Arm Scan

Patty is having another scan today to assure she doesn't have a blood clot in her arm or axilla. The pain has continued so I encouraged her to call today and have it checked out further. Lymphedema is not usually painful so I wasn't comfortable for her to wait until Thursday when she sees her Oncologist.

She's noticeably discouraged by this latest development. Pray that the Lord will grant her encouragement.

On the lighter side, I took Grant and Brett for a haircut last Wednesday night. Thursday Grant decided it wasn't short enough. So he grabs my hair clippers and commences to give himself a reverse mohawk and to trim up Brett's sideburns. Patty called me at work and by her tone of voice I thought he had either busted the TV, broke a mirror, or blew up the computer. When I finally coaxed her into telling me what he did before I got home I actually had a sigh of relief it was just his hair. She wasn't as agreeable. What does he look like now? Well, let's say his cut resembles mine. Haven't seen mine? Its a #1 guard, as low as you can get with a guard. It actually looks good on him now and he's getting more attention as everyone wants to rub it!

150th Post

This makes the 150th post to this blog. Is this a favorable milestone? I think not, especially since I've got not so favorable news to report.

Patty's arm is still bothering her and she has now noticed some swelling in her hand which most likely is lymphedema. Not a good thing. She's is deservedly upset about this as it is just one more thing to have to deal with. We thought that she had eclipsed the period for this to occur but evidently not. She goes to see a specialist next week.

Its just like the hits just keep coming. I could expound on this but probably shouldn't.

We're tired.

Not just physically but mentally as well. I think we have kept clamoring and hoping to return to some semblance of what we once were. The further out we get and the continued issues now have me thinking it isn't going to happen. It's hard to describe but, not only does this effect your physical health but your immediate family, marital relationship, work performance, friends, hope, outlook, well...I could go on and on, basically everything everyday. Its even more difficult to see all your friends and acquaintances carrying on with everyday life and the normal issues you deal with. Truly, I can't describe in print the effect it has on everything. Words can't describe the despair it weighs upon you. I know it could be worse.

Pray for the Lord to extend his mercy and to heal this issue with Patty's arm and to grant us resilience and hope .

Update

Just wanting to drop an update for everyone.

Patty is doing well. She is still receiving her Herceptin infusions weekly. This will continue through December. She still has odd aches and pains that consistently bring concern but that is something that we will have to consistently persevere through. Right now her right arm is bothering her. Its not swollen but feels like there is a tight cord running down her arm. This is often called Fascial Cording. Click HERE for a description. Hopefully we can get her a physical therapy consult which some say helps with this problem.

We're traversing off to Pigeon Forge for a short camping trip during the kids Fall Break. We're looking forward to getting away. Although, you never get away from thoughts and issues related to cancer as your mind travels with you.

This is a note for SP, a faithful reader and friend.

Thank you so much for your encouraging letter. Your faithfulness throughout the years has meant so much to Patty, myself, and the kids. We would love for you to come visit with us and the kids. Feel free to give us a call.

Test Update

The preliminary results from Patty's bone scan today did not show any evidence of cancer. The Lord is Good. Many thanks to all of you who prayed on our behalf.

Patty Having Scan Today

Patty has been having some back pain lately and has been concerned about it. She saw the doctor today and he suggested a bone scan to check it out. She is having it right now. I'd like to ask everyone to pray that the scan would be normal.

Negative!

God is faithful. Patty's thyroid biopsy came back negative. I have no other details but that was good enough for me. Hopefully, this will bring down the stress level from DefCon 2 down to 3.

Thyroid Nodule Update

Patty's thyroid nodule hadn't grown any but it hadn't shrunk either so the doctor wanted to biopsy it. It didn't look like too much fun from my spot in the chair beside the exam table. Of course, I can't ever think of a time that having a needle stuck in your neck 5 or more times would be. Patty is a trooper, I don't know how she does it. I'd be under the exam table or in it.

We won't know until Tuesday or Wednesday what the results are. On ultrasound they couldn't tell if it was actually thyroid or not. They didn't think it was thyroid or breast cancer but you never know until you see the slides. Our prayer request is that all the slides come back normal.

