It's back to work we go. I was feeling so well after the last Dr. visit that we made the decision to go back to work. Anyway, I worked Monday and Tuesday, got right back into the fray with a couple of items, and was definitely tired at the end of the day. Who would have thought a month ago that I'd be back to work so soon--an unexpected blessing arranged by God.
Something I had not mentioned as an outcome of the Dr. visit was that I got a port installed so that chemo treatments are easier. The port is a gadget that is surgically implanted just below the collar bone and has a tube that is inserted into a major vein. This morning (Wed) I had the first chemo through the port. It was a lot easier in respect to having an easy stick and no pain in the arm. My head is still kind of woozy, so if this post makes little sense, that is the reason: "blogging under the influence".
There were only a few people getting chemo, but we struck up a conversation with a Christian lady sitting next to me. It turned out to be an encouragement both medically and spiritually. She has been undergoing chemo off and on for four years for colon cancer. Early in her journey, she had been offered a complex surgery at Vanderbilt, but after much prayer and thinking about it, turned it down. After that, her oncologist came up with a different chemotherapy that has worked very well for her. It was clear that she was dependent on what God was telling her and it was the right thing to do. She seems to have done fine without the surgery. A good encouragement to us.
I am back to work today (Thurs) so a good nights sleep helped a lot. The woozy stuff was written yesterday.
We got a pointer to an excellent short article for Christians with cancer:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2006/1776_Dont_Waste_Your_Cancer/
It is aimed at those in my situation and points to God's sovereignty as the only real thing on which to hang our faith. If you think about it, how could you really trust Him unless He was not only loving, but also totally omnipotent. How could you really trust Him unless you could be assured that He does everything for His glory AND our good, and is so wise that neither of those takes precedence, but that they are always perfectly entwined. God can be completely trusted with the lives of His people.
Thanks for all your prayers. Keep it up, we can feel the results daily.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
All The News
As promised, here is an update after we visited the Dr. this morning to get the PET and CT scan results. Here are the Medical results:
Considering that less than half of esophogeal cancer patients make it past a year from their initial diagnosis, my results sound really great. The size of the esophogeal growth has been reduced to only a slight thickening of the esophogeal wall. One of the most swollen lymph nodes in my abdomen went from 2.9 by about 2 cm down to 2.5 by .6 cm. The PET values are in something called SUV (standard uptake value). The main cancer mass went from SUV 8.0 down to 3.1. Usually a value above about 2 or 2.5 is cause for concern when cancer is not known; but SUV numbers vary by location of the lab and how exactly the test is done. The main thing here is a marked reduction in both the size and the SUV intensity.
Based on the above results we will continue to have IV chemo treatments on a three week cycle for 3 more cycles, in addition to the oral chemo drug I take daily. Another PET will be scheduled following that, then a decision will be made on taking some time off from the chemo. The scheduling of chemo depends both on how well I tolerate the drugs and how much effect they have on the cancer.
Unfortunately, chemo is not a "cure". No matter how many times you kill the cancer cells chemically, a few billion of the original trillions of cells will survive each cycle. Similarly to the way bacteria develop immunity to antibiotics, the cancer will develop an immunity to the chemo. So it will eventually come back and not be affected by the chemotherapy we are using now. The Dr. was very reluctant to predict anything based on the results so far, though he did say it may take the cancer a year or more to start to develop this immunity.
That is the medical news. Here is the spiritual:
We are thrilled that God has seen fit to carry us along as he has. The improvements discussed above are the results of not just good medicine, but of so many of you praying for us. We know that whatever the Dr. says, God can do whatever He wants. He knows full well my condition and can deal with it and me as His purposes require. If He wants to remove the cancer from my body He can do that, or if He wants to let it run its course as I described He will do that. Whatever His will, we trust in Him to lead us and care for us, which He has so abundantly proven He will do by what has happened thus far. We are in His hands and that is the safest and best place to be.
Considering that less than half of esophogeal cancer patients make it past a year from their initial diagnosis, my results sound really great. The size of the esophogeal growth has been reduced to only a slight thickening of the esophogeal wall. One of the most swollen lymph nodes in my abdomen went from 2.9 by about 2 cm down to 2.5 by .6 cm. The PET values are in something called SUV (standard uptake value). The main cancer mass went from SUV 8.0 down to 3.1. Usually a value above about 2 or 2.5 is cause for concern when cancer is not known; but SUV numbers vary by location of the lab and how exactly the test is done. The main thing here is a marked reduction in both the size and the SUV intensity.
Based on the above results we will continue to have IV chemo treatments on a three week cycle for 3 more cycles, in addition to the oral chemo drug I take daily. Another PET will be scheduled following that, then a decision will be made on taking some time off from the chemo. The scheduling of chemo depends both on how well I tolerate the drugs and how much effect they have on the cancer.
Unfortunately, chemo is not a "cure". No matter how many times you kill the cancer cells chemically, a few billion of the original trillions of cells will survive each cycle. Similarly to the way bacteria develop immunity to antibiotics, the cancer will develop an immunity to the chemo. So it will eventually come back and not be affected by the chemotherapy we are using now. The Dr. was very reluctant to predict anything based on the results so far, though he did say it may take the cancer a year or more to start to develop this immunity.
That is the medical news. Here is the spiritual:
We are thrilled that God has seen fit to carry us along as he has. The improvements discussed above are the results of not just good medicine, but of so many of you praying for us. We know that whatever the Dr. says, God can do whatever He wants. He knows full well my condition and can deal with it and me as His purposes require. If He wants to remove the cancer from my body He can do that, or if He wants to let it run its course as I described He will do that. Whatever His will, we trust in Him to lead us and care for us, which He has so abundantly proven He will do by what has happened thus far. We are in His hands and that is the safest and best place to be.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Back Home
We had a wonderful time in SD with the grandchildren, daughter and son-in-law. Playing with the kids was great fun and even the baby, Wyatt, who is six months seems to smile practically all the time. Plus we had a great time visiting with Carol and Avery. (The trip was via Skymiles, so essentially free.)
My health was great during the visit and now. I get tired easily, but that is as much due to inactivity and muscle atrophy as it is chemo. It seems I am getting stronger instead of weaker as time goes on and after three chemo treatments. I don't need an afternoon nap most days anymore. This seems to be the opposite of what we expected from the chemo.
Yesterday, Friday, we had PET and CT scans to see how the treatment is progressing, and we get the results on Tuesday. Thank you for your prayers. They have made all the difference in how well I'm doing.
Another blessing this week was that a large medical bill was totally written off because we do not have regular insurance. We have had no problems financially.
Praise the Lord for all His help on taking care of expenses, physical and medical needs, and for always being with us in a tangible way as we have journeyed this far.
Thanks for all your continued prayers. We know and can see the effects of them.
My health was great during the visit and now. I get tired easily, but that is as much due to inactivity and muscle atrophy as it is chemo. It seems I am getting stronger instead of weaker as time goes on and after three chemo treatments. I don't need an afternoon nap most days anymore. This seems to be the opposite of what we expected from the chemo.
Yesterday, Friday, we had PET and CT scans to see how the treatment is progressing, and we get the results on Tuesday. Thank you for your prayers. They have made all the difference in how well I'm doing.
Another blessing this week was that a large medical bill was totally written off because we do not have regular insurance. We have had no problems financially.
Praise the Lord for all His help on taking care of expenses, physical and medical needs, and for always being with us in a tangible way as we have journeyed this far.
Thanks for all your continued prayers. We know and can see the effects of them.
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