IT'S BEEN A WHILE

JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU THAT TIME REALLY DOES PASS VERY QUICKLY....ALL THE MORE TO LIVE EVERY DAY TO ITS COMPLETE AND UTTER FULLEST.....YEH RIGHT......IT IS A NICE SAYING BUT DO WE , ANY OF US REALLY DO THAT.????....I KNOW I AM SO GUILTY OF NOT......ENOUGH OF THE LECTURE...HERE IS THE LATEST ABOUT THE MAN I LOVE........SO VERY VERY MUCH.....

WE WERE ABLE TO GO TO MESQUI8TE THIS YEAR, BUT NOT PLAY GOLF....WE (ROGER, ME AND ROGER'S MOM) WERE ARE ABLE TO FLY TO IDAHO TO SEE ROGER'S SON AND GRANDAUGHTERS FOR ONE WEEK OVER FATHERS DAY......HE REALLY WANTED TO DO THIS AND I FOUND A WAY TO ESCAPE FROM MY WORK TO GO WITH. WEATHER WAS AWEFUL, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO SPEND TIME AND THAT WAS WHAT WAS IMPORTANT.........

GOT BACK AND OF COURSE HAD DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS( THAT IS NEVER AN UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE), ALTHOUGH ROGER'S DOCTOR IS VERY NICE....HE SEEMS TO HAVE ONLY BAD NEWS FOR US AND FULLY ADMITS THAT HE IS SO VERY SORRY THAT IS ALL HE HAS FOR ROGER........
WE NOW TAKE HIS INFORMATION AND JUST NOD OUR HEADS AND WALK OUT THE DOOR.......
THE CHEMO ROGER HAS BEEN DOING IS NOT WORKING IN HIS FAVOR AND HIS BLODD TEST SHOW THAT HIS PSA HAS TRIPLED AND THAT WAS NOT THE NEWS THE DOCTOR WANTED TO DELIVER TO US.
THERE IS REALLY NO OTHER OPTION THAN TO DO A PET SCAN, FIND OUT THE PROGRESSION OF THIS TERRIBLE DISEASE AND TO POSSIBLY GO TO DENVER FOR SOME OF THOSE TRIAL STUDIES THAT HE HAS TO QUALIFY FOR UNDER SPECIFIC RULES AND REGULATIONS. WE ARE BOTH JUST NOT READY TO TALK ABOUT ANY OF THIS UNTIL NEXT WED WHEN THE SCAN IS DONE AND THEN WE PROBABLY WONT HEAR ANYTHING FOR AT LEAST A WEEK.

THE DOCTOR IS SHAKING HIS HEAD JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE WHO SEE ROGER OFTEN....HE DOES NOT LOOK OR ACT, MOST OF THE TIME, LIKE A MAN WITH TERMINAL CANCER.......I CAN TELL HE DOESN'T FEEL WELL, BUT AGAIN HE IS NOT A COMPLAINER......SO I REALLY DON'T KNOW HOW BAD IT REALLY IS

HE IS NOW ON A PATCH EVERY THREE DAYS THAT SEEMS TO KEEP HIS PAIN IN CHECK AND HE DOES HAVE TO POP A PERCOCET EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE....HIS APPETITE IS OK BUT NOT GOOD AND HE HAS LOST ABOUT 30 POUNDS.

WE TRY TO STAY POSITVE, BUT WHEN YOU ARE IN THE THICK OF THE HUNT IT IS SO VERY HARD TO KEEP UP THE ATTITUDE.

LAST SUMMER WAS A BEAR FOR HIM AND NOW WE BEGIN THIS SUMMER JUST LIKE THE OTHER ONE....
PRAY FOR PEACE AND HEALING AND REMEMBER TO LAUGH AND LOVE AND DANCE OFTEN.......IT DOES A BODY GOOD.....