Thyroid Appointment on Friday

Did anybody watch the Crazy Sexy Cancer documentary? Kris, the subject of the story, is a little rough around the edges but it was amazing to me to see someone facing such a life changing illness with hope, enthusiasm, and a overwhelming zest for life. I loved her thought process when searching for a doctor to treat her diagnosis. If you didn't see it basically she was interviewing them for her new company, "Saving my A#% Technologies" I didn't care for her choice of words but it was funny to say the least. How she could find humor in such disheartening task is inspiring. If you get a chance to watch it I highly recommend it.

Patty's return visit to the thyroid doctor is Friday at 8. They will do an ultrasound to check the nodule for any changes in size. Hopefully, it has shrunk. If not, then they will have to biopsy it. Please pray that it will have shrunk so that Patty won't have to get stuck one more time. I have faith that it will go well. I also believe in intercessory prayer as well so please pray for her.

Long Time No Post

Sorry for the dearth of posts. Everyday life as of late has crowded my journalistic time allotments. But, that 's a good thing I guess.

Anyway, I read about something a month ago and again today and thought it was definitely worth passing on. The following links tell a story about a girl with an unbelievable spirit despite the trial of life she is facing. Diagnosed with a extremely rare type of cancer of which there is not much data or research on, she has faced it down and totally embraced the meaning of the word "survivor". Her documentary of which you can see a trailer HERE is going to be on TLC (the learning channel) Wednesday night at 9.

Read her unbelievable spirit and zest for life HERE at her own blog. This girl is truly amazing.

Blood Count &Thyroid Visit Update

We got great news concerning Patty's blood counts on Thursday. There were all normal with the white count back up to 4.7! Hallelujah. Normal is 4 to 11. Patty and I went for her appointment with the thyroid doctor today. It was interesting. I'm in the medical field and I was finding his description of what might be going on hard to follow. In the end, he said that her thyroid levels indicated that she had hyperthyroidism. But, he suspected that she has what he called "Silent Thyroiditis" and that this would probably go away. Indeed he called later today and said that her thyroid levels were normal. He thinks that when she had the thyroid function test that maybe she already had some iodine in her system that prevented uptake in the thyroid.

As for the nodule, he thinks this could have been caused by the inflammation but can't be sure thus he is going to wait 4 weeks and re-ultrasound her thyroid to see if it has shrunk. If not, then he will probably biopsy it. So for the next few weeks pray that God will shrink the nodule so Patty want have to suffer another agonizing biopsy.

One Year Today

One year today, on a Wednesday morning, I received that fateful phone call at about 9 a.m. That is where this journey officially began. After 1 Surgery, 5 Chemo Treatments, 31 Herceptin Infusions, 33 Radiation Treatments, 10's of scans or tests, probably close to a 100 doctor visits, 140 blog posts, and 11,654 blog visitors, the journey is still not complete. Sometimes I wonder if it ever will be.

As I rode to the bottom of the hill we live on this morning, the sun was behind a small smattering of clouds but all the rays could be seen shining in every direction. I stopped to admire... Beautiful. I wondered if God created the sun for us as semblance of himself. Throughout history we've associated the sun with hope, light, warmth, a new beginning, growth, sustaining. All things God is to us.

Later as I realized the date and begin to reflect upon it. I remembered that vision this morning and contemplated if God did that for me. As a symbol of hope or in the least, encouragement. I think that he did.

Patty comes in today for her normal Herceptin treatment and most likely to have her blood checked. She felt as she had no energy yesterday. It could be due to her thyroid condition or because her red blood cell count is low or maybe from just being tired. Of the three, we hope that she is just tired but of the two medical conditions the thyroid would be better. In your prayers today pray that her blood counts will be normal and healthy. She goes to the thyroid doctor tomorrow of which we hope to have some guidance on that.

Endocrinologist on Friday

Patty sees the Endocrinologist on Friday to hopefully get some direction on the thyroid issue. They didn't check her blood last week so there is no update on her blood levels. Pray that the visit goes well.

The Way I See It #259

On my Starbucks cup the other day...

