Robert had his first chemo treatment on Monday and everything went well. On Tuesday he got his port put in too, and that also went well. The port is under the skin. He is feeling good! Hurray! Renissa's and Ryan's families made it here today so we will be able to have a happy Thanksgiving! God Bless everyone! Save travels to you and a very Happy Thanksgiving from all of the Berning's to all of you!


Giving ThanksFor the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!
author unknown

Robert had his consult in Hays on Tuesday, they did not put the port in but will do that when he goes in next time. On the 24th he will have his first treatment of Chemo. They will do this thru the vein since he does not have the port in yet. Then on the 25th they will put his port in. He will have 3 weeks of Chemo then 1 week off then 3 weeks of Chemo then 1 week off then they will start Radiation in Rochester for 5 weeks. I know things change but for right now that is what is going on. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers! Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday! We can't wait to see Ryan and Renissa's families!

Just wanted everyone to know that Robert and Roxie will be going to Hays on the 18th to get a consult and to put Robert's port in for Chemo. Then on the 24th Robert will be getting his first dose of Chemo. Robert's White blood count is 9.4. Ryan and Renissa's families will be coming home for Thanksgiving and we will have dinner out at our house. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Have a safe travel over the holidays!

I just got a call from Roxie and I thought I would update everyone. They got a call from Rochester and the Doctors there do not want to start chemo yet. They think that his white blood count is still to high, they are worried about infection. On Monday they will take Robert back into Leoti to have his white blood count checked again and we will go from there. If it is still up then they will put him on an antibiotic again. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they wait for news back from Rochester. Thanks to everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers as they go through this difficult time.

Robert had is blood work done yesterday and his white blood count is at 11! Which is what it needed to be to start chemo. Hurray! On Monday he will go to Hays and have his CT Scan done. They will also put in his port for chemo.
Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers!

Good Morning! Just wanted everyone to know that Robert is doing good. He still does not have an appetite, hopefully that will come back before he has to start chemo. They will be going to Hays to get a CT Scan done this week. They will also be getting his blood checked to see what his white blood count is doing it has to be below 11 before they can start chemo. I will let you know the date and times of his appointments as soon as I know them.

I just wanted everyone to know that they are having a blood drive in Scott City on Oct. 23 from 8am -2pm at the William Carpenter Building. You can call for an appointment or walk-in. 1-800-448-3543.

"A Cancer patient can use between 10 and 20 units of blood and 10-50 units of blood platelets for treatment. Help ensure cancer and leukemia patients have the blood they need to fight this horrible disease."
As everyone knows Robert has already received blood once, if you can please give blood it does help save a life. If you don't live in this area check with your local Red Cross to find out where to give.
Thanks to everyone for all that you do!
Jill

It is so good to be home for a few months, hopefully! Robert is on meds to hopefully take care of the infection. When we get the OK from Dr Kendrick at Mayo after his white blood count is down below 11 and anther CT scan, we will start Chemo. We will probably take it at Hays, Ks. It will be one day a week for three weeks, than one week off, and then another three weeks and then another week off. After that we will head back to Mayo for 28 treatments of radiation or 5 1/2 to 6 weeks.Please keep my best friend Diana Griffith and her family in your prayers. Her Mother, "my other Mom" died Sat, Oct 11th. Her funeral is Tues, Oct 14th @ 10:30 a.m at the Baptist Church in Scott City.Thanks again to everyone for all that you have done for us. We will always remember your thoughtfulness, love and prayers.Love, Robert & Roxie
October 12, 2008 1:27 PM

Robert & Roxie have made it safely home!
Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers as they travel on this journey. Reading the comments everyday helps keep them in touch with everyone and helps keep their spirits up.
They have begun to put the towers up so I am sure that Papa and Rowdy will be out checking them out tomorrow.

We are headed home!!!!!!!!!!! Yea!Two more weeks of antibiatics because white blood count is still @ 17.5. Then if blood count gets to normal, we will start chemo at Hays, Ks. We will check blood at home and also have CT scan somewhere closer to home.Pray for safe travel.Love and prayers, Robert & RoxieSee ya when we get home. We are ready to be there.......... Posted by Roxie to Robert Berning at October 7, 2008 2:29 PM

We finally got done for today about 3:30. Walked around all underground. Lots of shops but very pricy!!!! This place is amazing and a MAZE.Robert is in bed exhausted.We will have to be up at 5:30 in the morning as we have to have blood drawn at 7:05 a.m. and then appts the rest of the day, so it will be a LONG day........Good to hear from all of you.Better get back to the room before he starts calling looking for me.Love and prayers, Rox
October 6, 2008 5:15 PM

