For the second Friday in a row, Mike was unable to receive his IV chemo. His liver levels were too high, either from a week's worth of oral chemo, or from the lymphoma. We don't know yet. They will re-test things Tuesday and decide what to do next.
Is God actually blocking this treatment? He has been telling us to trust Him, big time. It's totally scary, but we're trying. Please pray for us.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Could Have Been "Worse"
One of the things we've been praying for (besides healing, obviously) is for God to block anything he doesn't want us doing. On Friday it almost seemed like we hit a roadblock. Mike went in to begin his chemo, and they could not find a vein to use for the treatment. Three different nurses tried, but were unsuccessful. They were only able to draw blood for his counts, and since they don't like to use the same vein for both draws and treatments, that is all they could do. For a little while, it seemed as though maybe God was blocking this treatment after all.
When Mike's blood counts came back, they were about the same. The liver function tests were slightly elevated from the previous week, but not by much. His other counts (whites, reds, etc.) were a bit lower. We were really hoping for improved liver function tests, and normal blood levels. We didn't exactly get that, but it could have been worse. "Pretty much stable" will have to do.
So while Mike didn't get any IV chemo, he did begin chemo pills at home yesterday morning. So far, so good. He feels a little tired, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Today was a full day with church, lunch, walking around the mall and then seeing a movie ("The Blind Side," which was excellent). He did it all with barely any fatigue.
He'll continue pills at home this week, then they'll give him the IV chemo this Friday. He'll be getting a port put in around his collarbone so they'll be able to give the chemo and draw blood with no stress on his veins.
He will also continue with acupuncture/deep-tissue massage/energy work this week, as we're getting serious about that healing modality as well. No more putting all our eggs in one basket or doing any other healing methods in a half-a$$ed manner.
Here's to a good week......
When Mike's blood counts came back, they were about the same. The liver function tests were slightly elevated from the previous week, but not by much. His other counts (whites, reds, etc.) were a bit lower. We were really hoping for improved liver function tests, and normal blood levels. We didn't exactly get that, but it could have been worse. "Pretty much stable" will have to do.
So while Mike didn't get any IV chemo, he did begin chemo pills at home yesterday morning. So far, so good. He feels a little tired, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Today was a full day with church, lunch, walking around the mall and then seeing a movie ("The Blind Side," which was excellent). He did it all with barely any fatigue.
He'll continue pills at home this week, then they'll give him the IV chemo this Friday. He'll be getting a port put in around his collarbone so they'll be able to give the chemo and draw blood with no stress on his veins.
He will also continue with acupuncture/deep-tissue massage/energy work this week, as we're getting serious about that healing modality as well. No more putting all our eggs in one basket or doing any other healing methods in a half-a$$ed manner.
Here's to a good week......
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Believe With Us….
Tomorrow afternoon, Mike is scheduled to begin his chemotherapy (again). We are going ahead as planned, but are still believing that God can show us a miracle through Mike’s blood work, which the doctors will look at before administering the chemo.
We’ve been spending much time in prayer recently, and believe God has spoken to us in a variety of ways. For those of faith (and those who maybe aren’t yet sure), we ask you to believe with us that God can and will heal this disease.
Praise God....
We’ve been spending much time in prayer recently, and believe God has spoken to us in a variety of ways. For those of faith (and those who maybe aren’t yet sure), we ask you to believe with us that God can and will heal this disease.
Praise God....
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The Latest
I wanted to write a quick update before people started to think I jumped off a bridge or something (hmmmmmm......).
The past few weeks have been hell, but we've also managed to continue with things as normally as possible. We've cried, prayed, laughed. I've yelled, bargained and pleaded with God. I even had a shouting match to end all shouting matches with Him one night when I went by myself to pick up a pizza. We've been getting back to church, and I think we've really found the one that fits us well. It feels as though we have so many more questions than answers, but I guess that's part of being human.
Here is the e-mail I just sent to our family and friends, which sums up what the past few weeks have brought:
Hello, all. I'm sorry for the impersonal method of giving our updates over e-mail, but there are so many of you we want to reach and it's impossible to do it all individually.
As most of you know, Mike has been recovering well from January's bone-marrow transplant. Since the summer, his blood work has showed some slightly elevated liver function tests. The doctors were confident this was due to a common, mild reaction to the new stem cells (called graft-versus-host disease). Last month, they did a liver biopsy to confirm their suspicions of GVH disease, but were shocked (as were we) to find that the biopsy actually showed lymphoma cells. It was a terrible mental blow to us, as we were told this was such a remote possibility.