"People say, oh I could never do that! But when you meet cancer patients you understand the bravery and spirit those people show each and every day. Their struggles motivate and inspire you to test the limit of your endurance and to cross that finish line. You'll be surprised by what you can do."

John Kelleny - Eight-time marathoner and leading fundraiser with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training.

Patty has bloodwork again today. Pray that her levels improve.

Scan Update

Patty's scans showed that she has a couple of thyroid nodules and that her thyroid is functioning at a low rate. What does this mean? I'm not sure. Most thyroid nodules are benign. Her thyroid not functioning should result in hyperthyroidism. She has some of the symptoms but not all. I guess we will have to wait and see what the endocrinologist say when she sees him.

Her blood counts were up to just below normal. Hopefully they will move on up tomorrow.

Scans Today

Patty is having a couple of scans today on her thyroid. One is a nuclear medicine scan and the other is an ultrasound. She will also be having her blood work done as well. If you talking to the Lord this morning please mention Patty and these tests.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I apologize for the delay in posting. June and July has been extremely busy months for me and the family. The last five weekends have been action packed. It all kicked off with the Relay for Life on June 22 & 23, then the next long weekend to Student Life Camp with Katie in Ridgecrest, NC, next was July 4^th with family from out of town, my aunt’s wedding the following weekend of which Grant was the ring bearer (boy was that nerve racking), travel to Forest City, NC the next weekend to visit Patty’s family and pick up her cousin’s daughter, Jessica, who was going to stay with us for a week, and then lastly a camping trip to Maggie Valley, of which we returned on Monday. Whew!

Now for the update on Patty, her blood counts have dropped back down to below normal. Patty’s Med Onc is not sure why. Her thyroid levels have also bottomed out. Could they be related? Could it be the Herceptin? He’s just not sure. He doesn’t think the thyroid issue is related to anything with cancer. She sees the endocrinologist in August. Also she most likely can not have any reconstructive surgery until her blood counts return to normal. Otherwise besides the anxiety of these issues she feels pretty good. She definitely needs more sleep as late but that is easy to understand with what her body has been through.

Please pray that her blood counts and thyroid levels will return to normal levels and that God will continue help us get through this day by day. Thanks.

Update

I apologize for the delay in posting. The last couple of weeks have been full of non-stop action so I'll do my best to get you caught up on everything.

Patty's grandmother is out of the hospital and doing better. Due to much prayer and the Lord's blessing she was spared an operation to clear the bowel obstruction she had. She is still very weak which one would expect after lying in the hospital for 5 days and getting nothing to eat. The obstruction evidently cleared on its own with the inactivity of eating. Bessie turns 90 in December.

Saturday before last, I headed out with Katie and 19 other 4-6 graders to Student Life for Kids camp at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Black Mountain, NC. This was my first experience at a "summer camp" so I was as green as the kids who had never been before as well. It was truly a great time where the kids got time to do their quiet time in the mornings, attend great Worship & Celebration events which included great skits, videos, and praise & worship times. They also got to participate in water games and other great games such as dodgeball. Unfortunately, the group leaders such as myself got to play against the camp staff. We didn't win but we held our own. I was the last guy out on our team so I didn't embarrass myself, lol...

As soon as I returned from camp on Tuesday my cousin Chuck and his wife Beth came in from Nashville to stay with us through the holiday and our Aunt's wedding on Saturday. We enjoy it anytime they come and stay. We always have a lot of fun and stay up late catching up on all of our lives. This time they brought a new game to us that is and oldie but goodie that we had never played. Dominoes! More specifically the "Mexican Train". We stayed up their last night here until 3 a.m. playing. It is a lot of fun and I sense it is going to soon be showing up at our camping events.

Saturday, my aunt Billie who is my dad's sister got married after being widowed for over 14 years. They asked Grant to be the ringbearer. You've never felt any pressure until your 4 year old son is standing in front of the whole wedding just itching to cause some kind of disaster. For that reason, that had to be the longest wedding I've ever been to. Luckily, all he managed to do was find some stick pins on the steps, pull up his jacket, swing the ring pillow round and round and then put it on his head, lay down on the steps, almost tip a plant over, crawl up the steps, make smirks and ugly faces at my attempts to get him to interpret my cleverly discreet sign language during the wedding to turn around, stand up, and be still, lol.... We still had a great time seeing extended family and friends we hadn't seen in a long time.

