I went to the Doctor 1-26-09 for a little quick blood work. Three-and-a-half hours later, I left his office and headed home. Wow…but it is OK. The blood work showed that the coumadin was thinning my blood too much, so he decided to have me not take it for a few days. On Wednesday we’ll re-check it then he will adjust it.
Before I left I asked about the CT scan they took last Thursday. He pulled up the information and told me the greatest news I could hope for… he said, “No new cancer” and then he babbled on for a little while about everything looking much better, tumors being smaller, and that the treatment was working very well. But, the “no new cancer” comment was the one that got my attention.
We talked about the tumor on the rib on the right side. He said that the CT scan showed that involved in the swelling was the possibility of a fracture in the rib. He’s not really sure, but his educated opinion was to hold off for a little while and see if it improved in the next few weeks.
Then, he recommended that I stay off the chemo-therapy for about a month. He said that the blood clot that was in my leg was (again in his opinion) most likely caused by the chemo. He said that two of the primary drugs in the chemo when administered individually did not cause blood clots. However, when combined there was a 1 in 5 chance that it would cause clots… (Just call me Mr. Lucky).
So, let’s back up just a tad. My blood is too thin now and he needs to have me stay off the thinner for a few days and readjust. The tumor on the right rib might be a fracture? No Chemo for a month because it was most likely the culprit of the blood clots? And my take on all of this is an enjoyment of God’s unbelievable blessings? Absolutely! Just think about it. No new cancer! I could be dealing with new cancer, no way to fix the blood clots, more surgery for the rib, and whole list of other things. But, God has blessed me again.
I have been feeling better these last few days, even though my back has still had some pain, I’m better.
The icy weather has me house-bound for a few days, but that is OK. I have some office work here that will keep me busy.
Blessed, I tell you… I am blessed!
Grace & Peace,
Bob
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
An Update
A few weeks ago I said that medical news for me comes in rather slow now. Well, that seems to have changed. Right now, things are changing, but not totally for the best. But, we're holding out for the good that will come of all of this.
About a week (10 days) ago I started having some swelling in my left leg and foot. I was a little concerned, but not worried. I called the doctor's office and they called in a script to get some water out of my system. After a few days of the lasix there was no change. I kept my appointment with my oncologist on Monday morning (01-19-09) and he decided that to be safe we'd better do a echocardiogram on my heart and ultrasound on my leg. Well, the heart test was fine, but the ultrasound detected a blood clot in the left leg.
With this diagnosis Dr. Keefer put me on Coumadin and Lovenox to help thin out the blood and dissolve the blood clot. Of course there is some frustration associated with all of this, and now, a little worry, but I know God is in control. Also, with this diagnosis he has also decided to have me hold off on the chemo treatments for right now. I asked him if there were other things we could do, but he seemed to think that we can try some things that will allow me to keep taking my chemo. There will be adjustments, but I'll make it. I know with God's help I will. Keep praying for me, please.
Before I close my blog entry for today, let me make one other request. Please keep in mind that I am not the only person dealing with health issues such as this. Actually, I'm really blessed in that I have lived 54 years before dealing with all of this. We have friends at church with a 17 year old daughter who is now dealing with a form of cancer. And a young man, 25 years old, with a precious family was just diagnosed with leukemia. And there are others... lots of others. So please, carve out some of your prayers for others who need to be cared for as well.
Thank you.
May God bless you.
Bob
About a week (10 days) ago I started having some swelling in my left leg and foot. I was a little concerned, but not worried. I called the doctor's office and they called in a script to get some water out of my system. After a few days of the lasix there was no change. I kept my appointment with my oncologist on Monday morning (01-19-09) and he decided that to be safe we'd better do a echocardiogram on my heart and ultrasound on my leg. Well, the heart test was fine, but the ultrasound detected a blood clot in the left leg.
With this diagnosis Dr. Keefer put me on Coumadin and Lovenox to help thin out the blood and dissolve the blood clot. Of course there is some frustration associated with all of this, and now, a little worry, but I know God is in control. Also, with this diagnosis he has also decided to have me hold off on the chemo treatments for right now. I asked him if there were other things we could do, but he seemed to think that we can try some things that will allow me to keep taking my chemo. There will be adjustments, but I'll make it. I know with God's help I will. Keep praying for me, please.
Before I close my blog entry for today, let me make one other request. Please keep in mind that I am not the only person dealing with health issues such as this. Actually, I'm really blessed in that I have lived 54 years before dealing with all of this. We have friends at church with a 17 year old daughter who is now dealing with a form of cancer. And a young man, 25 years old, with a precious family was just diagnosed with leukemia. And there are others... lots of others. So please, carve out some of your prayers for others who need to be cared for as well.