What a place!!!! I hope you never have to experience it but if you do it is something else. Tunnels everywhere to walk to the different buildings. Thank goodness because it is raining out and the temps cool.Have to be back at the blood draw tomorrow morning at 7:05 because they are doing a research on him and it required fasting from midnight on. The other blood work was only fasting for two hours before so they will do it all tomorrow. Oh well, we will get it done.We are waiting right at the moment for the CT scann.If you ever think you have problems, just spend a few days up here and you will see how really lucky you are......... Always someone in worse shape than yourself. Count your blessings!!!Jeanne, please tell Karla she is in our thoughts and prayers and that I did get her msg on the phone before we left. Makes you wonder if our area has something to be aware of when it comes to cancer??????Glad the towers will be making their way towards Marienthal. Maybe that will give Robert something to watch and occupy his time when I go back to work and harvest is going on. Can't keep him out of his pickup...... Too much to check on!Will keep you all posted.Love and prayers,Roxie Posted by Roxie to Robert Berning at October 6, 2008 11:56 AM

Our schedule today:ll:30 a.m. Hilton Bld - Blood tests12:05 p.m. Gonda Bld - CT Scan3:00 p.m. Mayo Bld - Chest x-rayTues, Oct 7, 20088:15 a.m. Gonda Bld - Oncology Evaluation11:00 a.m. Charlton Bld -Radiation Consultation1:45 p.m. Mayo Bld - Dr Kenrick, surgeonLooks like we can get to all the buildings in the subway so we don't have to go outside if the weather isn't nice. I did get a wheelchair from the hotel as the Hilton building is quite a ways and Robert wears out easily so I can just use it.Hoping to see the underground mall.Do you think I will be allowed to do any shopping????? Just joking, don't have any extra cash anyway! ha! This VACATION has become a world class adventure.....If we get out of appts in decent time tomorrow, we will maybe try to get down the road a little ways.It is almost 800 miles home! Pray for good weather as we travel. It is stressful enough without the wind and rain. Lots of wind farms up this way.I found this computer across the road in the Methodist hospital. Sure is more handy than going to the Grand Kahler.When we come up for radiation, we will maybe stay at the Hope Lodge.It is a place like the Ronald McDonald house for cancer people.Maybe this afternoon we can check it out. Looks like a nice place.We know from experience how nice a place like that can be. When Robbie had his broken neck, the Ronald Mc house was a lifesaver. That is always our choice of charity donations.....Wishing everyone a good Monday.Hope the stock market isn't to bad today.Love and prayers, Rox Posted by Roxie to Robert Berning at October 6, 2008 8:42 AM

I have Robert settled in his "KING" size bed. We arrived in Rochester about 12:30 p.m.He wanted steak so we stopped at Out Back Steak and he did eat most of his steak. I finished it off.There is no free internet at our hotel so I walked down to the GRAND KAHLER to use this one. Couldn't beleive ours didn't have one. Oh, well, I'll probably be to busy to use it anyway the next two days.Guess I'll go back and either pay bills and get things caught up or start reading a good book that my friends from Edward Jones sent to me. "Keeping Faith" by Jodi Picoult.It is overcast and cool here. About 57 degrees. I'm not a cold weather bird so I don't like it, but I'd better get use to it if I'm going to be here in Dec.....Hope to see everyone soon when we get home for more than a few days.I'm ready to get back to some kind of a norman schedule.Love and prayers,Rox Posted by Roxie to Robert Berning at October 5, 2008 3:19 PM

We made it to Des Moines, Iowa last night about 6:30 p.m.Long drive but today should be shorter. We should get to Rochester early and will go to the Hotel and relax before the two stressful days of appointments and then the long road home again.I did work Friday at the office and it felt good to be back for a few hours of what use to be normal.Hopefully I can get back on track after we get home and see what the chemo schedule will be. R.T. has been very good to me but my sick leave and vacation time is running out. Corporate is who we both have to report to. R.T.'s Dad died last Sunday so I went to that funeral on Wed in Cimarron. No stress in his life either with that and then the stock market ups and downs and me being out of the office!!!! The gal from Colby came down last Thursday and covered the office with our on-call so that was a lifesaver with both he and I being gone. They buried his Dad in Texas so he had to do that Thurs and we had Dr appt in Leoti.Will keep everyone posted when we know more about what our schedules will be.Thanks for everything........Love and prayers,Rox Posted by Roxie to Robert Berning at October 5, 2008 8:39 AM

Good Morning! Robert and Roxie will be leaving for Rochester tomorrow. Robert's appointments are Monday & Tuesday. Hopefully they will be getting a schedule for Robert's Chemo. Robert's pancreas seems to be working now because he is not taking insulin and his levels seem to be staying down. They are between 100-120 which is perfect. Please keep them in your prayers and thoughts as they travel back to Rochester. Thanks again for all the support.

Robert & Roxie have finally made it home!! They went for a tour of the farm and went to get Rowdy to bring him home. They were both glad to be home! They are suppose to start putting the wind towers up tomorrow so Papa is excited to be home in time to watch that. This will only be a short lived visit because they have to go back to Rochester in a week. Roxie is felling better I am sure being back in the "WINDY" country has helped a lot. Robert thinks that the new pain medicine is working because the food is actually starting to taste a little better. Hopefully he will get his appetite back soon. He will need all the strength he can get for the long road ahead! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers! Please keep them coming without them we wouldn't have been able to get through this. God sends us angels in so many ways!

