Radiology Appointment

We met with Dr. Hardacre for over an hour today and he greeted us with the same notion, that all in all the last scan reports were good! We are still very optimistic about those. As I have stated in the past, the re-radiation of that particular area is extremely difficult and comes with great risks. That being said, technology greatly improves every day so it gets less risky and easier to accomplish each and every day. So, although this may be hard to understand at first, we are going to play the wait game. Apparently the chemo and Erbitux have worked because the cancers that we know were there are stable and have not grown between scans. The plan is to wait and watch BECAUSE the risks that we would be taking to radiate the areas of concern are very high. When weighing the pros and cons of waiting, the pros are much higher right now. I really believe with all my heart that God is in control and he's got this! When I asked the doctor what I was supposed to say to everyone that asked, he said, "tell them everything is stable and that is where we want it to be."

So for now, please continue to pray for the Erbitux and Zometo to work as they have been and keep everything stable and unchanging. We will meet with the oncologist in 3 weeks and the radiologist in 6 weeks. Not sure when the next scan will be but I will definitely let you all know. That will be big! Unless we notice any evident changes ourselves, we agree to wait. Thank you God for all you have done! He is so awesome and I am so comfortable with Him being in control!

Talk to you soon!
Michelle

Great News!!

Dad had his doctor appointment this morning to go over the scan results and the doctor walked in and said "Good News!" (We like to hear those words start the conversation off!!!) I just KNEW it! He said that there is NO NEW GROWTH and everything is STABLE! The spots we have been worried about on his neck report as "thickening of cells" and seem to be on the surface. Radiation can take care of those! Again, we face the hurdle of him having been radiated already in that area. There is great concern for the healthy tissues and blood vessels, etc in the area that would be re-radiated. However, the farther we get away from the last radiation treatment the better, and it has been over a year now. I'm feeling good about it!

So here is the plan...His body definitely needs a break from Chemo so that if off the table for now. Radiation is what we need. He has an appointment with Dr. Hardacre at 2:00 on Thursday. We are going to start there and see if we are comfortable with the treatment options and what he thinks we should do. There are new, more direct radiation options available since the last time Dad had radiation and we are hoping this will benefit him. I read that it has been used successfully with patients who have had radiation and then recurrent tumors in the same area because of its more precise dosages. Please pray that this is what will work for Dad. I will know more about all the options on Thursday afternoon and I will let you know then.

He is going to keep him on Erbitux in 3 week increments for now. If you remember, Erbitux is an antibody chemotherapy that works very well with radiation so he wants to keep him on it once per week until we KNOW the radiation plan. He will get this on Mondays.

He also has an appointment with a GI next week to discuss getting his esophagus stretched. I am so glad he is ready to talk about that! The doctor said it wasn't a big deal to have done ( yeah, if it is NOT your esophagus I'm talking about..ha!) and he would really be able to eat better. Since he has been on a soft/liquid diet for nearly 2 years his esophagus has gotten smaller making it difficult to get larger pieces of food down. I will let you know more about that after the appointment.

The infection is his leg is MUCH better. The heavy doses of antibiotics really worked.

Our God is so good all the time! I am thrilled with the news today.

"Behold, we count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful." James 5:11

A Specific Prayer Request

Last night Dad came home from work and noticed his ankle was a bit swollen. We knew that one of the side effects of Zometa (a drug he got by infusion on Monday) was lower limb edema. However, it continued to get worse and began to get red and warm to the touch. He went to bed and had plans to call the doctor this morning. He and mom went in around 1:30 and it was decided that he had cellulitus where infection has set in above his ankle. The chemo treatments have done a number on the skin around his toenails (which could be expected) and they sometimes bleed. The doctor believes this is what has led to this infection. He told us it was not uncommon in chemo patients and can be treated with heavy antibiotics. Dad stayed this afternoon to get IV antibiotics and is going to return tomorrow for another dose. He also has an appointment with a podiatrist tomorrow to get see if he agrees that the infection is coming from his toes. The scan results from yesterday are not in yet. We plan on going in Monday for those. PLEASE pray for this infection as well as the scan results. We are praying for clear plans as to what to do next!

Thank you!

Update and Prayer Request for CT scan

Most of you know that Dad finished up his last round of chemo a couple of weeks ago. Since then he has felt pretty good and has had an increased appetite. He has continued to go on Mondays for Erbitux infusions. He is scheduled for a CT scan this Wednesday, the 11th. Please be in prayer for this scan! Pray that the cancers have gotten smaller and not spread anywhere else other that what we already know! These scans will help the doctors/radiologist to determine what to do next. We pray that radiation on these remaining spots will be doable and successful in removing the cancer. I am praying for wisdom with all the medical professionals involved!

Just wanted to update you quickly. We do not know the exact time of the scan yet as it has not been confirmed by the hospital. I wanted to make sure to get it added to your prayer list! Thank you!

Michelle