Good Buddy Has Cancerous Tumor on Kidney

[crusader rabbit]

On Monday, Mike drove himself over to Moffit Cancer Center for a "routine" blood test.  They kept him there while they got the results, then they walked him over to the cancer ward and checked him in.

The poison they have been feeding him under the guise of "chemo-therapy" has impacted his kidneys to the point he is now in early renal failure.

Yesterday, they gave him two units of blood and a round of dialysis.  They also told Mike they planned to send him home the next day. 

His daughter called me to let me know and to ask if I could go with her to retrieve Mike's car.  It looks like I'm heading over with her today, Wednesday, to drive Mike's car back to his house.

We haven't yet had final confirmation on his discharge, but it looks like they figure they've done about all they can, and they need the room.

So, we are refining the prayer request a bit and are now asking for as little discomfort as possible as Mike approaches this transition.  His attitude seems pretty good.  He is in little pain at the moment.  I have no idea how much time is left, but from my limited experience it wouldn't seem like a very long time.

I should know something more later today. 

In the meantime, I am so grateful for your prayerful support through this.  It means so very much to all involved. 

Mike has four natural kids and one adopted son.   Three of his four "naturals" are successful professionals--a doctor, a hospital administrator, and a research specialist for a large brokerage firm.  They understand exactly what's happening and have the inner strength to see it all through.  Oldest daughter is a mess and will have difficulty, but she is in a very long term relationship and that will probably see her through. 

Mike's adopted son is a black kid in his early 20s and has depended on Mike for everything since he was two years old.  He will have no financial support when Mike is no longer in the picture, except for a modest amount of Disability Insurance (he suffered severe burns to his hands as a toddler before being taken away from his birth mother and placed with Mike and Nancy).  There won't be a great deal of monetary legacy when this is all over, and that may be a good thing.  Too much money would do the kid more harm than not enough.  So, raise a special prayer for this lad.  He's about to lose the only father he has ever known.

Thanks again, my friends.

Crusader Rabbit

[ellis4538]

You got it CR

God Bless,

Richard

[jaybet]

Tough stuff, Crusader...we're on it.

[PegLeg45]

Will do, as always, CR.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
                         ~ 1 Peter 1:3-7

[twyacht]

Praying for comfort and peace CR.

[Sponsor]

[santahog]

done..

[crusader rabbit]

Just another update...

Mike is on a dialysis schedule of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  He goes in at around 9 in the morning and is brought home at around 3 in the afternoon.  He is exhausted by the time he gets home and says he feels a coldness so deep he can't get warm.  All he wants to do on those three days is sleep--he has to force himself to eat something just to keep up a bit of his strength.  And, the dialysis experience takes three days out of the week when he can accept visitors.

On his better days (none are really good anymore) he still manages to get around a bit.  I got a call from him on Monday to let me know he had made up a batch of homemade horseradish and I should come by and get a couple of jars.  He make some really intense horseradish and it goes great on a cold roast beef sandwich.  I am going to try and swing by today (Wednesday).

Mike's greatest complaint right now is the constant pain deep in his bones.  The various cancer locations around other parts of his body don't seem to be giving him the same level of discomfort as the bone cancer.  He can't seem to get any real relief, even from some pretty hefty opiates that have been prescribed.  The only time he can manage some sleep is after several "tokes" of some "herb."  But, he doesn't like to do that during the day because it makes him kind of drifty.  The opiates make him driftier, but still don't provide the same level of pain relief that his ganja yields. 

He seems to have gained a deeper acceptance of his reality, and decided to stop all the chemo poisons they have been pumping into him.  The docs have told him that chemo can't cure him--it can just make his last days miserable.  They were certainly right about that.  Chemo caused his mouth and throat to break out in canker sores, and he also developed blisters on his hands and feet. But perhaps the worst part of the chemo was the way it affected his voice.  He could hardly talk for several weeks.  His voice was weak, raspy, and words were difficult to get out.  At least that part of it is improving.

So, that's the latest.  Please know I am deeply thankful for your prayers and even though Mike only knows a little bit about this prayer chain, I am certain he is grateful, too.

Please hang in there with me.

Crusader Rabbit

[crusader rabbit]

We knew this journey would be difficult.  We knew the ultimate end would be painful.  And so it progresses...

As you know, I am recuperating from major abdominal surgery and have had my driving privileges rescinded, so I am no longer able to run Mike around to any of his appointments. Still, I have tried to keep in touch via telephone.

Here's what I have learned. 

Lately, Mike has had a couple of issues.  First and foremost, his left hip was giving him great pain.  Docs scanned him and determined there was a tumor pressing against his sciatic nerve.  He needed to go in for some cyber-knife radiation to relieve this.  Meantime, Mike started having difficulty seeing.  Docs thought it was another tumor and sent him in for more tests.  Now, no one seems to know what it is exactly, but there is growing interocular pressure that is causing him to go blind.  They want to do a spinal tap to relieve some of this pressure, but there are no guarantees.

When I talked to him last night, he was in tears.  His biggest complaint:  he had just purchased a Turkish-made 1911 and he didn't think he could see well enough to shoot it.

We are losing him, gang.  His going is turning into a nightmare.  So, I'm going to revise this prayer request to this:  May our Lord ease Mike's transition and relieve his pain and anxiety.

Thanks,

Crusader Rabbit

[ellis4538]

CR, we will pray for Mikes "final healing" and relief for his pain as it approaches.

God Bless,

Richard and Norma

[PegLeg45]

Will do, CR.