Good Morning! It sounds like Robert & Roxie will be heading home this morning. They both went to bed last night at 8:00pm. They were taking their time getting around this morning. Roxie is not 100% yet but she thinks she feels good enough to drive.
Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers.

Good Morning! Robert & Roxie have finally made it to Augusta! Roxie has gotten the flu so I think that they are going to wait to head on home. As soon as I know something I will let you know. Please keep them in your prayers as they finish their journey home. They will only have a short stay because they have to be back in Rochester the first week in Oct. for a check up.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!! WE HOPE THAT YOU ARE HAVING A GOOD DAY AND CAN MAKE IT HOME SOON! WE ALL LOVE YOU!! --- Rod, Jill, Shaelee, Chandler, Robbie, Brecken, Laura, Tate, Kyler, Renissa, Darren, Nolan, Camrea, Ryan, Melissa, Tenley, & Talen.

Robbie has arranged for us to get a rental car this morning. We will head out and take it slow and easy. Don't have to have the car returned to Wichita until Sun morn so we have plenty of time.Robert seems to be feeling OK. We both slept pretty good last night, but are ready to be back in our own bed. Hope we make it this time!! So ready to be home.We won't be there very long before we have to head back up here Oct 6th and 7th for checkup appts.He did eat a little breakfast, part of a donut, a fruit cup and a little apple juice. Pray for safe travels and that he continues to not have pain that isn't controllable. Anxious to see everyone at home. "Toto, there is no place like home in Kansas."Love and prayers,Roxie
September 26, 2008 9:25 AM

We are finally at the hotel! yea! Please pray that things go well and that we make it all the way home this time. Kinda scary after the last time....We will take it easy and slow. Not sure when we will start out.We will probably take two days getting to Augusta. That is where our car is. He is in the room resting right now. He is wanting something to eat besides hospital food. One bite and then he is usually finished so I will be eating whatever he orders and leaves on his plate. I sure hope I like his choices..... ha!Please keep RT's Dad in your prayers as he is in the hospital in Hugoton. When it rains, it pours....... He has had a stressful month with me out of the office and then this is added stress along with the markets up and down...... Also keep Brecken and Tate in your prayers. They are going through some testing.Hope to be home and see everyone soon. Jeanie, tell Father I sure hope he has some good dove soup! Ha! What a guy! At least he is not breaking windows at the school playing golf..... Hope Angela is keeping a close eye on her kids.Hope to see you all soon.Love and prayers,Roxie
September 25, 2008 11:05 AM

Robert called me from the hospital at 7:10 to say they will dismiss him today. He thought I should be there "right now!" I've been through this a time or two already and know that it isn't Leoti Kansas of American that when they say you are dismissed, you can walk out!!! It will probably be noon before we get out of there. Not sure when we will start home.I would start "right now" if it were up to me, but better be safe than sorry so we will take it one day at a time. Better get over there before he sends the troops after me. Love, Rox
September 25, 2008 8:08 AM

Talked to Dr's tonight. Robert still has some liquid on his lungs so needs to walk more & use his breather more. They will watch him and maybe dismiss him tomorrow.He is taking all his meds by mouth and has acted and felt better today than any day that we have been here. He walked down to the courtyard three times today. I wheeled him back in the wheelchair but at least he got some fresh air and exercise.. The Dr's said he is making good progress. I sure hope so because I'm ready to go home!!!!! He wanted the grain markets so is starting to want to run the farm again in his bed. He is still mad at us for leaving his billfold at Augusta..... Not sure if he wanted to send me flowers or what he needed it for, but oh well......... I'm sure it is still there! Still not eating much but I guess that will take time for appetite to come back. Grumpy, Grumpy and if he doesn't stop, I'm going to get grumpy too....... ha! Tomorrow will be a week that he has been back in so it is time to get out. We'll let you know as soon as we know something.Rox Gotta go, I'm hungry and tired.
September 24, 2008 7:21 PM

Things are looking up! Robert acts and sounds better today. White blood count is at 15 so is coming down. The stool test came back OK so we don't have to deal with that! Dr's said if he continues to improve, maybe we will be dismissed tomorrow......Kinda scary to leave but anxious to be out of the hospital. Will stick around Rochester for awhile before heading to Augusta to pick up our car. We will rent a one-way rental to get us there.Had a nice surprise this morning arrive at Robert's room. A beautiful Orchid plant with a note from our friend Charlie Munger.This is what the note said: "Best wishes, As an Omaha boy I always like the following saying, which I believe appley in some way to me:"They got the boy out of the farm, but they never got the farm out of the boy." Charlie Munger. What a great guy. They were getting to go home today after 6 weeks with his wife in the hospital. She and their daughter were coming out of the beauty shop yesterday morning as I was going in. Very down to earth people. Hoping to tell you tomorrow that we are at the hotel.Robert is calling me on his cell phone wanting to go outside so you can tell he is feeling better. Yea!Love, Roxie
September 24, 2008 11:48 AM

