Tuesday, April 23, 2013

A Less-bad Report

FACT: In January, Mike's doctor told us that latest CAT showed 2 lesions on his liver.
FACT: He began 'the last thing we can do for you' chemo regime.
FACT: This regime has about a 20% chance of slowing the cancer.
FACT: He is supposed to get two drugs, on two days, two weeks apart.
FACT: He has missed two weekly treatments as his platelets were too low.
FACT: He continues to experience a lot of pain and takes increasingly strong doses of pain killers.
FACT: Last week, he got another CAT.
FACT: We went to yesterday's (4/22) appointment, ready for bad news.

So, amid discussions of Mother's Day, Father's Day, anniversary, relocating to the lake, and the 5th annual "I'm not dead yet" birthday party, we both expected that such dreams would vanish like a puff of smoke.

Turns out as per his doctor:

"Some things are smaller. Some are larger. We call this 'disease stable'. Let's continue with chemo."

So God, you give us more time together. Show us what we are to do with this time.

And blog friends, thank you for being faithful. God's blessings rain down on us, in big ways and small.

And.....we will keep you posted.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Oh yeah: update.

It's not like we've forgotten our blog friends. It's just that, right now, there's not much to report except:

Since Mike's doctor told us that there were visible lesions on his liver, we've followed a course, a last course, of chemotherapy. Dr. says that this is it...there is nothing else for us. And this treatment may buy a bit more time. Or maybe not.

This time, Mike goes to the Oncology Shop twice on one week and then takes a week off. This was, I thought, supposed to be 4 times, for 8 weeks. Except twice, Mike's platelets were too low and we skipped the treatment week.

Like this week.

Although our plans were, shall we say?, very very tentative, we DID slip away for a few days, to our quiet spot on the ocean. Two days of travel. Three days of sand and surf. Travel was ok. The other...two good days and one day not-so-good. Then it was back to Kokomo and Mike's teaching at Ivy Tech.

And although he said he did not feel tired, Saturday became a L O N G day of sleeping.

So today, platelets low and no chemo.

Next week, Mike will get another CAT and then we'll chat with the doctor on the following Monday. And in between, we'll just keep on living.