Dear Ones, April 25, 2017
Yesterday was an emotional workout for us and we were both exhausted by the end of the day. At the same time we are praising and glorifying our wonderful Savior and Father for the grace and kindness He is showing us. Let me walk you through our day and you can praise the Lord with us.
Del had an appointment in the morning with her oncologist. Dr D came in the room, asked Del how she was doing, and immediately started reading from the radiologist’s report from last week’s CT scan. Her actual words were, “The large uterine mass that was there [on the last CT scan] is no longer identified [visible].” We thought there would possibly be some news about the adjacent lymph nodes in the abdomen, but to hear that the radiologist couldn’t see any sign of the original source of the cancer blew us away. Speaking of the lymph nodes, the affected ones were either smaller or not visible at all. All we could say when the doctor read the report was, “Praise God! Praise God!” Del’s oncologist is a believer also, and she agreed with us with a huge smile on her face.
We realize that this is a huge victory in this battle, but the war is not over. There are still lymph nodes in her abdomen that contain metastases from the original source of cancer in the uterus. For that reason, Del will have at least three more weekly chemo treatments. The chemo agent used up to this time was TAXOL which seems to be very effective against this type of cancer, but the main side-effect is neuropathy (numbness) which is quite severe in Del’s hands and feet. For this reason, her doctor is starting Del on another agent called TAXOTERE, which is related but doesn’t normally cause neuropathy…it has other “side-effects”. So after the visit with the doctor, Del had an infusion of two different chemo agents (Taxotere and Carboplatin) . During the infusion, the nurse gave Del thick mitts to put on that were freezing cold. Apparently this chemo can cause your finger nails to stop growing and even fall off, and the cold gloves are supposed to prevent that from happening.
One other note of praise. There is a cancer blood-marker that they regularly check called Cancer Antigen 125 and the “normal” range is from 0 to 35. For a number of months Del’s blood sample tested in the mid-forties, but yesterday it was 13.4, well within the normal range—a good sign. Only God…..
As far as Del having a hysterectomy, the oncologist will have to judge when the lymph node involvement is minimal. Apparently opening a person up surgically can cause the cancer to spread widely if there is active cancer already in the abdomen. Most likely this surgery will be done at the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor. Del has a consultation there on May 16 with her gynecologist/oncologist.
Only eternity will tell us the effect that your prayers have accomplished. We are so thankful for your continued love and concern…they mean so much to us and I believe also glorify the Lord Jesus.
Blessings,
Bryan, for Del too
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