Here a huff, there a huff, everywhere a puff, puff...

Today was a busy day!  We started out at the oncology center, where we talked about the ongoing pain in Dad's shoulder.  Last week, he started on a pain patch which has provided significant relief...but it isn't totally gone.  Since the stronger pain medicines have some unpleasant effects, they decided to try a different kind of medicine that works directly on nerve pain.  It will take a few weeks to work up to the full dose, but hopefully it will provide long-term relief without using (or at least decreasing the amount) of the nastier pain medications.  After that, Dad had Immunotherapy Treatment #3.  Barring any unexpected surprises, he'll have a PET scan after the 6th treatment to check its effectiveness. 

After that, it was off to the Perelman Center for a pulmonary function test.  We were braced for a 90-minute test.  Praise the Lord, it only took 30!  Though Dad might tell you it FELT like 90 minutes.  :)  Our hope was that the test would pinpoint why Dad is so short of breath despite his amazing progress against the cancer.  The Lord answered our prayers and they identified his underlying COPD as the cause.  Inflammation in his lungs is letting the air get in, but not out.  It's sort of like have a cup of dirty water and taking out an ounce.  You can add an ounce of crisp, fresh water to replace it - but not enough to make the water clean.  To counter this, they prescribed a steroid inhaler and a "booster" inhaled medicine.  Like the nerve medicine, the results won't be instantaneous but should provide significant relief.

One other piece of great news today - the food truck was back!  Woo-hoo!  To top it off, it was a beautiful day to wait for the sandwiches.  A win-win all around!

This was just the start of a busy week.  Mom's hip replacement is on Wednesday; please pray for the doctors as they perform the surgery and for Mom as she recovers.  Thank you in advance to all of you who will be helping out over the next few weeks - we couldn't do it without you and thank the Lord for your servant's hearts!  I'll post an update here on Wednesday to let you know how Mom is doing.

Of course, we can't end this update without telling you about Cindy and Bruce's beautiful wedding on the 13th.  The weather didn't cooperate for an outdoor wedding,  but the indoor venue was gorgeous and - most importantly - Cindy and Bruce's commitment to each other and jointly to the Lord was obvious.  They are safely back from their honeymoon and settling into their home near Pittsburgh.  We couldn't be happier for them!  Below is a picture of Dad walking Cindy down the aisle with a little help from grandson Rich. 

Thanks for checking in with us and for your faithful prayers.