What's Actually Going On Part 1

     Here goes!  Sorry this won't be as cute and fun to read as what Darrell began with but hopefully informative.  This morning we met with the oncology/hematology doctor and REALLY liked him.  He grew up in Long Beach, Ca, went to Wilson High!  He's brand new here.  His office is in the building right next door to Kevin's office!  We felt a connection immediately.  Especially Kevin.  He really felt like he was led to him and meeting him only confirmed that.  Kevin even went so far as to tell  Dr. William E. Bonis that he was an answer to prayer and felt like the Lord put us together!  Kevin does not usually bring up religion on the first meeting.
     Because he is new here, he doesn't have alot of patients so he will be able to devote alot of time to Kevin.  He spent alot of time with us today.  In looking over all of the tests already done he felt like most of them were not so bad or pretty normal!  However, he thinks it probably is Multiple Myeloma.  He will do a bone biopsy Friday morning along with a few more blood tests, that will make the determination.  Then we will get x-rays of his whole skeleton to determine where it all is. 
     Then he will make arrangements for us to meet with associates in San Francisco who will give a second opinion and maybe get Kevin into a trial, which would help alot since we have no insurance and not much money!  The treatments he thinks will probably work best are mostly pills.  I think he mentioned one IV per week.  It's too soon to know for sure.
     They need to determine what stage the cancer is in, yada yada yada!  Sometimes they radiate a specific pesky tumer.  Since this is a plasma cancer which is in the blood and bone marrow it's basically everywhere.  When they get the cancer near or into remission then they often do a bone marrow transplant of his own marrow.  They basiclly take some of it out, clean it and put it back in and that often keeps the patient healthy for many years to come or indefinitely.
     Today is a good day.  He seems to have more energy.  Sunday was a very good day.  He made it through 4 hours of church, came home took a nap, then spent the afternoon and evening receiving visitors and phone calls.  Monday he was exhausted.  He layed around most of the day and made it to the office at 4pm.  Did some work and church work.  Went out to dinner with his physician and his family, went home and crashed.  He feels very tired and weak most of the time.  He feels heavy as though he is carrying a ton of extra weight.  He's aches all over.  He has a constant headache which he manages with ibuprophen at the moment.  Oddly enough just showering is the hardest thing physically each day. A good friend delivered a shower chair last night that helped alot this morning.
     I can't end this without thanking our PA Michael Blackwell for his tireless work in getting us this far.  He's been working and researching day and night accomplishing weeks worth of tests in one weeks time.  We are grateful!  Hugs and kisses to Tani and the kids for living without him while he's been helping us.
     We thank you all for your prayers and notes.  We will try to keep this up to date.  We want to respond to each and every one of you, but we just can't .  We hope that he will have the energy and time to keep working while he's healing. 
     We feel the love and prayers of you all.  It's really amazing.  We love you all so much and look forward to when we can catch up with you individually.  Love, Dale