Thank you.
May God bless you.
Bob
Monday, January 12, 2009
A Little Honesty is Good for the Soul
I've been playing some pity games with myself these last few weeks. I feel much weaker now than I did weeks ago. I seem to have more numbness in my feet and legs and I also feel like I've got some numbness in my face and forehead. I’ve lamented over the pain in my back and how much more I feel it now. All in all I’ve had a fairly poor attitude. Maybe that is why I’ve not been given to sitting down and writing a blog entry two times a week. My last good news from the doctor’s office was about my paraprotein 1 level dropping from a 1.6 to a 0.2 from October to December. That is an awesome number and I’m thrilled that God has blessed me. But the chronic numbness and pain really get to me.
Tonight at our Brother’s keepers meeting, our BK leader Jeff read from a daily thought published by my old friend Max Lucado. (I was in Abilene Christian University when Max was our church’s missionary in Sao Palo, Brazil. When he and Dena Lynn would come to the States for R&R, some of my buddies and I would take him to breakfast and pick his brain. He was in the mission field and that is where we all wanted to be, he was awesome and we…well, we weren’t.) Anyway, we all know how Max’s writing has made him more famous than Louie Lamore, Zane Gray, John Grisham combined…and he now publishes a “daily thought”. Go figure.
So Jeff read this passage that was about how we tend to humanize God. We wonder how he can be everywhere all the time; maybe God is not in a single body like we are. We don’t know how God can hear all of our prayers at the same time; maybe his ears are different than ours. We can’t understand how he can be Father, Son and Holy Spirit; maybe heaven has a different makeup than we have here. We want to live before we die; he wants us to die to live. And the list went on and on….
As I sat there and listened, I was convicted in my “pity-ness”. I have a great prognosis for my cancer. For years I have suffered pain in my back, who knows… maybe it was to get me ready for the pain I have now. I tend to weep over issues that I can’t control; I’ve prayed the serenity prayer hundreds of times in these last 3 years; maybe that should help me not weep over those things that I should be finding serenity over. My chronic depression gets the best of me; maybe that is the big thing I have held on to that I need to give to God.
Before I end my blog today, I must share with you something I just received. One of the ladies from our Bible class just sent me a Hallmark e-card. It was very pretty and had a beautiful soft piano music back ground, but the message was awesome. It said, “sometimes it takes a lot of rain to produce a rainbow; don’t give up, yours is coming.” I had never thought of that but it is very true. Maybe what I’m going through right now is a lot of rain, and my rainbow is just not quite here yet.
I am blessed. My wife (and my family) supports and loves me and sticks with me in the good days and the bad days. Pray that I continue to hang on to the good in all of this.
Grace & Peace
-Bob
Tonight at our Brother’s keepers meeting, our BK leader Jeff read from a daily thought published by my old friend Max Lucado. (I was in Abilene Christian University when Max was our church’s missionary in Sao Palo, Brazil. When he and Dena Lynn would come to the States for R&R, some of my buddies and I would take him to breakfast and pick his brain. He was in the mission field and that is where we all wanted to be, he was awesome and we…well, we weren’t.) Anyway, we all know how Max’s writing has made him more famous than Louie Lamore, Zane Gray, John Grisham combined…and he now publishes a “daily thought”. Go figure.
So Jeff read this passage that was about how we tend to humanize God. We wonder how he can be everywhere all the time; maybe God is not in a single body like we are. We don’t know how God can hear all of our prayers at the same time; maybe his ears are different than ours. We can’t understand how he can be Father, Son and Holy Spirit; maybe heaven has a different makeup than we have here. We want to live before we die; he wants us to die to live. And the list went on and on….
As I sat there and listened, I was convicted in my “pity-ness”. I have a great prognosis for my cancer. For years I have suffered pain in my back, who knows… maybe it was to get me ready for the pain I have now. I tend to weep over issues that I can’t control; I’ve prayed the serenity prayer hundreds of times in these last 3 years; maybe that should help me not weep over those things that I should be finding serenity over. My chronic depression gets the best of me; maybe that is the big thing I have held on to that I need to give to God.
