This is just going to be super short. Because there isn't much, it's all good and I am super tired!
So. David had blood work early. Like 7:30 am. Why? Then he had a 3 hour procedure called pheresis. Evidently there are many kinds of this but his was to extract white blood cells to mix with his frozen tumor to make his vaccine. Like before, but they only had enough to make 5 vaccines and he got the last one today. This is good news because the treatment is working so they need more vaccines to continue the treatment! Yea!
No scans today.
Dr. T visit uneventful. We are now on a 6 week schedule instead of 3 weeks! After 2, 6 week cycles, we go to 12 weeks! As long as the current treatment is working!
Yea to not have to go back for 12 weeks! Boo to have to worry for 12 weeks between scans!
Please pray for continued success with current treatment!
Thank you for all your prayers, all this time!
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
MDA and Astros
David had blood work and scans yesterday and then for fun we went to an Astros game. The stadium is great and they won 7-2! Halfway through the game they opened the retractable roof so that was neat. Then during one of the times they show people in the crowd on the scoreboard, during the 'kiss cam', we saw a live marriage proposal! So cute! She said yes and everyone cheered! He had to be pretty sure of himself, don't you think?!
Anyway, back to see Dr. T. today. Only waited about 2 hours to see him. :/ David's scans and blood work were all good. There was a slight regression in some nodules as well as the fluid that still remains around the one lung. So we are good to continue with this course of treatment! Praises!
David will have to have the process where they collect white blood cells repeated so they can make more vaccines using his frozen tumor. We will come back in 3 weeks for that. After that he only has to come back every 6 weeks for a while and will then graduate to every 12 weeks! This is as long as the cancer is regressing or remains stable. Any progression and we have to change courses.
Right now we are waiting for them to check his vaccine site for allergic reactions and then we can head home!
Please pray for:
1. Safe travel home
2. Continued regression of cancer.
3. NO PROGRESSION!
4. Continued tolerance of medication
Also pray for my friends who have not received good news. Laura and her mother and Amanda and her mother.
Finally, Abigail graduates from high school this weekend! Yea! Here's a picture from her party with her two best friends and sister!
Anyway, back to see Dr. T. today. Only waited about 2 hours to see him. :/ David's scans and blood work were all good. There was a slight regression in some nodules as well as the fluid that still remains around the one lung. So we are good to continue with this course of treatment! Praises!
David will have to have the process where they collect white blood cells repeated so they can make more vaccines using his frozen tumor. We will come back in 3 weeks for that. After that he only has to come back every 6 weeks for a while and will then graduate to every 12 weeks! This is as long as the cancer is regressing or remains stable. Any progression and we have to change courses.
Right now we are waiting for them to check his vaccine site for allergic reactions and then we can head home!
Please pray for:
1. Safe travel home
2. Continued regression of cancer.
3. NO PROGRESSION!
4. Continued tolerance of medication
Also pray for my friends who have not received good news. Laura and her mother and Amanda and her mother.
Finally, Abigail graduates from high school this weekend! Yea! Here's a picture from her party with her two best friends and sister!
And we are headed home!
Thank you for loving us!
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Sorry to leave you waiting
I checked in on facebook this morning and then forgot to give an update. So sorry, I dislike very much the waiting room. Sorry to leave you there!
David had blood work this morning. It all came back in the normal range. Then we saw the research nurse, Marisa and Dr. T. Only about 30 minutes late! That right there was pretty exciting!
There is really nothing to report. Everything was good to receive the next vaccine and he will start the next round of Sutent tonight. We will go back in 3 weeks for another round of scans to check the (hopefully) further regression of the lung nodules.
We were home by 5:30. Wow!
Then the girls wanted to play 'prom hair practice'. Pray for me!
Also please continue to pray:
1. Minimal side effects
2. Sutent and vaccine effective in shrinking the lung nodules!
3. No spreading!
Also, please pray for several others on their medical journeys. Amanda and her mother, Laura and her mother, Greg and Nelda, Holli and Ronnie, and Caroline. God knows their last names and their needs. I am so done with cancer.
