Not a month, but 4 weeks since Whipple surgery.

Danny’s whipple scar looks great!

It’s been 4 weeks since Danny’s Whipple and he’s doing great! He gained a pound! Hurray!
The crazy stuff from the Reglan is over, and he’s eating much better.
He can now walk 2 times around the mall- 2 times without sitting down.
He does his physical therapy every day. He is so dedicated to getting better and stronger.I admire that in him, the way he has such self-discipline to keep working at something even when its hard or uncomfortable.

He’s still very emotional but its more happy emotions. The experts say this is normal for this type of surgery. So okay, we’ll take that. It’s livable now. Between the 8.5 hours of anesthesia, all the chemo drugs and all the rest of the drugs and the terror of looking death in the eye, anyone would get emotional about it!

Tomorrow he sees Dr. Lavu. We have to decide if Danny is getting chemo and radiation. This is a scary decision. From what Sonnet and I have researched there is very little benefit to doing this treatment. First of all – they got all the cancer out. CLEAN MARGINS- they said. That means they got all the cancer!
The chemo/radiation would just be extra insurance. But even as extra insurance, it isn’t very promising. But what we do know for sure is that chemo is pure torture. Pancreatic cancer is different from other cancers. You can’t compare what old Aunt Lulu did for breast cancer. Chemo and especially radiation doesn’t do much for Pancreatic cancer. If chemo was easy, we’d say sure why not? Why not do something that maybe will prevent the cancer from coming back.  But there’s only a small chance- so why do it?
Unless  Dr. Lavu comes up with some research that says chemo/radiation  will prevent cancer from coming back, Danny doesn’t want to go through all that agony again.

Yesterday the hell raising Peter O’Toole died, an Irish actor who played as Lawrence of Arabia. In 1976, He was diagnosed with  pancreatic cancer. He too got a whipple but they took a lot more of his stuff than Danny. Peter lost his entire pancreas, most of his stomach, his gall bladder and some of his intestines. He developed diabetes due to having no pancreas. But here’s the part Danny loved to hear:
PETER O”TOOLE lived 37 years after his whipple! He lived to the ripe old age of 81. And that was with chain-smoking, heavy drinking and partying! That’s very inspirational for Danny! Wahoo!

Peter O’Toole lived 37 years after his whipple!

Aren’t Irish men the hottest men in the world? Oh yeah, you know they are!
Now if I can get back to Danny. My own gorgeous Irish man with blue eyes. We are settling in to a recuperating routine. Walking, exercising and Rummy!

Let’s play Rummy!

Bowie , our standard poodle is a therapy dog. That’s what they told us we we bought him. For the first 2 years I swear they meant he needed therapy, but now he’s doing pretty good. Look at him holding Danny’s hand ! I call that puppy love therapy!

A man and his dog.

Bowie, afraid of his own shadow but full of love for his family.

There was a time, not so long ago , when Danny said, “I won’t make it till Christmas.” Well Christmas is only a week away so I think he will be wrong!

Danny wears several layers of clothes because he is always cold. especially his feet.