Just a quick note, as a follow up to the last post...
We recently made another visit to the new doctor after Derek had some additional tests done and received another piece of good news. The oncologist is convinced, after looking at the PET scan report, that there are no active cancer cells in Derek's lymph system. There is calcification because of the chemotherapy, which is why the lymph nodes look enlarged, but no cancer. The doctor is still of the opinion that a break from treatment will be good. It will allow his body to recover a bit. Hopefully his platelet count will come back up, his organs will be happier, and, if the break is long enough, the neuropathy he has been experiencing in his hands and feet will improve.
The plan for the future is to enjoy the break! Derek will have blood work done again this week and then probably every four weeks. We will watch his CEA count. Currently it is sitting nicely in the normal range. If it goes up much, the oncologist will order some new scans to see what is causing the number to rise, and then treatment, of some kind will likely ensue. We obviously don't want cancer cells springing up in abundance without being treated, and we will just address that if it happens. The doctor said that Derek's cancer is considered to be in remission, with a medical science expectation that it will fully return at some point. Our feeling is that it is in the Lord's hands and we will be grateful for each day that Derek can be healthy.
We are so happy to be at this point. Derek was so sick last year at this time. It has not been a fun year for him, but his weight is back where it was, his colon is tumor free, and he is feeling so much better in so many ways. We realize more fully how fragile life is and how dependent we are upon the Lord. We have learned that everyone has trials... that is how we become better people. We are grateful for the trials that have given us opportunities to turn our lives over to Heavenly Father, allowing him to help us feel loved and comforted... often through people that He sends to help us. We hope to never forget the way we have felt supported, as we have allowed the Savior's atonement to carry us through this potentially hard time. We will never be able to adequately verbally express our love and appreciation for those who have responded to promptings and done kind, thoughtful things for us when we needed it most and for all of you who continue to pray for our family and exercise faith in Derek's behalf. We have seen miracles and know that we will continue to see them. Heavenly Father has spoken peace to our minds concerning this matter and we are so grateful.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Changing Lanes
Today (Thursday) we met with a new oncologist. We were told that he would be the opposite of Derek's current doctor and I think that was definitely true. He was awesome about listening to where we were coming from, where we were hoping to be, and discussing possible ways to get there. He answered all our questions in an informative way, as if he really wanted us to understand what he knows about treating cancer... it was reminiscent of our days with the Colorado oncologist that we liked so well. I don't know that it is truly possible to discuss Stage 4b Colon Cancer in a positive, happy way, but we felt much more positive and happy when we left than we have for a long time. We saw first hand that this type of doctor will come at the cost of our time. I am certain that today will not be the only time we wait several hours past the appointed time to meet with him. He is very busy and very concerned about his patients, but we feel we were led to this doctor through much prayer and we felt good about the time we spent with him today.
It is difficult to summarize all that was discussed in a brief format, but basically this doctor looked at the past scans that have been done and feels that the cancer has been stabilized. The previous areas of concern have now been labeled "Unremarkable" and the tumors are at an "Immeasurable" size. Even the protein count that is an indicator of sorts, of the amount of cancer cells in his body, is within a normal range. Derek's spleen is quite a bit bigger than it should be and he still has some enlargement in his lymph system, but that has not really improved with the last four chemo treatments. His platelet count, as previously mentioned, has been low since the beginning and very low at recent appointments. They did some blood work on Thursday and determined that it has come up slightly, which is good news. This oncologist feels that the platelet count is low because the spleen is so enlarged, which is most likely directly related to the amount of chemo he has gone through and the need his body has of "catching up" and bouncing back a little. He is gathering some other data about tests that may have been done in Colorado and might even run an extra scan on his liver, but his thought is that Derek should take a "Chemotherapy Holiday" so we can just see what happens.