We just took a long walk down at the courtyard and then over to the park accross the street. The wind is blowing, not quite like Kansas, but the temps are nice. They are going to give him lacics,(sp)? to get rid of some of the water weight. They are doing stool cultures to see if the antibiactics have killed the good bacterias. He is kinda crabby so maybe that means he is starting to feel a little better or just tired of the whole game........ His white blood count is 18 today so down some from yesterday.
See ya, Love and prayer, Rox
September 23, 2008 3:14 PM

Papa is up taking a shower and says the Dr's say he is getting better everyday. Still on pain meds, oxygen and IV's but is making progress. Still says everything smells and tastes like burn chicken feathers...... Takes one bite and can't eat the rest. I'm praying we can get some nutrition down him soon. That should make him stronger and feeling better. Have a great day!Love you both lots! Hope Smoke won his Football game last night.Tate called and talked to Grandpa. That put a smile on his face. Nolan called but he was asleep. He walked in to see the RES blog site and the new pics of Tenley and Talen on the blog. Take care and thanks for all the well wishes and prayers. Rox
September 23, 2008 8:54 AM

As everyone knows it is Grammie Roxie's birthday! Not a good way to spend your birthday. Robert's white blood count is still 21 and his red blood count is low at 8.8. His lung xray's and urine test turned out ok. Papa is still not eating much, he says the food just doesn't taste right to him. Hopefully that will change soon so that he can come home. Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers.

Another day, another dollar......I went to Mass @ 4:30. Robert walked 4 times which was very good.They will do breathing treatments on him until about 10 and then let him get a good night's rest. He had a rough one last night. I'm headed to the hotel to rest. I did take an hour nap this afternoon. I needed it. I'm still tired. Roxie
September 20, 2008 8:04 PM

Talked to Dr Kendrick's assistant Dr Andrade this morn. Things are looking good. Meds are doing what they are suppose to be doing. White blood count is down. Normal fluids around the plevic area as expected after surgery of this kind. Pancreas is inflammed which is probably causing the severe pain. No drain tube is needed at this point. They gave him a pneumonia shot and are doing breathing treatments to help with the lungs. Coughing hurts but will help get stuff out that needs to come out. They will take the cath out today so that will make it easier to walk and try to get him off of the oxygen. They will keep him a few days and monitor his progress. Will let everyone know when we will head home. I'm sure we won't rush it. Might even stay a fews days here after being realeased just to make sure he is able to tolerate traveling. Thanks for all your love and prayers. Tell all my family hello at the wedding today. Will miss seeing everyone and will miss leading the Grand March at the dance. Dance one for both of us. Love, Rox
September 20, 2008 10:12 AM

No feaver, no bowel obstruction,no kinks in bowel, no abcess showing on the CT scann. They say the fluid is normal after this kind of surgery. Has Adema which they say is normal and the fluid is pushing on his lungs so they want him to get up and walk and use his breather to take deeper breaths. They have finally given him clear liquids after 4 days of not eating so that made him happy. Well, some what???? They will keep him on antibiatics and are calling in a breathing specialist to do some testing on his lungs. Pieces of his lungs are not expanding, so they will watch so he doesn't get pnemonia. Didn't really see anything abnormal on the scan. I haven't talked to any Dr's today, just what the nurses told me. Don't know if the test on lung will be Sat or Mon. I'm heading to the motel to try and relax. It has been a long day. Relda, if you read this you might send me Kaleigh's address so I can try and get a BD card to her. How old this year? 22???Pam, I want you to know my angels are really keeping me awake!!! ha! Love and prayers to all.Rox
September 19, 2008 8:25 PM

Robert & Roxie have made it safely to Rochester, Robert is in a room right across the hall from where he was when he got dismissed. Dr. Kendrick's came in and said that this is a minor set back. Tomorrow they will do a CT Scan to see where the leaking is coming from and then insert a drain to relieve the fluid. It sounds like it is an easy procedure that does not require surgery. Dr. Kendrick's said that Robert will feel a lot better when the pressure is off. He will have to stay in the hospital for another 7-10 days. Roxie is staying at the hotel across from the hospital. Roxie said that Robert is feeling better and that he is resting right now. They do not know what time the CT Scan will be tomorrow, as soon as I know something I will pass it on. Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers!

Robert's doctors from Rochester called back to Andover and they want to have him back in Rochester to observe him. They will fly him and Roxie on med vac to Rochester. As soon as I know something more I will let you know. Please keep them in your prayers! This was posted at 3:02 pm for some reason the time has not changed.

They are getting ready to take Robert down for a CT Scan right now, as soon as we know something I will let you know. They had to re-due his IV this morning so that is putting things behind. His temperature is down but he is still in pain.

Good Morning ! Robert is doing better this morning, his pain is about 1/3 of what it was and the leaking is minimal now. He sat up from 4-6 this morning and is sitting up now. Roxie is doing better she got to sleep last night. Thanks to everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers. I know that the family could not get through this time if it wasnt for all the family and friends support.

