The First 48 Hours

Dad was complaining of dull pains in his joints for most of the day on Monday, April 6th.  By that evening the pain had centered in his abdomen and was so intense, he was unable to stand.  Jaime & Johnathan stopped by late that evening to pray with him and made the decision to take him to the ER at Boone Hospital in Columbia, MO.  Our initial thought was an appendicitis, but the CAT scan showed a large infection in the area around the appendix.  He was scheduled for emergency surgery Tuesday morning.

The surgery lasted two hours and the results were more drastic that we realized.  Dr. Pitt removed a 5 cm tumor from his colon.  The tumor had perforated colon wall, releasing cancerous cells and bile into the abdominal cavity.  As a result of the damage, portions of the colon, small intestine and the entire appendix were removed.  The hours after the surgery were very painful for Dad and he spent most of Tuesday heavily sedated.

Many of the STL family arrived Tuesday afternoon and spent most of the day together.  Due to his condition, all consultations were put on hold until he stabilized.  We called from Amman to talk briefly with him and were kept in the loop with calls every few hours. 

Today, we have seen his condition improve and his medication pulled back.  Dad is resting, but the pain is just below the surface.  He met with the cancer specialist, had blood work done, as well as a chest X-ray this morning.  The team at Boone Hospital is fantastic.  Jaime compared their level of compassion and patient interest to that of a 5-star hotel.  Tomorrow, we'll get more details on the pathology reports and discuss Dad's treatment schedule which, at this point, will probably include both radiation and chemotherapy.

Mother, Jaime & Johnathan are holding up as can be expected.  The Lord is providing the strength and peace for each step.  The love that is being shown to Dad is amazing and so very comforting.

As more details become available, we'll keep you updated...  Scott