Before I end my blog today, I must share with you something I just received. One of the ladies from our Bible class just sent me a Hallmark e-card. It was very pretty and had a beautiful soft piano music back ground, but the message was awesome. It said, “sometimes it takes a lot of rain to produce a rainbow; don’t give up, yours is coming.” I had never thought of that but it is very true. Maybe what I’m going through right now is a lot of rain, and my rainbow is just not quite here yet.
I am blessed. My wife (and my family) supports and loves me and sticks with me in the good days and the bad days. Pray that I continue to hang on to the good in all of this.
Grace & Peace
-Bob
Monday, January 5, 2009
It's a new year, and the journey continues....
Dear Friends and Family,
First, let me apologize for not posting more recently. With the Holidays and lots of busy going on, I just seemed to not get around to it. I hope to do better in 09.
What is Really Important?
I think I have mentioned this before, but I think it bears repeating. In the face of difficulties the tide of what is important and what is not important can shift pretty quickly. Over the years I have spent many hours pondering automobile purchases, home remodels, clothing choices, job choices, and this list goes without end. Now, the tide has changed. There are some of the things that I worried about a great deal barely rocks the needle. But the things I didn’t give much thought to before consume my thinking. I’m much more concerned about family, health, spiritual issues, and the world my grand babies will inherit. This list too can go without end.
So, the big question for me was “why?” Well, it certainly doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. I was faced with a form of cancer that took me totally by surprise. Just living became my big challenge. I had major back surgery to remove some tumors and to stabilize what the pre and post operative reports called “near paraplegia”. Taking these two giant issues into respect, I didn’t have time to worry about the small stuff. I became more devoted to the important issues in life, and the little things that dominated my thinking and sometimes worry, dissipated.
Recent Medical News:
It seems that medical news for me comes very slowly any more. I am just rolling along, doing what the medical doctors tell me, and I try to not make life miserable for anyone.
I have started trying to learn to track my blood work. The main reason for this e-mail is to report a significant decrease in the problem area (paraprotein) where my cancer comes from. A lab report back in October showed my “Gamma Paraprotein 1” as a 1.6. When I had blood drawn on 11-19-08 it had dropped to 0.6 and the lab work from 12-23-08 reports (Drum roll.......) 0.2 !!! I am told that this proves that the treatment regimen is working. And, there may not be a need for the Stem Cell if these good numbers continue. Nothing is "off the table", but we pray I won't have to go through the stem cell treatment if it isn't necessary.
As I learn more about the blood work and what it all means, I think it will help me. Part of the frustration for me is just "not knowing".
Please, continue to thank God for caring for me. Thank you for praying for me and being concerned about me.
Robert ...(a.k.a. Bob)
First, let me apologize for not posting more recently. With the Holidays and lots of busy going on, I just seemed to not get around to it. I hope to do better in 09.
What is Really Important?
I think I have mentioned this before, but I think it bears repeating. In the face of difficulties the tide of what is important and what is not important can shift pretty quickly. Over the years I have spent many hours pondering automobile purchases, home remodels, clothing choices, job choices, and this list goes without end. Now, the tide has changed. There are some of the things that I worried about a great deal barely rocks the needle. But the things I didn’t give much thought to before consume my thinking. I’m much more concerned about family, health, spiritual issues, and the world my grand babies will inherit. This list too can go without end.
So, the big question for me was “why?” Well, it certainly doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this out. I was faced with a form of cancer that took me totally by surprise. Just living became my big challenge. I had major back surgery to remove some tumors and to stabilize what the pre and post operative reports called “near paraplegia”. Taking these two giant issues into respect, I didn’t have time to worry about the small stuff. I became more devoted to the important issues in life, and the little things that dominated my thinking and sometimes worry, dissipated.
Recent Medical News:
It seems that medical news for me comes very slowly any more. I am just rolling along, doing what the medical doctors tell me, and I try to not make life miserable for anyone.
I have started trying to learn to track my blood work. The main reason for this e-mail is to report a significant decrease in the problem area (paraprotein) where my cancer comes from. A lab report back in October showed my “Gamma Paraprotein 1” as a 1.6. When I had blood drawn on 11-19-08 it had dropped to 0.6 and the lab work from 12-23-08 reports (Drum roll.......) 0.2 !!! I am told that this proves that the treatment regimen is working. And, there may not be a need for the Stem Cell if these good numbers continue. Nothing is "off the table", but we pray I won't have to go through the stem cell treatment if it isn't necessary.
As I learn more about the blood work and what it all means, I think it will help me. Part of the frustration for me is just "not knowing".
Please, continue to thank God for caring for me. Thank you for praying for me and being concerned about me.
Robert ...(a.k.a. Bob)
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