Robert's doctor from Rochester said this is not a big deal and that they need to just watch him and give him antibiotics for a few days. He thinks that it will heal itself. He does not think that they need to operate right now. Keep the prayers coming for them! Thanks!

I wanted everyone to know that Robert got put into the hospital at Andover, KS last night. One of his connections that they did is leaking. He will have to go back into surgery and have them fix it. They can do that at Andover but Robert wants to go back to Rochester. Right now they are waiting on a call from Robert's doctor in Rochester to see what he wants to do. If he goes back to Rochester they will fly him up there. Please keep Robert and Roxie in your prayers as they head through another trial.

Hi to everyone! Robert decided he was well enough to come home yesterday so they headed out. They made it to Ottawa last night and plan to get to Wichita today. I think that they will spend a litttle time in Augusta before heading the rest of the way home. Everything seems to be going good. Please keep them in your prayers as they travel the rest of the way home. Thanks!

They dismissed Robert from the hospital! Him and Roxie are staying at the hotel across the street from the hospital. The doctors say that Robert is progressing really good. He was not able to rest in the hospital this morning so he was going to lay down for a nap when they got to the hotel. Robert still has to take insulin but it is about 1/2 of what he was taking. They will head home on Monday. It sounds like it will be a long trip home, the doctors recommended that Robert stop every two hours and walk around a little. Ryan should be getting home about right now. In about 4weeks they will need to go back to Rochester for a check up and plan out the Chemo & Radiation schedule. He will be able to take Chemo at home but for the Radiation he will have to go back to Rochester. Thanks again to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers!

We finally made it home last night about 10pm. Ryan said that Robert is doing good, they are going to stop giving Robert his nightly insulin and see how that goes. Right now it seems that his pancreas is working like it should as far as the insulin part goes. The docotor said last night that they thought they would dismiss him Friday or Monday depending on if everything was going well. As soon as I hear something I will let you all know.

Good Morning to everyone! Robert is doing good this morning. He has already gotten up and walked twice this morning by himself. He is in good spirits as well. Today they will let him have a liquid diet, soups, jellos things like that. Robert is actually excited to just get to have some broth. Rod, Robbie, Renissa, Chandler and I will be leaving this morning at 9am to head home, we should be home around 10pm. Ryan will be staying back with Roxie for a few days. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers they are greatly appreciated. It means alot to the family to have such wonderful friends and family.

Papa got up and walked 5 times today which is really good. We were also able to take him outside for some fresh air. He still can not eat which makes him fussy- who wouldn't get fussy not eating. Tomorrow we think that they will be giving him a liquid diet. The doctors and nurses think he is progressing very rapidly. Roxie was able to take a nap with the kids being here. Rod, Robbie, Renissa, Chandler and I will be heading home tomorrow morning around 9am. Darren is going to meet us in Salina and pick up Renissa. We will be making the drive in one day. Ryan will be staying for a few more days with Roxie.

Good Morning! Robert was up at 5am this morning. He sat in a chair for 30 minutes and went for a walk. He is doing really good. The doctors are very proud of his progress. He needs to get up and walk 4 or 5 more times today. He has said that he is sore all over but he is still going strong and his spirits are still good. The surgeons up here are really good and explain everything extremely well. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers, keep them coming. Roxie did get 8 hours of sleep last night, the most she has gotten in at least a month. Please keep everyone in your prayers! Pat- by the way it is too late all the family secrets are out, Robert told anyone that would listen everything yesterday, they could not get him to quit talking. Ha! Ha! The family thanks everyone from the bottom of their hearts for all the thoughts and prayers!

We finally got to go in and see Papa. He is doing really good. He is back to the old Papa that we love so much. He is joking around with everyone. He said that he is not in pain and is not using the button for the pain medicine. The nurse said he about talked her leg off. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers! Keep the comments coming the family loves to read them. It is there way to communicate with everyone.

Robert is out of surgery and is in recovery. It will be about 2 hours before we get to see him yet.
The mass on Robert was cancerous and he will have to take Chemo and Radiation. For right now they will keep him here until they feel he is healthy enough to leave. It should be between 5-14 days. They will then come home for recovery. In about 6 weeks they will come back to Rochester. At that point they will discuss what we need to do for Chemo and Radiation. The doctor did tell us this is as good as it gets as far as pancreatic cancer goes. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. There is nothing like the power of prayer. Please keep them coming!

They just came in and informed us that they are sewing him up. As soon as the doctor is done he will come in to visit with the family! Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers!

If you would like to know about the procedure they are doing go back to older posts and go to the Wipple Procedure on 8/22/08, that tells in detail what they are doing with the re-routing. It also has a couple of pictures.

They have taken the mass out and they are beginning to put him back together! They have to re- plumb the pancreas then they can sew him up. They were able to do it all by laproscopy which means that his recovery will be faster. After they are done with the surgery it will be 2hours in recovery before we are able to see him. As soon as we hear more we will let you know!

The nurse just came in and gave us an update. Everything is going well and as planned. They were able to do it through laproscopy which is good. Every two hours she will come in and give us another update. Keep all the prayers coming!

