One Year Today

One year ago today, my mom had surgery to remove what they thought was one tumor from her abdomen. There were three. Dad & I had looked at photos of tumors on the internet; we considered what the prognosis might be. We tried not to look ahead very much, because the road did not look like one we wanted to travel.

Perhaps the most insidious piece of information was the innocent little red & blue chart in Dr. Genesen's office, which showed ovarian cancer with its different stages. Stage 3 & 4, we knew, were the most common. The chart was very sterile, like a drawing in an anatomy book. If it had been a horror movie, it would have better delivered its message. I remember Mom pointing to it and asking, "Is that what I have?" I think I answered, "Don't look at it, Mom. We don't know."

Mom was admitted in a flurry of emergency when she went for her post-op blood work on Friday. Something wasn't right in their initial testing, and Mom was in pain. She was on morphine all weekend, waiting for Monday when they could do surgery. They can't stage ovarian cancer until they see it. At my church group one evening, a friend said, "Isn't that the cancer they call 'the silent killer'?"

My pastor has preached on Matthew 6 several times, the sermon Jesus gave about not worrying. Pastor says that all the worry we do doesn't pay off; never do we say, "Wow, I'm glad I spent all that time worrying. It really helped the situation!" I spent a lot of time kicking worry in the head. We had a mountain of some kind to climb, looming in front of us. The best way to conquer it was one step at a time. No amount of worry could help us face an ugly prognosis. This time was hard enough to get through, on its own.

Mom was up most of the night before the surgery, a bit loopy on medication. Dad "slept" at the hospital. Some friends from my church came to pray with us in the morning after I arrived. The gurney came for her surgery. We smiled at Mom, kissed her...I barely remember it now.

I talked a lot in the waiting room to Dad. Being entertaining is how I pass the time. I wonder if he remembers anything we said? We talked a little politics, a little history, but I talked a lot about Jesus. I like to think about Jesus, who He really is. Waiting for Mom to come out of surgery, I would rather talk about Jesus than just about anyone else.

Dr. Genesen (who looks a bit like George Clooney) told us they had found three tumors. One was growing inside her uterus--endometrial cancer--but the fact that they tumors were synchronous was good news. Oddly, having both endometrial and ovarian cancer together tended to have a better prognosis. He had taken out some lymph nodes. There were no visible tumors on organs other than Mom's reproductive system. Mom's abdomen had been so swollen because one of the tumors had burst, and the fluid had actually invaded the chest cavity around her lungs. The tumor bursting was not so good, spreading the fluid around her gut; she would need chemotherapy. The staging? One C. Stage 1c, the "c" because one of the tumors had burst. The fluid buildup had probably been one of the most serious symptoms, and ironically might have caused us to find the tumors earlier.

You could not have watched my parents throughout the month of October, 2008, without being struck by how much they love each other. Of course, growing up with them, I have always known this. It was incredibly poignant to watch. My dad shook Dr. Genesen's hand; he looked like a teenager, thanking a father for giving permission to marry his daughter. We were so relieved. The dark road we feared wasn't there.

I guess that's what it was: fear hanging over us. And for that moment, it dissipated, and the road ahead wasn't so frightening. We're a strong family; we could fight this battle. And we did.

Praise be to God, today, one year later, we're going out to eat. With Mom.

Happy Anniversary.

No more port

Please pray for me tomorrow. My port is still infected, and so I
will have it surgically removed at St. John's tomorrow morning at
11:30. The risk of leaving it in place is too great. They are
afraid I will develop a blood infection. My last two chemo
treatments will be given through a vein in my arm. Please keep me in
your prayers tomorrow.

Embattled Tuesday

I need your help again! We went to Tulsa today but I didn't have
chemo. The area where my power port was implanted is infected. It
is very angry looking. No smiley faces at all. They were unable to
use my port for a blood draw today for fear of spreading this
infection throughout my body. So, we did the old fashioned out-of-
the arm blood draw.

I have been on a powerful antibiotic for a week now, 1,000 mg per
day. My doctor feels that this is a drug resistant bacterial
infection so he is changing me to a more powerful antibiotic. I have
another appt in Tulsa Thursday to check on progress. If the
infection isn't significantly improved, they will have my port
surgically removed. Sob. I really want to keep it for the last two
chemo treatments.

Specific prayer request: Please pray that the antibiotics knock out
this infection, that I can keep my port and have my last two chemo
treatments through it. God has been so amazing. I know He will do
what is best for me, so I leave it with him.

I talked to the PA about these last two treatments. My question was
how do we know when we are not killing cancer cells but just damaging
organs and killing healthy cells. She said the doctors use the CT
scans and tumor markers but they also rely on a gut feeling. Since
Dr. Genesen saw the whole ugly picture, he has recommended 8
treatments for me. I trust him, but I also pray that his gut feeling
is in counsel with the Great Physician.

Thanks so much for your love and prayers. You are all so awesome and
supportive. Thanks for always being there to pray for me. It means
more than words can say. Please pass this request to those who need
or want to know.

Fifth chemo treatment

They test Mom's CA-125 number each time she goes. This time, it was down to 9! Yippee! The treatments are crappy, but it helps to know they are doing their job.

Hang in there, Mom.

After the 3rd chemo treatment

I continue to do well with chemo. My CA-125, a tumor marker for
ovarian cancer, has dropped from 275 to 35 to 20 with three
treatments. The normal range starts at 21, so my last reading is
considered "normal". My main side affects are nausea/vomiting,
fatigue, bone/joint pain and neuropathy. All of it is tolerable and
I'm just trying to help my body deal with this assault. My white
blood count is high now thanks to a Neulasta shot the day after
treatment. My red blood count continues to plummet after a
treatment, but so far I've escaped a blood transfusion. All in all,
I'm pleased.

Thank you for the love and concern you have shown me and my family.
It means more than words can say. Please continue to pray for me. I
feel God is the ultimate healer and I'm trusting Him to make my body
whole again, cancer free.

Second round of chemo

Today Mom saw Dr. Genesen (her oncologist), and he said that she is still healing from the surgery, although the healing has slowed some due to the chemo. They changed the dressing on her power port, and it is more comfortable now.

Amazingly, Mom's white blood count was well within normal range, and she was able to have her chemo. The doctor has ordered an injection of Neulasta, which will promote white cell production. She will likely experience some bone pain, but it should be temporary. This drug will hopefully help her body avoid the severe dip in white blood cell count that she experienced last week. He did not change the dose or interval of her chemo.

Please pray that we are somehow able to see each other this Christmas--that Mom's immunity will be strong enough and that our family will avoid viruses & other winter ailments.

P.S. Check out Mom in the new photo! Daddy shaved her head last Friday, so she is now bravely passed that hurdle.

Please telephone!

Mom is stuck at home, unable to see people because of her low immunity. She would love to have calls, just to chat or hear your news. If she is at the doctor or sleeping when you call, please leave a message. Thank you!