I did not accompany Arnie out to Zion for his treatment this time because of my recent back surgery. My orders are that I can not travel for at least 2 weeks so as a result I stayed home in a "recuperative mode".
Our oldest son, Gary, lovingly and willingly drove Arnie to CTCA for his treatment. Their trip was smooth and uneventful. My youngest son, Chris, and grandson, Jimmy, spent an evening with me so I wouldn't be home alone, which I totally appreciated. They brought me dinner and we had a nice time visiting, which we don't do often enough!
I plan on making the next trip with Arnie to Zion. That visit will be for a PET scan which will show just what that nasty cancer is doing. The usual apprehension and uncertainty has begun to creep in. I hate that! I try to be up beat and positive but sometime it is hard.
Please keep us in your prayers. My prayer is that the cancer will be under control and we could take a break from the chemo treatments. That would be so helpful - giving Arnie's body a chance to recover from the beating of the chemo treatments. What would be even more wonderful is if the cancer would be completely gone.
I know that I need to keep the faith and trust in God for His strength as we journey onward. I need to be strong and uplifting for Arnie but I do have my weak moments. Often times lately, I find myself reflecting back to my initial thoughts and reaction when the cancer was first diagnosed - in February of 2007. I remember quite vividly, as though someone whispered in my ear..."It will all be fine." Those were the first words I said to Arnie following the doctor's news to us that day. I felt that God had assured me that it will all be fine. So far that seems to be an accurate accounting of this experience. God has been there for us and has answered prayer and has met our needs. There is no reason that I should feel that He will leave us now. We know that God NEVER goes back on His word. He promises to always be with us and never to forsake us.
I appreciate each of you who pray for us and leave comments or emails. God uses us to encourage and uplift each other and I am truly thankful for all the encouragement.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
...Hope and a Future
We are here again... in Zion Illinois. Cold outside - but no additional snow -- YAY!! I guess the Maumee OH area got some nasty weather after we left yesterday. Hopefully the trip home tomorrow will be uneventful.
We saw the Oncologist today following the port access and blood draw. The CEA is good - still under 5 and Arnie feels really good. He actually has felt better since the last treatment than he has felt at any time since treatments began. We will be having scans in 4 weeks. They will be doing just the PET scan and not the CT scan because the results we want to see are shown by the PET so there is no need to do both.
We discussed some of our thoughts and questions with Dr. Neelam and she was very receptive and willing to talk to us. She assured us that there still remains additional treatments beyond what we are doing now if the need arises. She said that we can take a break from treatments even if the cancer is not completely gone, but shows stability as a result of a PET scan. That would be a cancer that could be called "chronic." There are people who have cancer that is referred to as a chronic disease which needs to be closely monitored and treated if and when the cancer changes in any way.
Dr. Neelam was very up beat and encouraging. The Naturapath recommended an additional supplement. This one is for strengthening nails and hair.
Our discussion with Dr. Neelam today demonstrates to me the kind of hope that is so prevalent here. They show a real concern for the patient and their family. That attitude is one of the reasons we feel this is where we are to be. God definitely led us here for treatment, and also so that He can use us to encourage others.
We talked to a woman in the dining room today whose husband is going through a similar kind of cancer as Arnie and he had the opportunity to talk with her. She expressed an appreciation for Arnie's comments. It always amazes me to realize that we are here for a reason and that God puts people in our path for a reason.
Please keep us in your prayers and leave a comment or email me. I need to hear from you. I have my good days and my not - so - good days. Reading comments and emails helps!
Thank you so much for your prayers and concerns for us!
We saw the Oncologist today following the port access and blood draw. The CEA is good - still under 5 and Arnie feels really good. He actually has felt better since the last treatment than he has felt at any time since treatments began. We will be having scans in 4 weeks. They will be doing just the PET scan and not the CT scan because the results we want to see are shown by the PET so there is no need to do both.
We discussed some of our thoughts and questions with Dr. Neelam and she was very receptive and willing to talk to us. She assured us that there still remains additional treatments beyond what we are doing now if the need arises. She said that we can take a break from treatments even if the cancer is not completely gone, but shows stability as a result of a PET scan. That would be a cancer that could be called "chronic." There are people who have cancer that is referred to as a chronic disease which needs to be closely monitored and treated if and when the cancer changes in any way.
Dr. Neelam was very up beat and encouraging. The Naturapath recommended an additional supplement. This one is for strengthening nails and hair.
Our discussion with Dr. Neelam today demonstrates to me the kind of hope that is so prevalent here. They show a real concern for the patient and their family. That attitude is one of the reasons we feel this is where we are to be. God definitely led us here for treatment, and also so that He can use us to encourage others.
We talked to a woman in the dining room today whose husband is going through a similar kind of cancer as Arnie and he had the opportunity to talk with her. She expressed an appreciation for Arnie's comments. It always amazes me to realize that we are here for a reason and that God puts people in our path for a reason.
Please keep us in your prayers and leave a comment or email me. I need to hear from you. I have my good days and my not - so - good days. Reading comments and emails helps!
Thank you so much for your prayers and concerns for us!
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