"Phase One"

For 8 weeks Dad battled an internal war. The doctors put him on the most intense treatment schedule possible with one goal - shrink the cancerous tumor growing rapidly within him in as little amount of time as possible. They surgically installed a chemo pump into his chest, which administered measured amounts of drugs through out his body on a constant basis. The biggest "pro" of the chemo pump was that he wouldn't have to go to the hospital for daily chemotherapy treatments. However, in this particular case, there seemed to be more "cons" with having the pump installed. It was very uncomfortable to carry and the tubing through out his chest was painful. He couldn't sleep on his side or stomach and worst of all, he couldn't shower! Once or twice a week a nurse would have to come refill the pump, change the batteries and all too often stop the pump from over administering the drugs - a problem that was rather scary, in our opinion!!! The radiation treatments were a bit easier - if you consider getting up and out of the house by 6am 5 mornings per week in the middle of winter, through numerous snow storms and frigid temps, "easy". Not to mention the weekly appointments with various cancer doctors.
The emotional toll was nearly unbearable. He spent a good portion of time wondering if he'd made the right decision. Wondering if this was all going to be worth it. Afterall, when he was diagnosed with colon cancer he wasn't sick yet. He went from being a relatively healthy person all of his life to an unhealthy one the day he started treatments. He spent more time looking into his toilet bowl than he did looking at anything else!
Yet he never stopped fighting. He refused to let his "condition" slow him down, no matter how tired or ill he felt. He hosted Thanksgiving, as always, even though he could hardly eat any of the food. He also hosted a Christmas meal, again not being able to eat the food and struggling to stay awake - thrilled with the extreme noise level being brought on by his grandchildren. He continued to work as much as possible - hard, physical labor. Digging, plowing, lifting, hauling - pushing himself to the absolute limit at all times. Sympathy was not welcomed. Giving up was no longer an option.
So the days passed.
Chemotherapy Treatments = 24 hrs per day, 7 days per week, for 2 months
Radiation Treatments = 1 treatment per day, 5 days per week, for 2 months
Side Effects = Extreme nausea, dehydration, vomitting, stomach pains, weight loss, canker sores, throat yeast infections, exhaustion, depression etc, for 2 months
Wednesday, February 25 = The day the Doctor told Dad that he's officially "cancer free" !!!!!!!!!!!!!
The first phase is over. As of right now, Dads battle against the cancer itself has been won.
Next up will be phase two - an invasive, detailed surgery to remove the tumor. Dad will have some new challenges to face with the surgery and the recovery process. He is not looking forward to being laid up for a lengthy amount of time, nor is he looking forward to being forced to become a bit more dependant on others.
While he may not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel just yet he know's that he is heading in the right direction and believes, as do we all, that by the end of summer he will be sitting up at the house in Vermont, drinking an ice cold beer, eating a burnt hamburger and saying "This Is As Good As It Gets"!!