Since then, we've been dealing with the news and Mike has been undergoing the usual slew of further tests which follow a recurrence. The PET/CT scan showed possible activity in the spleen, but everything else looked fine. A bone-marrow biopsy did confirm involvement in the marrow as well (another surprise, since cancer has never been found in the marrow before).
As always, the good news is that Mike feels and looks well. Without that biopsy we'd never know anything was wrong.
After consulting with the doctors, we have agreed that a reduced-intensity chemo regimen, which will be done one day a week as an outpatient, is the best way to proceed. He will also take chemo pills at home. This will not have the intensity of previous treatments, but should hold things at bay and hopefully put the cancer into remission. They will do a couple rounds of treatment, then re-test things in a couple months and we'll decide how to proceed from there.
Since the first diagnosis in 2003, the doctors have always felt that chemo alone would probably not be the "cure," which is why he went through with two bone-marrow transplants. So, while the medical options are getting more narrow, we want to assure everyone that he has NOT been sent home without any hope. He has always responded well to chemo, and we are confident he will again. We will continue to do our complimentary therapies, and rely on the power of prayer.
Once again, all we ask is for everyone's prayers -- prayers of healing, of course, but also prayers for peace of mind, for making the right medical decisions, etc. Please do not underestimate the power of prayers. We know God works miracles every day, and we continue to ask for one as well. You can even add Mike to any prayer lists you belong to.
We believe the Lord will work through this and use this for something good, and we implore our friends and family to believe with us. We will continue to pray and praise Him, and invite you to join us, "For nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37)
Love,
Lauren
The past few weeks have been hell, but we've also managed to continue with things as normally as possible. We've cried, prayed, laughed. I've yelled, bargained and pleaded with God. I even had a shouting match to end all shouting matches with Him one night when I went by myself to pick up a pizza. We've been getting back to church, and I think we've really found the one that fits us well. It feels as though we have so many more questions than answers, but I guess that's part of being human.
Here is the e-mail I just sent to our family and friends, which sums up what the past few weeks have brought:
Hello, all. I'm sorry for the impersonal method of giving our updates over e-mail, but there are so many of you we want to reach and it's impossible to do it all individually.
As most of you know, Mike has been recovering well from January's bone-marrow transplant. Since the summer, his blood work has showed some slightly elevated liver function tests. The doctors were confident this was due to a common, mild reaction to the new stem cells (called graft-versus-host disease). Last month, they did a liver biopsy to confirm their suspicions of GVH disease, but were shocked (as were we) to find that the biopsy actually showed lymphoma cells. It was a terrible mental blow to us, as we were told this was such a remote possibility.
Since then, we've been dealing with the news and Mike has been undergoing the usual slew of further tests which follow a recurrence. The PET/CT scan showed possible activity in the spleen, but everything else looked fine. A bone-marrow biopsy did confirm involvement in the marrow as well (another surprise, since cancer has never been found in the marrow before).
As always, the good news is that Mike feels and looks well. Without that biopsy we'd never know anything was wrong.
After consulting with the doctors, we have agreed that a reduced-intensity chemo regimen, which will be done one day a week as an outpatient, is the best way to proceed. He will also take chemo pills at home. This will not have the intensity of previous treatments, but should hold things at bay and hopefully put the cancer into remission. They will do a couple rounds of treatment, then re-test things in a couple months and we'll decide how to proceed from there.
Since the first diagnosis in 2003, the doctors have always felt that chemo alone would probably not be the "cure," which is why he went through with two bone-marrow transplants. So, while the medical options are getting more narrow, we want to assure everyone that he has NOT been sent home without any hope. He has always responded well to chemo, and we are confident he will again. We will continue to do our complimentary therapies, and rely on the power of prayer.
Once again, all we ask is for everyone's prayers -- prayers of healing, of course, but also prayers for peace of mind, for making the right medical decisions, etc. Please do not underestimate the power of prayers. We know God works miracles every day, and we continue to ask for one as well. You can even add Mike to any prayer lists you belong to.
We believe the Lord will work through this and use this for something good, and we implore our friends and family to believe with us. We will continue to pray and praise Him, and invite you to join us, "For nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37)
Love,
Lauren
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