and Katie can go POTTY. So she asked me to find a rest spot or whatever. I decided to go with the or whatever. So I find this truck stop with all these lights(most of which were burned out) and the best looking and smelling truckers around.I did park by the window so I can see whats going on inside , so if I need to leave quickly. She comes back in the car and doesn't look happy(I'm thinking what did I do). She as soon as she got Katie on the toilet she announces, "I don't have to go potty anymore"! Sally would have waited if it weren't for Katie. Sally gave Katie a tongue lashing that kept her quiet most of the rest of the  trip home. I told Sally to look up that Cheese place on her phone to see what time they are open til. After all this it was almost 8pm. She gets off the phone and announces they close at 8. In the back I heard a oooooohhhh! She said they sold them at the Truck stop. That wouldn't be good cause you don't know what flavor your getting. I said I would  just want original not ash tray,body sweat or fungous. So Sally got on the phone trying to locate other Cheese places. Call after call you would hear Zachary moan OOOOHHH here and OOOOHHH there. We struck out, no cheese curds for you, Zach.! So if anybody is in the Wisconsin area, we will be happy to reinburse you for the curds that Zachary was denied. Thank you and God Bless!  


I will report back after U.I.C.  Here are some pictures from yesterday. 








Monday, September 12, 2011

Stunned

Bill had the ERCP done this afternoon. We were hoping it would be a quick outpatient procedure to remove the stone that was blocking the bile duct. Unfortunately, it's a tumor that is causing the obstruction.  A plastic shunt was inserted to allow drainage.


Not sure what this really means. I was to stunned to ask questions. The gastric doctor will be speaking with the oncologist this evening. I am hoping we will get a call to talk with the oncologist. Not sure if the chemo will be stopped. I have a feeling it will be until he goes to see the oncologist at U.I.C.  


Bill is doing good other wise. He is home resting. He is tired and has an upset stomach. He will be able to return back to work tomorrow.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Now You Know Why I Am The Way I Am

Normally I wait impatiently for the oncologist to walk in the door to go over test results. Yesterday, I was calm, collective, tired bored and hungry. I figured I heard the worse all ready. I was tired because I am on midnights this week and was up all night. Bored because there is not much to stare at in a small examining room. Hungry well because my stomach was yelling at me. Sally finds entertainment on annoying me. I just sit there to be her victim for the duration. Now you know why I am the way I am.

I tried to rest my eye balls for a few minutes but my wife decided taking pictures of me would be better then me sleeping, what a peach.
photo

I tried giving her the look and she giggled. I don't know why I do the look because it doesn't work on my kids either.
photo

So I thought this might get her to stop, but she ignored me and continue taking pictures.
photo
So, I sat there doing nothing and she threw a examination glove at me. I couldn't let it go to waste.
photo
I couldn't tie it. So I figured the next best thing was to:
photophotophoto
But my head was to big. Or maybe the glove was to small. That's it the glove was really really small. My head isn't that BIG.
photophoto
So I thought this would be a good time to show off my escape plan for the next time I get bad news.
photo
Well the picture of me showing the window didn't turn out. Because Sally was laughing to hard. I sort of messed up the blinds while pointing to the window.
photo
I spent the rest of my time trying to figure out how to fix them while Sally laughed at me and called me Dork, fool idiot,... and a few other names that I didn't know what they meant .

I hope you all are having a great weekend. We are planning to go to the Zest Fest today. Thanks for the prayers and well wishes!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Really! You Got To Be Kidding!

Wednesday ended up being a good day for us. Yesterday, was even better, but I will save yesterday's news for another day. Bill might want to share the exciting news himself. Even though most of the people who read this already seen it on my face book page. We had less then 48 hours of good news before Bill got hit with some bad news again.

Bill worked mid nights last night and had chemo early this morning. I couldn't stay because I had to take Michael to work and Kaitlyn to preschool. Bill called me as said he will not be receiving his infusion today. The blood work indicated that the bilirubin level was up. Plus, the doctor said he was jaundice. More blood work was ordered and an ultra sound was done. By the time I got there, all the test were done and Bill was waiting for the results. I was impressed on how fast everything went. Finally, all the results were back and the ultra sound showed a swollen bile duct. It also showed gallstones. We were told most likely, there is a stone blocking the duct and that Bill needed to see the gastric doctor. We went to the gastric doctor who was in the same building and had to wait 2 more hours to see him. I was relieved he was able to have all the test done and see the specialist today. Bill was getting aggravated. He had been up all night and was hungry. By the time we left the clinic he had been there for a total of 5 hours. The gastric doctor said it could be a number of things. He mentioned a stone, he also said it could be a tumor. On, Monday a scope with be done to find out. Hopefully whatever it is, it can be fixed then. The scope is an out patient procedure. Bill will be heavily sedated and it will be performed in a hospital. Hopefully, he will be able to receive the chemo infusion next week.