WE WILL LET YOU KNOW ABOUT THE RESULTS OF THE SCAN WHEN WE KNOW MORE

LOVINGLY, DIANNE AND ROGER

UP-TO-DATE

Just wanted to keep everyone up to date on Roger and the family......Roger will be 66 tomorrow May 12th.....He really isn't that enthused, as most of us are not either about our birthdays.....but we should be, don't you think? They are milestones of our lives here on earth and if we were to look back at each and every day that led us to this day.....we would be amazed at how much has happened and how much we experienced and how much we have loved and cried and fell down and got back up again only to find another birthday gone by. WHEW ! ! ! that wore me out just writing about it.....I will try to make it special for him ...although men are hard to buy for and to please anyway on their b-days...but I will give it my best shot.....bought him an ice cream cake.....because he will eat cold things pretty well.....he loves to wear shorts and his jean shorts are all full of holes....so I hope that he likes his new jean shorts and some comfy sweat pant shorts......I will hope to make him laugh as I always say something stupid in the morning when we wake up and now it is my destiny to make him laugh just one good belly laugh til it brings tears to our eyes. Then, I am usually off to work and he usually occupies his time reading and playing with our cat....maybe taking a nap or two.....going to the store....puttzing around the house...doing our laundry.....he even made his famous turkey meatloaf for our dinner tonight.....
If you get a chance call him and wish him a good b-day....maybe the sun will shine tomorrow and make it a happier day for all.......Dianne
I am going to stay home tomorrow with him ande just do whatever he wants until he cannot stand me anymore and tells me to go to work and get out of his hair..........oh well

What a time ! ! !

Roger is still fighting the fight.....He has list about 20 lbs., but still trys to eat and drink as much as he can stand......food just doesn't taste good to him.....He is now undergoing chemo treatment to help with pain and also new medication which is in the form of a patch every three days....still taknig some percocet on occasion......we are still planning on making the trip to Mesquite this year...we won't play any golf , but just be with our friends and hang out...planning on stopping in Grand Junction to see Jeff and the family for a night to and from......
Had a trying week this week with our little Colbie Marie Hanson...last week celebrating her first b-day and this week celebrating her coming thru her heart surgery....while having a tornado warning while the actual srugery was taking place at Children's hospital this past thursday...we were all just beside ourselves....but she made it thru just fine and is home now doing good. They will monitor her closely for the next month and for months and years to come....She was such a trooper and such a great little patient....the doctors and nurses were so impressed with her. Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes....it really does help to know how much people think and pour out their love at a time like this.....it is so very much appreciated......
We will keep you all posted on any changes....hope we can report only good

Continuing with more Chemo

Roger was given the option of more Chemo or nothing.....He has opted for more because of his pain level and because the cancer is still not invading his vital organs...It just might help him thru this next level of Cancer "Hell" he is enduring. He will still recieve his injection of Zomita and Lupron. He will start this next week....He told the Doctor that he wanted to LIVE as long as he could... we are all hoping that it will be with some quality, but of the last few weeks he has been in a lot of pain......He reads a lot and sleeps and his appetite is not that good anymore......
He says that his sense of smell and taste is gone....His hair and nails are growing again to just be erased again because of the next round of chemo.....Our son Jeff thinks that there will be a miracle about to happen and that Roger will be OK......truth be known.....nobody knows what will happen in the next months......I only want some peace and some pain relief for Roger. It is so very hard living with someone that you love and you just cannot help them, just be their support system and cheerleader of which I have some years of experience with.........
Just wanted to keep everyone up-to-date of this newest news........thank you for caring about us......Roger and Dianne
Please keep us in your prayers as we will all of you ! ! !
Colbie Marie Hanson will be undergoing Heart surgery on April 22nd (Roger's and My 15th Anniversary) Please pray all goes well for her little heart thank you
Aunt Wilma is home and doing as well as she can do for now......
Gert is doing well also
Happy Easter and Spring Everyone

