My father gave me a phone call on Monday night (and here it is Thursday, and I'm only now getting this entry into place.) He had some good news regarding his asbestosis. I'll get to that in a tich, but first some background information.
Asbestosis essentially surrounds the lung with a cancerous coating, which effectively renders the lung useless and can spread to other portions of the body. To combat this, Dad's doctor started him on a radical course of chemotherapy, in an attempt to shrink the coating sufficiently enough to allow the removal of the lung, which would remove the immediate danger. After a few sessions of this treatment, the doctor was forced to stop, due to the severe reaction Dad was having to the chemo. He was hospitalized for a time, as his white blood cell count was at 0.
Once Dad was back to a semblance of health, the doctor started on a different type of chemo; one that would have less severe side effects, but might not shrink the cancer as effectively. For a time, it was touch and go. This past week, Dad went to see the doctor, expecting him to say that the cancer wasn't responding to the treatment and that Dad would not be a candidate for the lung removal.
To his surprise, the doctor told him that the cancer had shrunk sufficiently enough for them to go ahead with the procedure as soon as possible.
My father's cancer-encrusted lung is going to be removed on February 10th. If all goes according to Hoyle, he'll be in the hospital for 3 weeks recovery, then be returned home with a new lease on life - an opportunity to live for a few more years, not a few more months.
I for one am a very happy camper on hearing
this information.
I have been taking time during lunch and break times to work on the redesign of this effort. I'm going to follow the KISS principle to start. (Not the 70s makeup encrusted glam rock band, sillys. The acronym stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid, if you didn't know.)