Sorry to those of who I didn't return phone calls to. After all of this, I had a headache and tried to lay down a bit. I ended up taking the kids to the mall so Bill could sleep.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

I Need a Vacation

I have been told to write this blog without my opinion so I will. We met with the oncologist today to go over the CT results. The CT showed that there is no change. Meaning the cancer in the lymph nodes have not spread but it hasn't shrunk either.

This latest information can mean two things. It could mean that the PET scan could have showed evidence of cancer before the CT scan. Or the PET scan gave a false reading. It could also mean the PET scan was compared to a PET scan that was taken months prior and not the latest one. Bill said that the tech had some troubles during the PET scan.

With all the uncertainties, the oncologist is going with the cancer is being maintained by the current treatment. So, chemotherapy treatments will be continued. From now on, CT scans will be done every 2 months to keep a closer watch on the cancer.

I should be out dancing for joy. However, I am both mentally and physically exhausted to celebrate. I need a vacation after all of this.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Mean just don't die!

I would like to take the time to apologise for my wife's depressing posts.  It takes, charisma, charm, good looks, humor, and superior  writing skill to produce such unique post like this one.  Some people have the talent and some people don't.  You will never hear me brag about my talent.  You will also never hear me say that Sally's talent is best in the kitchen.  

Yes, the news was hard to hear.  With my luck lately, it wasn't a surprise.  Some people already think I have a foot in the grave and that is far from fact.  I am not going anywhere any time soon.  I have said before and I am going to say it again, I have cancer, Cancer does not have me.  It will not beat me or control me. I am in control and the Big man up stairs but not cancer.  I will fight with all my might.  I am not in denial on how serious this is.  I do believe in miracles.  I believe many miracles have occurred in me in my life time already. Maybe the miracle isn't that I am healed but maybe there is something bigger. Maybe there isn't room for me yet in heaven. It will take two angels to walk on the side of me just to hold my head up straight .I think that is what it may be. All I know is that God isn't finished with me yet.  I also know that mean don't die, so I am going to be as mean and as bad as I possibly can for a good cause. I will have to make Sally cry more. Just remember it's for a good cause. 


To be honest I have been all over the map with emotions.  Sometimes all I want to do is cry, other times all I want to do is poke jokes.  Sometimes, all I want to do is go back to bed and hopefully when I wake , I will realize it's all a bad dream.  What I really want is a normal life as possible and I want to live it with purpose.  I don't have time to waste and I want to make each day count. 


After each bad report, I feel there is another pink elephant in the room.  I don't care if we talk about it.  In fact, when people express the way they feel and ask me questions it touches me.  When no one ask, I feel as if they don't care.  I am aware it is a hard situation for both sides.  I want to be treated the way I was treated before.


With every bad there is good.  The good is I don't have to wear a portable chemo pump any more.  My hair might grow back too.  I said earlier, I want to be treated the same except for when it comes to at home.  I am using "I have cancer" as a bargaining chip with Sally. It works like a charm most of the time. She still won't touch my feet no matter how much I plead. "I am dying, this might be your last chance", "Are you going to deny a dying man?" has been working to my advantage in most cases. 

