Friday, January 8, 2016

Update on David

I last wrote about David in June, shortly before his surgery. 
I won't go into a lengthy discussion about what a roller coaster ride this has been, but I do want to let you know that the surgery that he had in June, was a good news/bad news story. The Doctors removed 1/3 of his stomach, several centimeters of his esophagus and 18 lymph nodes (3 of which were malignant). There was another cluster of lymph nodes that had attached themselves to a major artery and could not be removed. The plan was to shrink them as much as possible and then keep a close watch on whether or not there was any spread of the cancer in the future. The recovery from the surgery was long and complicated. We prayed for good days but rejoiced over good hours. In September, David started on a second round of chemo. Twelve treatments over 6 months, every other week. Any additional rounds of chemo are a challenge as the body accumulates the drugs and it is, at times, a battle. As of this writing, David has 4 more treatments; two this month and two next month. He had an intestinal blockage at the end of September which landed him in the hospital and set his treatment back a bit.
When I reread the previous paragraphs, it all sounds pretty gloomy, but,

THERE IS HOPE...THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE!

Around Halloween, David kind of turned a corner. He started to have more good days than bad. When he was feeling OK, we were able to go out for a meal or do some short errands. We have been able to attend church pretty regularly, which is huge! Being able to do some "normal" things gives him some renewed energy. Not every day is great but we are seeing some light at the end of this long, long tunnel. A preliminary scan showed that the lymph node cluster is indeed shrinking and there was no new cancer detected. 
So, onward we march! We are supported by the love and prayers of our family, our friends and legions of church prayer groups. We have leaned on that and on our loving God. We could never be doing this alone!
So, thank you if you've remembered us in prayer or had a positive thought directed our way. We appreciate every one!
We are both on Facebook (Joyce Muhly Gleason, David Gleason) and
I also started a journal on thecaringbridge.org under his name.

I said in my New Year's post that I wanted to be more consistent on this blog and I mean that. I did so little creatively in all of 2015 and I need to get back to that! It's therapeutic for me.

When I write next time, I will tell you about my 
One Little Word for 2016!

Have a gentle week dear friends!
joyce
xoxo

12 comments:

marie said...

I finally take some time to take a peek into the blog land that I love, and look who I find! So good to see you here! It's my intent as well to spend more time visiting and posting in 2016.
Love the happy faces I see in these photos. It is a privilege to pray for you both as you "march onward"!
I'm looking forward to learning your One Little Word...so far I haven't come up with "the one"!

P.S. YES, there is always hope!!

Pam~ Virginia Retro said...

So good to see you post Joyce. How wonderful that David has "turned a corner" and has received good news on the chemo results. Enjoying those everyday things means a lot. Sending prayers and positive thoughts, as the more the better, right? :)

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

The power of Prayer and the Love of God! :)
Thank you for my pretty card! I love birch trees!!
May this year be fill with the complete healing for your hubby!
warmly,
deb

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

Happy New Year, Joyce! I'm sorry to hear about all you have been through this past year, but it sounds like David is doing well. My thoughts and prayers are with you both.

I'd love to see some of your creativity again this year, Joyce! In fact, I just came from Pinterest where I "liked" a couple of your Pins. I also was hoping for a swap. I tried to nudge Viv : ), but she's been very busy, so I'm sure doesn't want to deal with hosting. I love doing swaps in the beginning of the year because I could really use the motivation!

Createology said...

Joyce Dear thank you for sharing how David's journey is progressing. More good days is truly a blessing. You and he being able to attend church and be with loving friends is powerful. I continue Prayers and Healing Energy for David and your family. I shall look forward to your 2016 word reveal.

Davi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Davi said...

Joyce Its good to see you posting and thinking of creating! We will add David to our prayer list!! So glad you have a supportive Church family. I know ours has been a real blessing to us the past couple years since my husband was hurt. Our pastor recently blessed us with a car!! hugs

Debbie said...

I'm sending good healing energy to David & to you, too. Here's to a happy & healthy...and creative 2016.

Diane Mars said...

Wow yes you have been on quite a journey you and your love one.. I sure hope you are able to get back to doing some creative crafting it is always a nice outlet for me as well. So good to hear the positive update on David hang in there its amazing how we find the strength to rebound from these turmoils in life~

NanE said...

Oh Joyce, I am so sorry to be reading all of this but yes, there is always hope! I will add you and David to my prayer list. Hugs, Nan

Bohemian said...

We are awaiting that Word for 2016... and I Pray the battle uphill has not been too taxing... God Bless and sustain you during the difficult times... Hugs from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian

Carrie @ Cottage Cozy said...

I hope your delay in blogging simply means you are busy and not that your husband has had more health challenges. My prayers are lifted to you both!

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