Just When We Thought It Couldn't Get Worse...

First, sorry I haven't blogged since my last post asking for prayers. I've been a bit depressed (hence no quilting), but even more so since our friend and neighbor across the street passed away on the 29th. He had the same cancer as Chris and decided to take the same non-traditional treatment route. He passed away 3 years to the day he was diagnosed. His memorial service was on Friday. A very sad day indeed. His wife, Kathy, and I are good friends and I am totally making myself available to her, as I know she will also be there for me, if and when that time comes.

Second, Chris had his endoscopy yesterday. Bad news all around. The tumor is quite huge (8cm x 6cm), which translated is approximately 3-1/4 inches by 2-1/2 inches. She was shocked he can still swallow and that it hasn't yet obstructed. According to the results and the pictures (ewwwie, btw), he doesn't have much more opening to go before he does obstruct. PLEASE DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU GET GROSSED OUT EASILY. The thing that scared us both the most, though, was when the doctor started talking "fatal aspiration." Apparently he is at the point where he could be having a conversation just fine, and then suddenly have an aspiration episode where the tumor will start uncontrollably bleeding and he will just start vomiting blood and die. We are also questioning whether the bleeding episode from several months back where he was bleeding profusely from his rectum and the hospital couldn't figure out why. He was in the hospital for several days. His hemogoblin has never really rebounded yet from that episode. In fact, if it gets any lower, he will have to have a transfusion. It is a strong possibility that that episode could have been a bleeding episode from his rectum caused by the tumor. Apparently he can bleed out either through vomiting the blood or from his rectum. Scary stuff indeed.

So there you have it. Our lives at the moment. Monday we have an appointment with a lawyer here in FL to update our wills. Last time was a few years ago in NJ, but we want to make sure everything is kopasetic (sp?) now that we're living here in FL.

Living each day at a time and still asking for prayers,
Suzy