 While it's fun to torture my wife, I do not like when she treats me different.  The last few months, I have noticed her tendency to coddle me. I appreciate her kindness but I am fighting to keep my dignity in tack.  There may be a day when I am totally dependent on others for all my needs.  Until that day comes, I want to be self reliant as much as I can (most of the time). I know Sally worries about me.  She knows that I don't always tell her how I feel or what ails me. So, every time she sees me without a smile she will ask me what's wrong.  Every time!  When I answer I am fine, she will always ask if am I sure.  Truth be told, there are times I do not even know how I feel or what I want. She will ask me a billion times a day if I have eaten and if I say yes, what exactly did I eat.  If she doesn't think it was good enough she will tell me exactly what she thinks I should eat.  If she sees that I might even have the inkling to get up and get a drink, she rushes up to serve me. Sometimes, I do like that but really I want to do things for myself while I can.  Then if that isn't bad enough, she is starting to treat me like one of the kids out in public.  For instance, we went out to breakfast.  I ordered bacon. She asks the waitress to make sure my bacon was extra crispy( saying this as her head was spinning in circles). I do like crispy bacon but if I wanted extra crispy bacon I would have asked for it myself.  Then there was the time in the elevator at the Clinic.  We were leaving one of my chemo treatments.  We were in a crowded elevator (may have been over the weight limit) and she asks me, no lie, "Do you have to go potty?" I acted like I didn't hear her. Again she ask me even louder,"Honey, do you have to go potty". I am thinking you got to be kidding. I felt like I was 3 again. I looked around and I saw a few people looking at me with there mouths wide open.  I replied "NO, I don't have to go potty."  As soon as I said this she had realized what she had did.  She apologized and said she is use to being around kids all the time.  That may be true, but in the entire 15 years we have been together this is the first time she had ever asked me if I had to go potty.  Just happens to be when I am leaving chemo and in a crowded elevator. Her most recent public embarrassment, not that she treated me like a child and I thought it was more funny then embarrassing was Thursday, the day we got the great news.  We just left the oncologist office.  I needed to get shoes for work. She was on the phone talking to my sister.  I parked the car and walked into the store.  Then a few seconds later, Sally walks into the store, still talking on the phone and crying.  I am thinking to myself you got to be kidding.  I wonder what the people in the store were thinking.  Why in the world is she in here and not in the car. So I tried to lighten the mood by laughing and making fun of her.  She couldn't talk because I kept talking to her so she hung up.  My plan worked splendidly.  When she got off the phone I asked her why she didn't stay in the car.  She reminded me it was in the 90's and I had turned off the car without rolling down the windows and took the keys with. I didn't think she would still be on the phone when she walked into the store.  But I purposely took the keys with me because I didn't want her to take off and leave me at the shoe store after hearing the news. 


I had a CT scan done yesterday.  Tuesday, I will see the doctor for the results.  It will just confirm that the lymph nodes are cancerous and how many.  I felt like he was trying to cushion to blow when he said that PET scans are not always accurate.  But then while he was walking out the door he said he was sorry.  So if he thought there was a chance the PET scan was wrong I don't think he would be apologising.  September 22, I am going back to U.I.C. for the second opinion.  I am sure they won't tell me any different but I am going to make sure without a doubt no one will be able to say I gave up or I should have done more. 


Hope everyone is enjoying there long weekend.  Thank you for all your support and prayers.
God Bless,
Bill





Thursday, September 1, 2011

The Verdict Is In

This is the first time in a long time Bill didn't seem nervous waiting for the test results.  Usually, I am the one that is calm and Bill is the anxious one.  I hate to admit, it was me who was me who was a bundle of nerves today. I was so nervous before we even left I thought I was going to faint.  Bill came home from work cool and collective.  He was a wreck the last couple of days but today he was calm.  I know it's because of all the prayers he was at peace.


The results today were mixed.  There is no sign of cancer in the liver. The S.I.R.T. procedure worked.  Bad news is, the P.E.T. scan showed there may be several cancerous lymph nodes in the abdomen.  In away we were both relieved.  We were expecting to hear that the cancer had spread to the lungs, bones, and else where.  Not that the news was good but it could have been worse.  


P.E.T. scans are not always 100% accurate.  Tomorrow evening Bill will be having an abdominal CT.  We know there were 3-4 cancerous lymph nodes.  The CT will confirm if there are more and if so to what extent.  If it shows there are more, chemotherapy will be stopped since he is not responding to it . It there is no change chemo will continue.  


An appointment is being set up for Bill to go to U.I.C for a second opinion.  He is also going to see what trial studies they have to offer. I was given a list of trial studies from http://www.facebook.com/ColonCancerAlliance of ones they think  Bill may be eligible for.  After we meet with the doctors at U.I.C.  we will take all of the information back to the oncologist and he will help decided which trial would be the most beneficial for Bill.


I reluctantly asked the doctor what his opinion about Bill's life expectancy to be. Bill laughed at me when I did.  I knew he couldn't give us an exact time and date, but I wanted to know if he thought in terms of week, months, or years.  He told me that Bill is not and never has been the typical case book study.  He said the average person lives 22 months with treatment and 9 months without treatment.  Bill was diagnosed 30 months ago and still is going strong.  The doctor also said the effected lymph nodes are the smaller ones which is a good thing.  


Bill is taking the news extremely well.  He is still determined to do everything in his power to fight.   He has been laughing at me when I get teary eyed and making is jokes.  He just left for Omni. He said he is not going to let this get him down.  Both Bill and I have been touched by the out pour of prayers, face book messages, and messages from here we have been receiving.  Thank you for all your support and prayers.