COUNTS GOOD! WEIGHT : (

Allan's counts today were 'good' the nurse said but he has lost more weight : ( He is down to 158 lbs so we went shopping for high calorie stuff for him to eat/drink. He just told me today that one reason why he hardly eats anymore is that the chemo makes everything taste 'off'. So we will try and make him small high calorie drinks that he can drink and hopefully that will work till is taste is back to normal. He is busy helping my Dad figure out his computer. Allan loves to help!! Next week is Allan's CT Scan, on Tues also...will not find out the results till the following week at his scheduled chemo appt. Love you all!!!!

Hey, Everyone!
I hope your 4th of July celebrations were great! Allan hit his wall on Wednesday and was very tired and has done a lot of sleeping. I was wondering if he would even be able to go to work but you know Allan! He went last night and came home early...poor guy just does not have the energy or stamina lately. This round of chemo just knocked him sideways. He slept through last night and today and got up for work...he was so exhausted we all tried to talk him into staying home but he insisted on going. So please keep him in your prayers! He goes for a blood draw on Tuesday and a weigh in to check how he is doing.
WE love you all!!!
Colleen

Reunion, new grandbaby, and chemo

Hey, All!! Here are some pics of Allan: chemo today, family reunion where he played horse shoes with his brothers, during the service for Mom and Dad Strong, the Strong kids line up one more time for photo ops. We had a great time in CA! Visiting with family is a great thing! Allan loved it and his appetite showed it too! His appetite really kicked up in CA and has remained so.

Today we went for Allan's second round of chemo and they did a blood draw on him first to find out what his counts are. For you that keep up with the numbers, here is what they gave me today on Allan: on 6/2, his first day of chemo, he had 13k ANC, 12.8 Hgb, and 426k on his platelets. 6/9 2600 ANC, 12.0 Hgb, and 382K on the platelets. The day we left for CA, his counts dropped to 700 ANC, 11.7 Hgb, and 404 k for platelets. TODAY: 4500 ANC, 13.1 Hgb, and 230k platelets!!! Next week we just go in for a blood draw to check his levels and the week after that Allan is scheduled for a CT Scan. The following Tues he has his 3rd chemo and finds out what his latest counts are and what the CT showed...it is just to see if the cancer/tumors are bigger, smaller, etc so they can adjust the chemo either up or down so the chemo is working better for Allan. He has had no dizziness, nausea, vomiting etc. God has his in His Arms for sure! They give Allan two bags of stuff to help his tummy to not get nauseous etc before they start the actual chemo.

Allan is feeling good and enjoyed his weekend back at work. We miss all of you already and are looking forward to when we can be together again.

Allan was loving meeting our newest granddaughter during the reunion. She is adopted by our Lisa and her hubby, Jeremy. I think babies are such healers when your heart is tore up. Allan is really enjoying the fact that he only has to shave maybe once a week!!! Thank you again for all your love and support. With out the Lord and you all, we could not make it through this valley time. God bless all of you abundantly for lifting us up in prayer!! We appreciate it more than you will ever know!!!

Allan went to see Dr. Dalal yesterday. His counts are ok but he lost 4 lbs! The oncology office gave us 6 bottles of Ensure which we will give him in milkshakes for snacks or when he does not want to eat. Dr. Dalal told us that Allan will only be getting the 6 rounds of 3 weeks each of chemo and then it will just be a check to see how he is doing every month. The dr. is hoping that this chemo will take care of the cancer. He told us that IF it comes back or gets worse he will have to go to a new chemo regime. Allan did good at work this weekend and even though he is tired he is doing great. Lisa went to get her precious boys last night and will bring them back here on Thurs night. Cant' wait to see them!!! Please pray that Allan's appetite comes back so he will eat more. We have been giving him fresh fruit and veggies along with pasta and lots of tomato products but the smallest meal just fills him up for hours. We are trying to find the perfect balance for him of meals that help his body and gives him energy and stamina. We leave in less than a week for CA!!!

GRANDPA, SIS, AND AIDEN

Aiden came over for a long visit this afternoon and was awake when Grandpa woke up so I had to get some pics...Aiden is Tom and Brit's son...who will be 4 months old on the 19th. He is growing so much and sure brings smiles to Grandpa's face! Allan/Grandpa is working this weekend and looking forward to seeing family, leaving for CA in 9 days. Allan was pretty tired for a few days but is slowly getting his energy back. He sees Dr. Dalal on Tues for a blood draw to find out how his weight is and how his counts are. He sure is not eating a whole lot and shock of all shocks...has pretty much given up coffee!! Seems so weird to not make up two thermoses of coffee for Allan on the weekencds to take to work...he takes milk now.



Have a wonderful week and we will update with the drs news when we get it! Love you all and thank you for your words of encouragement and prayers and LOVE!!!

Sis and Aiden greet Grandpa/Allan before he goes to work

Aiden makes Grandpa smile!!

Hey, All!!
I am not going to post a pic of Allan today...we were warned that sometime after chemo started he would have a day/days where he has no energy or stamina...today it hit. He took a long nap this afternoon and is still dragging this evening (it is 750pm here now.) Allan plans on going to work this weekend (tomorrow, Sunday and Monday; 5pm to 130am.) We had another shocking piece of news today not concerning Allan but it hit both of us hard none the less: my Dad has now been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He sees the dr the day after we leave so we will be on the phone with them to find out what the dr says. Wow I can't believe that we will be in CA in a week and 11 days!!! It is coming so fast! Allan sees the oncologist (Dr Dalal) on Tues for lab work and to see the dr. Will let you know what the dr says and how his counts are.
Love you all! Have a wonderful weekend! Hey, Bobby!! You made Allan's day yesterday with your email to him! He would LOVE to go fishing with you!! Yes please, could you bring a rod for him? Do you have some place to fish where Allan does not need a fishing license???
God bless all of you!!

First Chemo

Dad had his first chemotherapy treatment on Tuesday, June 2nd. He had come home from work at 2 am that morning, got a little bit of sleep before having to wake up to take pre-treatment meds at 6 am and then officially got up around 8 so he could start his chemo at 9. Surprisingly, he was up all day and didn't take a nap! I would have been exhausted. The nurses at the cancer center were great and Dad's chemo (all 6 hours of it) went off without a hitch. They warned him of the typical side effects: weakness and tingling in extremities, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and general tiredness. Praise God, as of today Dad has felt NO side effects! They usually come within the first few days after treatment is administered, so he is doing really well! Please continue to pray that the chemo attacks all the cancer cells it is designed to an leaves his healthy cells alone! Dad has been steadily gaining back his strength and has been able to do work around the house. Yesterday he fixed Grandma's mower (Mom had run over some hidden barbed wire in it that popped a tire and wrapped itself around the blades ;D) and got under our borrowed van to help install a trailer hitch. He is enjoying getting his hands and arms all greasy again :) The pics are of him sitting in his chair watching a movie during his chemo treatment. We are so thankful that he is doing so well! We pray his health continues and God blesses him with many more years with us!

sitting back and relaxing

smile for the camera! (chemo IV pump to the left)