Update on my dad

Since I facebooked almost everyone anyway, I'm just copying and pasting my mom's email she sent to family and friends. (Minus the funny story at the end)

Today's appointment was a little crazy. Scott's surgeon kinda threw us for a loop by giving us an alternative to surgery to think about. He said a radiologist could insert a needle and just burn that area. It would be a very quick in and out for Scott, compared to the surgery. Only problem is they might not have been able to fit us in right away, with the upcoming holiday. He also said with surgery there is a 5% chance of the cancer coming back to that exact spot, with the radiation there was a 15-20% chance. He left us alone for awhile to talk things over, while he checked the the schedule of the radiologist. We were pretty torn. Scott definitely liked the idea of an easier procedure. I liked the better odds of the surgery, but felt it had to be Scott's choice.

The surgeon made it easier for us when he returned. The radiologist had pointed out that Scott's appendix had doubled in size since we were here in 2008. Dr. Kendrick thought that really needed to come out, so it doesn't cause problems down the road, and to rule out that cancer has anything to do with its increased size. He pointed out later that the option of burning the tumor turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Without it the radiologist would have never looked at the scan and noticed the enlarged tumor.

My dad has had the same complication with both surgeries so far, and has been pretty nervous about the recovery for this one, knowing it could very well happen again. So, he was really getting his hopes up about the possibility of them doing it laparoscopically, and was even more excited today about the option of burning it because there wouldn't be that risk. Needless to say, he is disappointed that it will be a full blown surgery, and even more complicated than we were anticipating. But I am admiring his positive attitude and sense of humor about everything. He has had my mom and I laughing ever since my plane touched down. Love that man.

Yesterday my mom was filling out some of his paperwork and one of the questions was "Do you ever feel afraid at home? Are you ever fearful for your safety?" Without missing a beat, he answered "Yes, about once a month."

We are checking in tomorrow at 5:45 am and his surgery would be around 8:00! Keep praying! We feel them helping already.