I made it to Oregon to see my dad! Yahoo!!

Hello friends and family, I am now in Oregon. My sister Chris and my neice McKenzie drove all the way to Montana to pick me up. They arrived one evening and we left the next morning. She used grandma and grandpa's car to drive up. This turned out good since my car needs a new headlight, and licensed. Some of my kids (maybe all) will be coming sometime between Christmas and New Year to see their grandpa (my dad). He is doing ok, but he is seriously sick. I went with them to the oncologist appointment yesterday. He showed me the CT scans and his lungs are full of multiple cancer sites. It looks like a clear night full of stars only twice as many stars as are in the Bend sky. He also has what looks like cancer in his common bile duct and around his major artery and vein that pass through the abdomin and go to his heart. Dad does not know this but I have told everyone else. Dad doesn't need to be afraid or worried. He is very accepting that he is going to die but I don't think that it will be as far off as he does. Our hospice nurse friend, and I and Chris think it will be only 1-2 months. It seems to be spreading fast. He is breathless with very little activity, and he was started on oxygen. Chris and I are also giving him airborne to help keep him from getting a cold or upper respiratory infection. He also is taking codeine cough syrup to help calm his cough down. He spends most of his time sitting in his recliner watchng old movies and taking naps. He is happy to see people who come by to visit, and he is very cheerful and still cracks his crazy jokes. He and mom have been talking alot. I think that it is great that we were warned that the time is short because we can all say goodbye and have closure. Dad want to try chemotherapy. They will give him a drug called Gemzar. It is to make him more comfortable and maybe give him extra time. If it works then he might get a few more months. I just want him to be comfortable and as happy as possible. He has lost 40 lbs and he often looks very pale. He sweats and then complains that he is cold. But I would not say that he is miserable yet. He sat at the table and talked with Tige (my cousin) awhile this morning. My nephew Jessie will be coming in tomorrow by greyhound bus. The both want to spend time with dad. In fact I hear that Tige wants to get all the boys/men and take dad out to hunting camp for a day. I think dad will like that. I think that he is still well enough and has enough energy to go. In fact I think it will be good for him. All of dad's grandchildren will be coming in the next week or so to visit with him. We are going to try to not exhaust him. Well I need to go help out around here. I will be back on this blog as things progress and change. Love to you all, Cathy