Home for now...

Daddy is home (well at my Aunts home) tonight. He will be home for two weeks, resting and getting some strength up before going back to the hospital for surgery. We are glad he is doing so much better and ask that you continue to pray.

Psalm 67:1

My dad is doing well. Thank you to everyone for your prayers. He recently felt well enough to send a message out on FB himself.

"Thanks to all of you that have been praying for me. Good news today... the pathology report shows that all of the cancer is located in the center of the mass, surrounded by precancerous material. They now believe that it may all be removed without having to go through chemo or radiation after the surgery. That is exciting for me. God is good!"

There is still some pre-surgery testing to be done and some of it is going to be tricky to figure out with him still having Kidney Dialysis. Although he is on a liquid diet awaiting surgery. He is not in pain at all. God is taking care of him and he is Blessed.

I can so relate to the words of David in Psalms

3:3But Lord, you are my shield, my glory, and my only hope. You alone can lift my head...

3:4I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me... 3:5Then I lay down and slept in peace and woke up safely, for the Lord was watching over me.3:6 And now... I am not afraid. -The Living Bible Translation.

Diagnosis Made...

Today my dad had a colonoscopy in hopes to find out exactly what is causing the problem and then the Doctors would know how to get him up and moving again.

The diagnosis is in...

My dad has Colon Cancer.

I think right now the family is in shock. I don't think that any of us (except dad apparently) were expecting this diagnosis. I've seen and heard several family members describe it as Surreal.

We don't really know anything more than the diagnosis itself. A surgeon will be coming to see him in the morning and talk about when they will be doing surgery. They will be removing part of his colon, but there is no word yet on what stage he is in, how much of his colon has to be taken, or even if the doctors are hopeful of getting it all removed. We are hoping to get those facts tomorrow.

I have been trying to process this for several hours and have had trouble. How could MY DAD have "Cancer?" That is such a yucky, looming word and it screams DESTRUCTION! My thoughts have been everywhere... 'At least it is not in the Pancreas or the Liver where it spreads fast and is non operable and ultimately terminal.' 'This is not the end, the doctors know what they are doing and Dad has nothing to worry about. ' 'Then again, any surgery is risky and this is CANCER we are talking about.' THE ONE THING I KNOW FOR SURE... GOD IS IN CONTROL! GOD IS NOT TAKEN BY SURPRISE AND GOD IS NOT IN SHOCK! GOD HAS A PLAN!

So tomorrow, I will not be as connected as usual (No facebook or email,) BUT I will continue to keep those words in my mind... "MY GOD OVERCOMES AND MY GOD HAS A PLAN!"

Daddy update...

Daddy is doing so much better! He has been moved out of ICU and into his own room. The family is finally able to call and talk with him. I have tried to call a few times but haven't spoken to him yet, I will keep calling and let you know when I get through.

I am so thankful to My Aunts Marlene and Beth for taking such great care of my daddy. Especially my Aunt Beth who spent day upon day with him in the ICU. I am also grateful to my sister Julie for being there and doing her best to keep me and my sister Angie updated.

It is hard for us to be 18hours away from family, but especially when one of our parents is in the hospital. We are planning a trip down to Florida in June and expect our dad to be back home and recovered. So maybe we won't be taking him bowling, but just being with him will be great! We will be arriving just shy of his 59th birthday and praying that it is his healthiest year yet.

So it looks like maybe the worst is over and he will survive. Thank you so much to everyone for your Prayers!

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I just spoke with Daddy! He is doing much better and sounds so much better than he did. He is not in anymore pain and is mostly back into reality. The doctors are still looking at his colon and other ailments he may have. He agreed that he wants them to be sure that everything is working again before sending him home, but he is so ready to go home. Because of his reaction to the medications and dialysis he was under the impression that several weeks had gone by among other delusions. He is in good spirits and making a full recovery now. His parents, Brother and both Sisters are at the hospital with him now. Thank You Lord for giving me my daddy back.

Easter's 9-1-1

I have recently had several blog post that I have wanted to share with you...
My mamma's boy son getting into trouble...
My daughter turned three...
Easter Sunday...

But they have all been put in the queue. Yes the actual Blog spot queue as well as the queue in my own head. They are swirling around like a good glass of wine but for the moment I have much more pressing matters to deal with.


Easter Sunday we got the call that my dad had been taken to the ER. He had been sick for several days but thought it was just the flu. He then started having severe pain in his abdomen and that was when it was evident that this was not JUST the flu. He was given pain meds. immediately. When they tried to pump out his stomach they were blocked by a hiatal hernia. They also determined at this time that he was in renal failure (Kidneys shut down) and his bowels had also shut down.

Being high on pain meds. he thought he was dying and sent the family into a panic. We quickly found out that he misunderstood what the doctors were saying and that he was in stable condition and waiting for the Nephrologist (Kidney specialist) to come that evening. The Nephrologist was concerned about the kidneys and recommended transferring him to another hospital for Dialysis.

The next morning his oxygen levels were depleting and he was put into ICU so that the doctors could monitor his condition more frequently. He was later transferred to the other hospital and admitted.

This morning his oxygen levels continue to decline (especially when sleeping) and he was given a diuretic through the night to help with his urine output. It seemed to be helping. He did seem to be getting agitated and confused at times. Family has been with him as much as they are allowed, but they were told they could only see him for 30min. at a time and only 6times throughout one day. It has been stressful for everyone.

The latest update I got was that he went to dialysis at Noon and will be there for 3-4 hours. The family is believing that dialysis will begin to turn things around. Once they get his kidneys stabilized they can deal with his stomach issues and his lungs. Priority right now is his kidneys. My Aunt Beth will be seeing him again at 5:30 and will then send out another update, she is hoping to see him much improved at that time.

I would like to ask all that read my blog to be praying for my dad (his name is John.)I don't believe that he is in a life threatening situation, but I know from experience that anything can happen in a hospital.

I am planning a trip down to Florida in June to see all of the family, but if I need to go now I am ready. My hope is that he starts to improve and that I can call and talk with him in the next few days and then go and spend real, quality, healthy, time with him and the whole family in June. It is God's hands and He is not taken by surprised by emergency situations.

I will try and keep updates here at my blog and on facebook.

3 years ago today

3 years ago today I was doing the same thing that I am doing today.

Cleaning my house in preparations for my daughter's birthday.

The difference? 3 years ago it would have been the day of her birth!

I knew that our house was in for a big change due to the fact that this house full of boys was about to be ruled by girls (it really doesn't matter if we are outnumbered two or more girls together RULE the roost.) What I didn't know was how much we would be consumed with our little Princess Peanut. What Alyssa says is LAW.

As I look around me today, I feel exceptionally blessed to have such a beautiful, fiesty, commanding, and loving daughter! She loves with her whole heart and we ALL love her with everything we've got. The boys are very protective and sensative to her every need. She has become my favorite pasttime and my favorite chore. She melts her daddy's heart with every hug and kiss and every "My Girl" dance.

Now don't get me wrong I love my boys and I don't feel that Alyssa is spoiled (well maybe a little but not spoiled rotten,) but Life changed around here 3 years ago and None of us will ever regret the change we call Alyssa Charis Goodson.