I will be at the c-a-s-i-n-o... losing all my money... until tomorrow night. just kidding, i probably wont hardly even gamble... I am "filling" in for Dad. Him and Mom planned this trip right before he passed so she still wanted to go, and i get to be the fill in. Will check back in tomorrow evening!... unless there happens to be acomputer i can use at the hotel and i need a break from winning all that money :):):)

Shelli

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3/05-4/05 Dad had a "cold" that jsut wouldnt go away. Used Zpak 3 times and no results. MD sends Dad for a CT scan. Results come back and it happens to have scaned low enough to see "something" in the liver. Dad is sent for another scan, then a biopsy.
Dad diagnosed with stage 4 metastaic SCLC with mets to liver in April 2005.
Was on continuous Chemo for the whole time.. with no actual improvement until this las ct scan (feb) never had a real progression in his tumors either.. always "stable disease" Battled a few episodes in the hospital with pneumonia, MRSA and neutropenia,(caused by adramycin). was give a 18month life expectancy at diagnosis.. went into hospital on 3/20/08 with pneumonia, we all expected him to get better like usual, went down hill, had fluid on the outside of left lung, didnt want to remove thought it would be too risky. after 2 weeks sent to ICU with CHF, SOB on high flow oxygen. told after a day there that there was nothing more they could do and he was getting close to reqiuring a vent and was told that if that happened he would not come off it. April 1st:Made him a DNR and took him out of ICU and put on inpatient hospice. Amazingly (not kidding here) he got better with in the first hour of being on the new unit. He gave us 3 great days with him, first time I heard him laugh in a long time. 4/3 took a turn for the worse, thought he would go over night, was better in am even up eating pancakes when i got to hospital.. 4/7 decided to bring Dad home with hopsice.. got home on 4/10.. even went to his favorite resturant that night. Had a ok week there after, 4/19 had rough overnight, fell out of bed and fell while being helped from bathroom. 4/20~Dad got to enjoy the spring weather one last time, went for walk in wheelchair. 4/21 started to take the turn. 4/24.. called nurse at noon, she said anytime now... called famliy and we sat with him all day... 11:55pm.. Dad passes while holding my hand. He was only 57 yrs old.

*Avitar is of me and my Brother Pete and 2 of our friends at a Packer game*

Our fathers depart,
but never their love
and never ther lessons
they've taught us,
never their guidance,
never their blessings,
never the joys
they've brought us.

~Shelli~