The address for Robert is:

Mayo Clinic
Saint Marys Hospital
Patient Care Unit- Francis 1C
% Robert Berning Room 121
1216 Second Street SW
Rochester, Minnesota 55902

Good morning. They took Robert to pre-op at 7:10 am. The surgery is scheduled for at 8:15am. It should take around 6 hours for the surgery. As soon as we know something we will let you know. No news is good news. Papa was in really good spirits this morning. Keep all the prayers coming! Love- Roxie, Rod, Robbie, Renissa & Ryan

Everyone has made it safely to Rochester! Renissa and Ryan made it in about an hour after we did. Robert has to be at the hospital at 5:45 am and his surgery is scheduled for 8:15 am. Keep us in your prayers! We will keep you updated as soon as we know something.

Thanks from all the family for all the thoughts and prayers!

Good Evening to everyone. We left Kansas this morning at around 9 am. Thanks to Robbie's garman or gar-woman (haha we all know it has to be a woman because a man would never stop and ask for directions!) we made it to Omaha, NE at around 6pm, the trip was pleasant. Everything seems to be greener the further you get from Kansas. Ryan and Renissa will be leaving Augusta in the morning to meet up with us. We will leave in the morning and head on into Rochester, it should be about 380 miles. Tomorrow night Roxie will call the hospital and get the instructions for Robert and we will check him in Monday morning. Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers they are greatly appreciated, keep them coming we all need them at this time. The family loves to read all the comments so keep them coming too.

Happy Labor to everyone. I hope that everyone is enjoying a much needed day off. Just thought I would let everyone know that things are going good. Robert was running a fever on Friday and had to be put in to the hospital over night to get re-hydrated. They also put him on antibiotics. He got to go back home on Saturday. He seems to be doing better. Ryan, Melissa, Tenley, Talen, Renissa, Darren, Nolan and Camrea got to come home for the weekend! It was a nice weekend with all of the family home. We all spent Saturday at Robert and Roxie's then on Sunday Robbie barbecued on his traegger grill and brought chicken, ribs and brisket out to Grammie's for lunch it was really good, then Sunday night we came out to our house for supper, the plan was to go fishing but unfortunately the wind did not corporate. A big thanks to Grammie's boss (RT) for having Webb's B-Bque cater food for us. With all the kids and grand kids there are a lot of mouths to feed! Grammie is still trying to take care of everyone but we at least tried to get her to rest a while. Thanks to everyone for all your thoughts, prayers and comments!

They have finally made it home, safe and sound! Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers, they are greatly appreciated.

They just left Rochester!!! Hurray!

As always everything runs on hospital time. Robert is still waiting to be able to leave it should only be about 30 mins now and they will be on there way. All the different departments had to come and give him instructions this morning before he could leave and now they are waiting on his medication. It has been a long process (and a lot of paper work!) to get him dismissed but the wait is almost to an end! They will be driving to Kansas City, KS tonight and staying the night there. Ryan will go ahead and drive all the way home tonight so that he can be with his family. Then Rod, Robbie, Robert and Roxie will travel the rest of the way home on Wednesday. Thanks again for all the prayers, keeping them coming so that we can have our family safe at home again real soon.

Doctors came in after the stint was put in. They said it was very successful. There was tremendous pressure from the tumor on the duct causing restriction. They did a biopsy from inside the bile duct just to get a preliminary to see what kind of cells they would be dealing with when they remove the top part of the pancreas on Sept. 8Th. He is on a liquid diet for tonight. They want him to rest tonight then the doctors will come in, in the morning and release him as long as everything is going good. They will head home after that. It will take them two days to get home so that Robert does not get too wore down. The doctors said that everything was progressing well. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers through this time of need! We all appreciate it! To the family at Rochester take care and come home soon we all miss you!

Robert is out of surgery! The stint is in. He seems to be in a good mood. Will post more info
as we get it.

They just took Robert in for his stint at 1:15 pm. The procedure is 30 mins and then recovery. It should be 2 to 2 1/2 hours recovery after surgery. Then they will take him back to his room. If there are complications the Doctor's will come back up to the room and talk to the family. It doesn't sound like the doctors will come talk to the family until they make their rounds. Another waiting game for the family!

Right now the plan is for them to take Robert in at 12:45 pm. They are trying to keep Robert busy so he doesn't get all worked up about waiting. As soon as they take him in , I will be updating the blog. Keep the prayers and comments coming.

A diabetic doctor came in yesterday and worked with Robert on his sugar level. They hit it with more insulin then they had been and got it down faster. His sugar was 258 this morning. They are trying to keep it at 150 or lower. They are limiting his carbs, he can have 14 carbs (1800 calories). The doctor came in this morning and they still don't know when they will put the stint in. It will be sometime tomorrow. Hopefully they will be released Tuesday morning. They have to monitor him for 24hrs after putting the stint in. The plans are for Rod, Robbie, Robert and Roxie to drive to Kearney, NE Tuesday then get up Wednesday morning and drive the rest of the way in. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. Keep the comments coming!
Love ~ Jill

Hey Papa you said to eat the mouth balls Right???