As life ever so swiftly progresses, these are the times that I cherish. Over the last few years there are a few things that I've observed that bring me joy. Quiet time with God, a great cup of coffee, a fresh newspaper, and extended time with family. IMHO, if a man experiences much joy from these few simple things he has been blessed. Of course, some would argue the coffee and newspaper but hey, a man needs a couple simple vices.

Now, let get to the most important thing you've been wanting to read, an update on Patty. As you'll remember her white counts had been running low. In further tests the doc discovered that her B12 level was low as well. So he decided to start her on some B12 injections and her counts last week rose to normal levels! Praise God! It also detected that her thyroid levels were extremely low which should cause her to have hyperthyroidism. She hasn't experienced many of the symptoms of this but he wants her to see a endocrinologist for review. The only symptom she has felt is fatigue and heat intolerance. According to the doc, the low thyroid levels is unrelated to her originally diagnosis or her treatments. So the new prayer request is for her thyroid levels to return to normal.

Relay for Life Update

The Relay for Life was last Friday night and Saturday morning. I'm still a little tired from staying up ALL night until it was over at 7 a.m. It has been along time since I've stayed up all night and then I was a lot younger (and had different motivations as well :). Thanks to many of you the girls raised $350! Each of you who donated extended a tremendous amount of generosity and for that we give you a wholehearted THANKS! The girls were so excited and would ask me how much they had raised even up to the day of the event.

The total event as of Saturday morning had raised over $55,000. The girls came after they completed their Vacation Bible School and got to do some EuroBungy Jumping (pictures forthcoming!) After that, they played in the water fountains and then finished up with some good ol' face painting (more pictures forthcoming). And this is not your average face painting. Wait until you see the pictures.

On a less than positive note, Patty got a call from her grandmother early Saturday morning wanting me to take her to the hospital. Of course, I was at the Relay so Patty called her sister to see if she could take her. Patty should have called me anyway and I would have left but I'll have to cut her some slack because she was sound a sleep when her grandmother called. Her grandmother is 89 by the way and still drives, cleans house, etc. It turns out she has a small bowel obstruction and most likely is going to have to have surgery. Please pray for her that this will resolve on its own without surgery and while you're at it please include Patty's blood counts to continue to rise.

Patty Update and The Relay is Today!

I thought I would give everyone a current update on Patty. She has been feeling generally well recently. Her latest bloodwork has showed that her white blood cell count has dropped. The norm is between 4-11. For the last two weeks hers has been 2.8 and 3.1 this week. When its this low it makes you much more susceptible for infection. The physician doesn't really have an explanation for it dropping except that she may have had a small infection that caused it to fluctuate. He is going to continue to monitor it. That being said I would like to ask each of you that are still reading to pray for her white blood cell count to return to normal levels.

The Relay for Life is tonight and we will be attending. The girls have raised $280 due to the generosity of the reader's here. Patty and I and the girls can not thank you enough for your kindness. If there is anybody on the fence about contributing the girls just need $20 to reach $300!

Many Thanks!

Many thanks to those to you who have donated! Believe it or not, combined with what the girls raised selling paper dolls and cookies and what you have so graciously donated the girls have raised over $250! The girls are ranked 8th out of 23 Teams! Keep those contributions coming!

Patty is doing well so far with her new medications. Keep praying that she will not have side effects from this medicine that she will have to take for 5 years. She has her weekly infusion tomorrow and then we're off on another camping trip, whoooohooooo! We'll be back on Tuesday but we're not going far, just to Townsend to do a little tubing, fishing, and of course the kids favorite, bike riding!

Its so nice to be doing some things that feel normal again and not related to cancer. Let's pray that this continues into our old age.

One more thing. Patty heard for the first time last night the new song out by Craig Morgan called "Tough." She loved it. It speaks about a young mother who fights breast cancer and prevails. In case you haven't heard it yet its a great song. Click HERE to see the video and hear the song. Enjoy.