Red Beer

Subject for the day was Red Beer....Dr. Barnett (Roger's Oncologist) never had heard of Red beer until this week and Roger telling him about it....He is this very sincere, baby faced, well informed Dr. that has won our hearts with his desire to give Roger the best he knows how to give.....this appointment needed to be more light hearted and matter of fact than the last one...the last appointment was very heavy and hard for all of us. So, Red Beer came up and we ran with it.
Today Dr Barnett really listened to Roger and what Roger wanted....I asked, of course a lot of questions and Dr. Barnett was very willing to answer them and explained a lot to us. He is all for Roger taking a break, but has urged him to think about continuing therapy and so does his nurses...Roger will think about it, meanwhile Roger is doing some unconventional things and is not in a great deal of pain and even getting an MRI tomorrow to see if he can get back to playing a little golf without breaking bones that have been destroyed by his cancer.......
All in All it was a very good session with the Doc. Roger got his dose of Zomita and his Hormone shot.......
Roger still reads a lot and laughs at me whenever I can be funny enough for him to laugh at me.
We are staying positive and thanking everyone for the prayers.
Aunt Wilma is finally home again after two weeks in the Hospital with Pneumonia and her Congest. heart and her COPD and a lot of other things....she still has her wits and mind about her and wanted to try it again at home......my adorable Colbie had her heart appointment today and the verdict was heart surgery, but Chad is researching and is reluctant because of lack of evidence. He doesn't want his precious baby daughter to undergo something that may not be necessary....but I know that it is inevitable....he is just scared and needs more time....I know that she will be fine, even Tina says lets go ahead with it, but Chad is her daddy and is very apprehensive of it all....and I don't blame him....she would be cared for at Children's Hospital and I know that she will be fine, but it is hard to give your child to a surgeon that you don't know and give permission to work on her little heart......
Well enough for now.....I could go on and on......but the real message in all of this is that we are thankful and blessed and loved to the fullest.......
Make it a great day, month and year
Lovingly Dianne

Just coasting for a while

Roger is just coasting for a while and thinking of alternatives at this point....we have a couple in mind and want to really take a good look and research them.....because....Roger was not very keen on the trial study they had available in Denver at the Rocky Mt Cancer Center. His oncologist called today to see why Roger was not wanting to do this...they both decided that he would keep up with the Zomita injection and the Hormone therapy and monitor his blood count here in Longmont.

I am totally letting this decision up to Roger, but trying to give him information and things to think about during his time of contemplation. He has been through so much treatment in the last few years and it wears on one, especially when there is not a good end result....all of the time and struggle and doctors and poking and proding can get to a person. He is as good a patient as they come........

He is looking forward to some nice weather as we all are, but his golfing days are probably not going to be. That is the hardest thing I think that he is facing although it may not be what any of you would consider to be important. Golf made him happy and I try my hardest every day to make him laugh. Thank you for all of the funny e-mails you send from time to time...some of them get us both laughing so hard we pee our pants ! ! !

So......come by....call....or just pray that Roger can fight his fight without a lot of pain.

Lovingly Dianne

Not the news we wanted to hear

Roger's cancer is not responding to the chemotherapy like the doctor thought in the last few months.....his PSA is no longer a good indicator for his cancer that is in his bones in fact in the last five months it has spread to more places in his spine I have the pet scan to prove it....Dr. Barnett explained very well to us both this morning, but to reiterate it at this time .... I just cannot and do it any justice.......for the most part it was not what we both wanted to hear nor was it the news that our dear Dr. wanted to give us.....he really loves Roger and thinks of him as a strong, wonderful man as do I........Roger took the news much better than I did.....as far as any more treatments, there is really nothing that is going to be a strong winner at this point....a different type of chemo that MIGHT respond.......a trial study of which is not available to Roger because it is not in his vital organs at this time.( that, being here with Dr. Barnett) Dr. Barnett did say that he would e-mail his buddies at Denver Midtown and at University Hospital to see if they had anything available that Roger would be eligible for. It is very complicated and very hard to explain to anyone. If you want go to ustoo.com and just see how complicated and how much information is out there, please do so, if not I really don't blame you. It is a lot of information that is very hard to consume and put your arms around.
Roger is one heck of a guy and is taking this like no other person I know would......it is me that is the weak link in the armour right now, but I too will have to rise to the occasion and be strong for him and for me.....
All of you that have been praying for us ...we thank you....please don't stop.....I was told by my brother some time ago that God ALWAYS answers our prayers....it may just not be the answer that we are looking for........
We love and have each other....just make sure that you love and have each other too and we will all be good.......................................................
With Love and Gratitude, Roger and Dianne