Chuck Norris is in room 412

It's Wednesday night. Paw Paw is determined to stay fit (or at least avoid becoming any more out of shape). David showed him a great work out he can do from the hospital bed. He holds onto both hand rails with each of his hands, then does pull ups with his arms (3 or 4). I was so impressed with his grit. Any physical activity wears him out, so he then needs to rest for an hour or two. He has worked at sitting up in a chair for a while, coughing (which works his lungs AND helps clear anything in his lungs), and standing--some of his exercises. He's also been faithful about his input of clear liquids, though nothing tastes good.

The doctor's visit tonight told us that today's chest x-ray looked better than yesterday's, with less fluid. He was on clear liquids today, but the doctor is taking those away for a few days to let his organs do their work to relieve some firmness in his stomach, which was bloated yesterday but still soft. Today, it is still enlarged, but some areas are tight, not soft. They will do x-rays of his stomach tomorrow morning to see if they can determine what is causing his abdomenal enlargement. The chemotherapy should finish tomorrow night--hooray! I had thought we were then in a waiting game for him to regain his strength. While that is true, I had not realized that the effects of the chemo-therapy really kick in during he week following the therapy. That is when his hair will fall out (singular, in Dad's case--tee hee, humor moment)and when they will watch his organs very closely to make sure everything is functioning.

Paw Paw's main complaint today has been soreness in his back. Tylenol helps take the edge off of it. Massage has also given relief from the pain. Compared with earlier days this week, Dad has progressively been able to stay awake for longer amounts of time and do a few more things that require more energy--this is all relative, but it's been a pleasant surprise, since I was expecting him to digress each day. It seems to have taken a few days for his body to rid itself of the heavy pain meds he received when he arrived, as well as a few days for the anti-biotics to end the infection. His white blood cells continue to drop, which is what is supposed to happen. The doctor plans to do a bone marrow test on Monday or Tuesday, most likely Tuesday.

Thank you, everyone, for your prayers as our dad goes through this agonizing process. I appreciate that he is willing to do these hard things so that his family can have more time with him. He is an amazing father, grandfather, and father-in-law. I'm sure you can all add your own title to that list. He has a gift of making each of us feel special. He is somehow able to provide one-on-one time with each member of his family, and he uses that time to make lasting memories through simple things like working together on a project and talking about things. He is so Christ-like. He is honest, hard-working, faithful, and obedient; unselfishly serving others, and thereby serving his Heavenly Father and his Savior, Jesus Christ.

I have to head back to Indiana tomorrow. I am so thankful that I was able to come and spend some time with my dad and a small amount of time with many of the Fisher side of the family. I also appreciate the love and understanding of the Tenney side of my family. They are so supportive, and though I would have loved to see them--including Clint & Kelly and their new house that is so close to my parent's farm and Creighton & Brenda's new baby boy, it was so nice being able to spend most of my visit at the hospital. It's hard leaving, but I thank my siblings for letting me spend extra time with dad, and for always being there to help my parents 24/7, 365 days a year as needed. I am so thankful to have all of them as good friends.

Kathy