Tate is all over it Papa!

Are these moth balls?? This is the best racoon chasing thing you can get besides my Good Looks and my secret weapon ohh betty lou she was the one AK 57 uzi radar, laser, tripple barrel, double scoped, heat seeking shotgun! invented for Roberto Berning. By Chandler Berning the grandson of the racoon killing machine he is gonna have a picture with a racoon in the out door magizines for the biggest sweet corn COON! go grandpa and your very sweet, sweet corn ROCK ON!

They have scheduled his surgery on Sept. 8Th . They will put the stint in on Monday. Then Robert, Roxie, and the kids will head home hopefully on Tuesday and be home on Wednesday. Then they will have to be back in Rochester on Sunday. The plans are to leave on Saturday which would be the Sept. 6Th to be in Rochester on Sunday. From what the surgeons said they will be able to do it by laparoscopic which is a much better procedure. The surgery will take 5-7 hours. The surgeon said that he would not have to stay in the hospital as long with laparoscopic surgery. On the stint they just go thru the mouth and do it. It will only take 30 mins to do the stint. The family wanted me to tell you thanks for all the prayers and to keep them coming they really do appreciate it and know that the "power of prayer" is working. They will be able to take Robert to church this afternoon at 4:30pm.

Good Morning! Roxie, Rod, Robbie, Renissa and Ryan ( I should just right the 5 R's) are headed to the hospital to check on Robert. Hopefully the surgeon's and doctor's will come in on time this morning so that they know when they are going to do the surgery. If they do the surgery within 5 days they will not put a stint in but if for some reason they can't get to him for 5 days or longer they will put a stint in then take it out during surgery. He will be in the hospital for 7-10 days after surgery. His recovery time should be 4-6 weeks. Keep the prayers and the comments coming Robert and the kids love to read them and they are checking them all the time! Thank God for technology! The prayers are really working! Thanks to everyone for keeping Robert and the family in your prayers!

Surgeons came in tonight to see Robert at 6:35pm. They will be doing the "Whipple procedure"
The Radiologists, Dr's and surgeons are very optimistic that they can remove it all with no complications. They will also be taking out the gall bladder. He will have about 2/3's of his pancreas left. I also put on pictures and the Whipple procedure in the prior post. The Dr's and Surgeons will come in, in the morning about 8 or 9 to decide on a surgery date and time. As soon as we know more we will let you know!

Whipple Procedure
The Whipple procedure (pancreatoduodenectomy) is the most common operation performed for pancreatic cancer and may be used to treat other cancers such as small bowel cancer. Surgeons remove the head of the pancreas, most of the duodenum (a part of the small intestine), a portion of the bile duct and sometimes a portion of the stomach. After the pancreatoduodenectomy, the surgeon reconstructs the digestive tract. At Mayo Clinic, surgeons perform more than 100 Whipple procedures annually. Patients leave the hospital in an average of 14 days.

What is a Whipple operation?
In the Whipple operation the head of the pancreas, a portion of the bile duct, the gallbladder and the duodenum is removed. Occasionally a portion of the stomach may also be removed. After removal of these structures the remaining pancreas, bile duct and the intestine is sutured back into the intestine to direct the gastrointestinal secretions back into the gut.

Just to help everyone understand I am re-posting this blog so that you can understand what they are doing.
Enlarge

Roxie says the kids think that they are in charge, but what they don't know is " I'm in charge of this Pumpkin Patch!"
" Family joke!"

"This is as good as it gets" by Robert Berning

"Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. If you want a nice vacation spot...you can have my room for $2500/day. Nice view from the 6th floor, just one floor away from the Penthouse with a scenic view of Rochester, Minnesota."

This came directly from Robert!

Rod and Robbie sent me this picture. The balck spot is where the tumor is. Double click on image to enlarge it.

Just talked to Robert on the phone. He sounds great! From what he said it sounds like even if they dont do the surgery for a few days him and Roxie will be staying there. I can't believe how great he sounds on the phone-- it is great to hear him like that again! Believe it or not he is just worried about the weather here, you would think that he was a farmer! Ha! Ha!

Good News!! It is operable!! The tumor has not invaded any other organs and it is not on the blood vessels. The mass has to come out and it is probably cancerous but the doctors are very optimistic that everything will be fine. The mass is 3 Cm's in size and at the top of the pancreas. They will take the head of the pancreas off when they do this they will have to re-route ducts. They will be scheduling the surgery within 10 days. If they can do it they will either do it today or Monday. If not they will put a stint in and send Robert home for a few days, that just depends on when they schedule it. The surgeons might see something else when they get in there but for right now everything looks good. After his surgery he will be in the hospital for 4-6 weeks. They are meeting with the surgeon this afternoon. They will not need to do Chemo when this is done. The mass is not deep! Thank you for all your prayers!! Keeping them coming!! Robert is doing very well and has a very positive attitude. Love _ Jill Roxie and the kids wanted me to tell everyone thanks for all the support and prayers!!

Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic specializes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the digestive tract and liver. It is the largest practice of its kind in the United States. In any given year, members of the Division perform approximately 30,000 minimally invasive, endoscopic procedures in state-of-the-art facilities.

Copied this so people might understand a little better. Robert has a whole team of doctors but Dr. Robert E. Kraichely is the head doctor. He is a doctor of Gastroenterology. They came in and said that Robert's tumor is at the top of pancreas where the two ducts meet. They are studying the CT Scan and will let the family know in about an 1hour what they see and what they are going to do. They did tell them that there is a special team of doctors that only do pancreatic surgeries and that they will be doing the surgery.


What is the pancreas?
The pancreas is a spongy, tube-shaped organ about 6 inches long. It is located in the back of the abdomen, behind the stomach. The head of the pancreas is on the right side of the abdomen. It is connected to the duodenum, the upper end of the small intestine. The narrow end of the pancreas, called the tail, extends to the left side of the body.
The pancreas makes pancreatic juices and hormones, including insulin. Pancreatic juices, also called enzymes, help digest food in the small intestine. Insulin controls the amount of sugar in the blood. Both enzymes and hormones are needed to keep the body working right.
As pancreatic juices are made, they flow into the main pancreatic duct. This duct joins the common bile duct, which connects the pancreas to the liver and the gallbladder. The common bile duct, which carries bile (a fluid that helps digest fat), connects to the small intestine near the stomach.

They took Robert in for a CT Scan at 8:10 am. It should take about an hour for the scan. As soon as I get more information I will post it!

Good Morning Everyone! Robbie, Renissa and Ryan made it to the motel last night about 1 or 1:30 am. Last night before Robert ate supper his sugar was at 213. Not perfect yet but getting closer. It should be between 80-120 to be normal. Thanks for all the comments and all the prayers, keep them coming! I know that Renissa is checking the blog regularly, she is using Robbie's phone, he was sure that it wouldn't work this morning because she was on it so much yesterday! That is diffently a brother comment! Love - Jill

Robert is in St. Mary's hospital in Rochester, MN. St. Mary's is one of two Mayo hospitals in Rochester. If you would like to check out their site you can go to www.mayoclinic.org/saintmaryhospital

6:00pm For right now they are going to feed Robert supper and then have him fast the rest of the night. First thing in the morning they will be doing lab work and a CT Scan. So for right now they get to try and get a good night sleep so they can start with the testing first thing in the morning. Robbie, Ryan and Renissa should be arriving in Rochester aroung midnight tonight.
The doctor has been in to seem him already.

They just got settled into a room. Right now they are doing Robert's vitals and putting an IV in. It sounds like they had to do alot of paper work before going to a room! He is in St. Mary's Hospital on the 6th floor in room # 308 it is in the Domittila Building. Please no phone calls at this time they are trying to get everything set so they can start testing. He was put into his room at 4:40pm our time. For some reason when I post this the time is off so I will try to state the time in the post. Keep the prayers coming!

Rod just called and they have landed in Rochester. They will be taking a cab to the hospital.
I will keep everyone updated. Thanks Jill

Just to let everyone know Dr. Steurman came in this morning to check Robert and his billirubin was elevated. Last night it was at 7.3 and this morning it was 9.3. Dr. Steurman decided that he needed to go to Mayo's now instead of waiting. They got a plane out of Dodge City to pick them up in Leoti and take them to Rochester. Robert, Roxie and Rod flew out of Leoti at 11:45 am. They should arrive in Rochester in about 3 to 3 1/2 hrs. Robbie is driving to Wichita to pick up Ryan and Renissa and head to Rochester. As soon as they get Robert to Mayo's they will start running test on him. As soon as I get more information I will be putting it on Robert's blog spot so keep checking back. My phone number at work is 872-2529, home is 872-2022 and cell phone is 214-2946. Keep the prayers coming!

Robert Berning's Journal

Hi friends and family- Thanks for all the phone calls, prayers and support through this difficult time. As you have probably heard Robert got sick over the weekend and was put into the Leoti Hospital on Monday. Dr. Alpert did some test including a sonogram. They found a mass on his pancreas. It is at the head of the pancreas and measures 3 Cm's in size. Because the top of the pancreas is where your insulin is produced it has caused Robert's blood sugar to be highly elevated. Right now they are checking his blood sugar on a regular basis and maintaining it with diet and insulin injections. Roxie and the kids have had to learn how to give him shots and check his blood sugar. As far as the mass goes they will be taking Robert to Mayo's in Rochester, MN on Monday August 25th. Monday afternoon Robert, Roxie, Rod and Robbie will be leaving for Minnesota. They will drive to Kansas City Monday night and pick Ryan up there. From there they will go on into Rochester. The plans are for Renissa to fly into Minnesota on Wed. On Tuesday Robert will meet with the doctors, then on Wednesday they will be doing a biopsy to see where to go from there. We will keep everyone posted on Robert's blog page so keep checking back since the family will be busy with doctors and testing and probably will not be able to answer phone calls. Thanks again for all your support and prayers!