We were happy that this oncologist seemed open to the idea of thinking outside the box. Perhaps this patient with Stage 4b Colon Cancer will be different from others? Maybe a miracle has occurred and the cancer will not regenerate? Maybe this is the best it will ever get and he can at least enjoy a little reprieve from the rigors of the chemotherapy for a bit? Maybe the cancer has cleared enough from the liver and other places that they can try some radiation therapy on the lymph nodes and keep it from spreading for a long time??? Instead of just treating Derek like "He will be dying anyway, but we'll just do chemo for as long as we can to buy him some time," this doctor acted like he would truly try to fight it with whatever methods he has available to him.
We know that ultimately, it is only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that Derek will be healed and nothing medical science has to offer gives us any hope of a full recovery. We also know that spitting on dirt and rubbing the mud on the eyes of a blind man did not give that blind man sight. Miracles happen in the hands of the Savior. Our hope is found in the power of the priesthood and the faith we have in blessings that have been given. We have seen miracles already, which we know have come about through the fasting and prayers of our friends and family, and even through the friends of family and the family of friends that we do not even know:) The oncologist was pretty amazed at the amount of chemo Derek's body has been able to endure to this point and we know that his ability to continue working and to be outwardly healthy has been a miracle. We are so grateful and will appreciate any time that Derek has here to do the things he needs to do. We will enjoy every minute of the chemotherapy vacation and continue to pray for healing... whatever that looks like to Heavenly Father. For now, we will move forward with the new oncologist, hoping to do all we can and then let the Lord do the rest.
It is difficult to summarize all that was discussed in a brief format, but basically this doctor looked at the past scans that have been done and feels that the cancer has been stabilized. The previous areas of concern have now been labeled "Unremarkable" and the tumors are at an "Immeasurable" size. Even the protein count that is an indicator of sorts, of the amount of cancer cells in his body, is within a normal range. Derek's spleen is quite a bit bigger than it should be and he still has some enlargement in his lymph system, but that has not really improved with the last four chemo treatments. His platelet count, as previously mentioned, has been low since the beginning and very low at recent appointments. They did some blood work on Thursday and determined that it has come up slightly, which is good news. This oncologist feels that the platelet count is low because the spleen is so enlarged, which is most likely directly related to the amount of chemo he has gone through and the need his body has of "catching up" and bouncing back a little. He is gathering some other data about tests that may have been done in Colorado and might even run an extra scan on his liver, but his thought is that Derek should take a "Chemotherapy Holiday" so we can just see what happens.
We were happy that this oncologist seemed open to the idea of thinking outside the box. Perhaps this patient with Stage 4b Colon Cancer will be different from others? Maybe a miracle has occurred and the cancer will not regenerate? Maybe this is the best it will ever get and he can at least enjoy a little reprieve from the rigors of the chemotherapy for a bit? Maybe the cancer has cleared enough from the liver and other places that they can try some radiation therapy on the lymph nodes and keep it from spreading for a long time??? Instead of just treating Derek like "He will be dying anyway, but we'll just do chemo for as long as we can to buy him some time," this doctor acted like he would truly try to fight it with whatever methods he has available to him.
We know that ultimately, it is only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that Derek will be healed and nothing medical science has to offer gives us any hope of a full recovery. We also know that spitting on dirt and rubbing the mud on the eyes of a blind man did not give that blind man sight. Miracles happen in the hands of the Savior. Our hope is found in the power of the priesthood and the faith we have in blessings that have been given. We have seen miracles already, which we know have come about through the fasting and prayers of our friends and family, and even through the friends of family and the family of friends that we do not even know:) The oncologist was pretty amazed at the amount of chemo Derek's body has been able to endure to this point and we know that his ability to continue working and to be outwardly healthy has been a miracle. We are so grateful and will appreciate any time that Derek has here to do the things he needs to do. We will enjoy every minute of the chemotherapy vacation and continue to pray for healing... whatever that looks like to Heavenly Father. For now, we will move forward with the new oncologist, hoping to do all we can and then let the Lord do the rest.
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