Thanks

[Carla]

Well it was comforting to hear from so many people and I think this is going to be a good place.

We are all trying to be positive but it isn't always easy. My dad is the most optimistic (and sane) person in the family. For instance, I keep worrying about things getting out of hand before he can start treatment, having seen the stories about people who went downhill after diagnosis and were gone in a short time. Of course, he seems in pretty good shape so maybe not. But they are putting in a port tomorrow so taht as soon as it's time to start chemo it will be in there, and the PET scan will be scheduled as soon as practical, given the surgery. Then my mom worries that he doesn't seem as "peppy" as he did in the hospital (this is still 10 days after major spinal surgery) and then she gets me worried, but they are going to the surgeon for followup visit today so hopefully he will set her mind at rest -- I am suspecting it is the pain killer (different than what he had in hospital) and muscle relaxant as much as anything.

Then there is all the second-guessing. He had some bad back pain about a year ago and his dr. did a chest x-ray, saw nothing, and recommended physical therapy, which worked enough, or got the pain down enough that he sort of gave up the exercises. But then it got worse again in the last 2 months (I didn't even know about that). So you have to wonder if this was the spinal tumor a year ago and how much of a difference it would have made if they'd caught it -- but I guess that's not really productive because it is now today and we have to deal with today's situation. Plus, it seems like physical therapy wouldn't have made it feel better if it were a tumor, but who even knows. I guess I just worry that if it has been spreading around all that time it may have gone elsewhere, too, but who knows, is what I have also learned in my short education on this crummy disease.

The other good thing is that my brother, who was an over the road truck driver, just quit doing that, so he is also in Florida, about an hour from them, and so we were both able to be there the weekend of the surgery -- and he is also available to do things like drive to appointments, etc., when needed. The other good thing is that they are in Orlando, so have probably access to better medical care than they would have in the small town where they lived about 5 years ago. Well, anyway, thanks to everyone for the support. You guys are great.