our dads-May update

Orlan made it home last Monday from the hospital & seems to be recovering okay. His ever vigilant wife/LPN/caretaker has been monitoring his meds & checking his blood pressure as this was somewhat of a concern when he got discharged this past week. Getting him up & moving around to recover from his surgery is a high priority. His oncologist is not proposing any chemotherapy treatment at this time & seems optimistic that with careful monitoring, he may not need it. His lymph nodes came back clear of cancer as did his margins. Although the sac around the removed kidney tested positive, it appears the cancer did not extend beyond the fat. Thank you for your prayers on behalf of the Miller family.

My Dad finished his radiation treatments on Good Friday and thus begins the waiting until he's scheduled for a bone scan on May 10. He has lots of pain and so my mom has been vigilant in attempting to contact his oncologist & radiologist to determine what he can take, how much & how often. It was an overwhelming weekend (last) as he had 3 terrible days in a row (lots of pain, no appetite, nausea, numbness in his legs) and was prompted to park the truck. Trucking for my Dad has been a source of focus, accomplishment, and a passion for a long time & this decision was not made lightly. My uncle Butch has been slowly but surely picking up his loads here & there; however, with planting season here, my brother-in-law, Mike, graciously agreed to help Dad out until he himself receives a clean bill of health. (Mike has been having pancreatic & gall bladder problems since February, and thus hasn't been able to resume his long distance trucking job yet).

As I type this, I'm back in NW Iowa for a few days to spend with my parents. Haven, of course, LOVES their attention and especially loves it when they laugh at her tricks...it's good to be able to help out when necessary and just be with them. Dad has some good days & more often than not, bad days as well where he is unable to get out and do spring field work. He is in the tractor this morning, planting...I'm sure to his heart's delight :) 1/2 days, at best, are usually what he can put in before his pain catches up with him, he gets too tired or both. The bone scan & MRI's next week will determine what is the next decision.

Please continue praying & know we are SO grateful for those prayers. It is an encouragement to my Dad, my Mom and all of us, when we know "the prayers of righteous men avail much" [James 5:16].

As of Friday, May 6, my Dad now has a CaringBridge website:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/verlynkellenberger.