Wednesday, 31 October 07
Kathy and I took Aimee and Aric on the annual treat or treat outing today. It truly seems like just yesterday that Aric the Phantom trod these very same paths.
Even though this night is associated with spooks and pumpkins, the Bible declares that the day belongs to the Lord and the night belongs to the Lord (Psalms 74:16), a pervasive thought circling my mind as we strolled the streets in Flower Mound this mild fall evening.
Saturday, 27 October 07
I woke up at 6:15 am this morning, unable to go back to sleep. Saturday is usually a day to tarry in the sack a bit longer than on weekdays, and I look forward to the extra rest. Initially disappointed, I realized that this was due to the injection (Decadon being the agent primarily responsible) from yesterday. "Land of Goshen" I said to myself, now understanding the 7 hours of sleep to be a great blessing following said injection. My usual max period of rest the evening of an injection is 3 hours, then I wake up, lie awake in bed for an hour praying or trying to go to sleep, then go back to sleep for 3 hours. Same elapsed time period, but much less restful than 7 continuous hours.
Friday, 26 October 07
The cbc test this morning showed the usual decrease in Platelets the 2nd week following a Carbo treatment. I received Avastin today (not a chemo-type med). I hope and pray that this is the final such event. If my next MRI is clean, I will be able to cut back or even eliminate these IVs, and return to bi-monthly MRIs.
I learned some of the finer points of chemotherapy today. My question to Dr. Stark-Vance: "When a tumor recurs, why are some people put on CPT-11 immediately, which typically produces heavy fatigue and other undesirable side effects, while others are given Carboplatin, which is associated with less toxicity to a patient's body? Her answer: "Carbo stays in your system for about four weeks, while CPT-11 lasts only one week. In cases where a tumor is removed, but kept alive in the lab (or two labs) and exposed to agents in a series of sensitivity tests, the most effective med can often be identified. This is great for the patient, but such a study can take four or more weeks to accomplish. So rather than waiting for the study results and allowing the tumor to progress unmolested, CPT-11 is administered to begin fighting the beast right away. In this scenario, CPT-11 serves as a "bridge" or stop gap measure between the removal of the tumor and the study output. If the tumor expresses a vulnerability to Carbo or Temodar for example, the CPT-11 can be discontinued straight away and Carbo or Temodar can be started post haste."
The word "bridge" stuck with me following the appointment today. There are physical bridges, such as the famous London Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, there are medical bridges, such as the situation just described, the phrase "bridge note" is a term used in the Venture Capital world, there is even a card game called bridge, but have you ever considered the Bridge to Eternity?
Wednesday, 24 October 07
I believe in the power of prayer; that the Lord moves His people to pray and that He delights to answer prayers that are consistent with His will. I believe that prayer changes the attitudes and outlook of the person who prays, usually over a period of time. I believe that God is soverign, and performs His will exactly as He has has planned from eternity past. I believe that God is God and that His truth and purposes will proceed forward exactly as He so desires with or without my cooperation. I believe that the mystery of prayer works in harmony with the mystery of His will. I believe that thousands of prayers have been offered to the Lord on my behalf.
I am most grateful for your letters, emails, encouraging words in person and prayer pages. I have been receiving numerous prayer pages over the past several months with interesting, even mysterious numerical messages being displayed in the pager window. The typical page reads 777 or 831 or a Zip Code, but many pages such as 7 and 77 and 7777 and today even 777-0777 have been rolling in. Thanks for your support; these pages always seem to come at just the right time! Oh, the stories I could tell
Friday, 19 October 07
The cbc test this morning demonstrated a 15% increase in Platelets. Great news anytime, especially when my count from last week was low, requiring a reduced Carbo dosage.
Thursday, 18 October 07
The kittens are now three weeks old. Take a look and let me know how many you'd like when they reach six weeks.
Wednesday, 17 October 07
The chemo grip has loosened; I awoke this morning feeling considerably better! Great day at work - much accomplished!
Tuesday, 16 October 07
I'm feeling better today; not 100%, but well enough to accompany some friends to visit a new friend named Keith who is facing a probable diagnosis of cancer. Keith has a testimony that is off the charts. I fancy such humility and Christlikeness in my own life. We prayed for Keith and wife Kay and then Keith gave each of us a copy of his book Seeing Eye to Eye With God which I will read after I complete my current project, What's So Amazing About Grace?
Monday, 15 October 07
The chemo from last Friday has hit me harder than previous infusions, so I had to cancel several appointments, such as the Legacy Brain Foundation's Night Under the Stars (Saturday), the Leukemia and Lymphomia's Light the Night Walk (Sunday) and work (today). This is the first time I have had to miss work because of chemotherapy side effects since I began taking these meds in March 2004.
Friday, 12 October 07
My cbc counts have sufficiently improved to permit a Carboplatin infusion, albeit at a reduced dosage (650 mg vs. the ususal 750 mg). I deemed the tumor to be a greater threat than the basal tissue on my face, so the Avastin was administered in series with the Carbo, and the minor surgery to remove the facial spot will have to wait until late November timeframe (30 days after the last Avastin injection), since Avastin can prevent proper wound healing.
Tuesday, 09 October 07
The biopsy of the spot on my face indicates that it is of the basal type. It will be cut out on 25 Oct 07.
Friday, 05 October 07
The radiologist's report concerning my MRI on Wednesday pronounces me clean! I have two clean scans since the return of the beast in June. We had planned to administer Carboplatin chemo today, but a low Platelet count requires a delay of a few more days.
Thursday, 04 October 07
44 months have elapsed since the beast in February 2004. I thank the Lord everyday for every day He gives me and I thank-you for all of the prayers and prayer pages.
Wednesday, 03 October 07
I finished reading through the Bible today, the book at the top of my recommended reading list. About 2 1/4 years were required to complete this cycle, because I limit my reading to two or three chapters (usually one) per day, so as not to read too quickly and miss nuggets of truth the Lord has placed in His Word for me (and you) to discover. The Bible is the one book you never finish reading; I have now returned to Genesis.
Two medical appointments were accomplished today. The first was a biopsy of a spot on my face. Dr. Perez says that the form could be pre-cancerous or skin cancer; the results will be available in 5-7 business days. Either way, it is slow growing and can easily be taken care of, according to Dr. Perez. If pre-cancerous, we will use creams, heat and cold to eliminate the spot. If it does turn out to be a basal type, then we will cut the thing out. The attending nurse asked several times if being poked by a needle could cause me to faint, or if I had any related issues. After the 3rd or 4th time, I said, "well I used to be a bit squemish, but the Lord worked a miracle, turning me inside out to where I no longer have this tendency."
The 2nd medical appointment today was MRI at ISI in Denton. The MRI machine in Flower Mound was in a state of disrepair, so I drove to Denton for a scan on ISI's 1.5T equipment. The two facilities are networked together to easily share film. I took a long hard look, even two long hard looks at the film and I appear to be clean, but I will receive the radiologist's report on Friday.
Tuesday, 02 October 07
I have begun to upload pictures from the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends air show I attended last week. I took 250 photos, so the best images will be posted incrementally.