Thank you for loving us!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Life in the fast lane
We are home from a 2 day trip to MDA! And we made it out of Houston before 5 o'clock traffic! Hooray!
But wait! There is more good news!
Yesterday David had some blood work and a CT scan.
This morning he had more blood work, a chest xray and a 6 minute walk test. All this was to determine if the fluid around his right lung had improved or if he would need to have the fluid drained.
The fluid was significantly and dramatically reduced! Yea! No procedure needed. Praises and happy dance.
The pulmonary doctor, Dr. O, doubts that David had pneumonia, but said he would have also given the round of antibiotics. He said, at this point it didn't really matter what the cause was, we would just watch it and take action as needed.
Then we saw the research nurse, Marisa and the oncologist, Dr. T. They agreed that the fluid was much improved. There is still some there but they think it will resolve with further treatment of the cancer protocol. Dr. T thinks perhaps the fluid was produced by some of the nodules in the area bursting.
And that's not all! Order now and we'll double the good news!
There are no new nodules, and the existing ones have shrunk! Slightly. We'll take it!
David received the 2nd vaccine today. He has one more week taking the Sutent for this cycle. Then he has two weeks off. We go back to MDA in 3 weeks for another vaccine, then in 3 more weeks he will have complete scans again.
He has experienced mild side effects; metallic taste, elevated blood pressure, and a itchy rash at injection site. These are tolerable, especially if the treatment is working. We are claiming that it is!
Thank you for continuing to pray, these are my requests:
1. Fluid around lung goes away completely
2. No new side effects, mild to no side effects at all
3. No complications with this vaccine
4. Continued shrinkage of present nodules, no new ones
This whole experience is the worst kind of amusement park ride that I would love to get off of! But we continue to pray and hope and trust. And to take it one day at a time. Thank you for loving us!
Friday, April 11, 2014
Update on old news
David has been feeling great.
The injection site has been itchy and he has developed a rash just at the site. He was told yesterday that he can treat it with some cortisone cream. He wasn't supposed to use anything initially and he thinks the worst is over now. So, oh well.
His cough has seemed to lessen and he has not had any more complaints of breathlessness. He finished the antibiotic for the pneumonia. Now we have to wait until April 21 to see if the fluid cleared up, if it was actually pneumonia or if the cancer has spread.
My prayer is that it was pneumonia and the fluid is gone. If the fluid is still there for whatever reason, he will have to have it drained. This procedure doesn't sound horrible, but he would still rather not. Thank you.
He has not complained of any side effect from the Sutent this round. Hopefully that continues and hopefully and prayerfully this medicine will work. If he has to change to another med, it will be a whole new chance for worse side effects.
Please pray:
1. No more complications from fluid, cough, meds, injection, and anything else!
2. Fluid gone!
3. Sutent working!
4. Scans on April 21 show no progression of cancer, how about REGRESSION!!!
Thank you for continuing to pray!
The injection site has been itchy and he has developed a rash just at the site. He was told yesterday that he can treat it with some cortisone cream. He wasn't supposed to use anything initially and he thinks the worst is over now. So, oh well.
His cough has seemed to lessen and he has not had any more complaints of breathlessness. He finished the antibiotic for the pneumonia. Now we have to wait until April 21 to see if the fluid cleared up, if it was actually pneumonia or if the cancer has spread.
My prayer is that it was pneumonia and the fluid is gone. If the fluid is still there for whatever reason, he will have to have it drained. This procedure doesn't sound horrible, but he would still rather not. Thank you.
He has not complained of any side effect from the Sutent this round. Hopefully that continues and hopefully and prayerfully this medicine will work. If he has to change to another med, it will be a whole new chance for worse side effects.
Please pray:
1. No more complications from fluid, cough, meds, injection, and anything else!
2. Fluid gone!
3. Sutent working!
4. Scans on April 21 show no progression of cancer, how about REGRESSION!!!
Thank you for continuing to pray!
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Everybody remain calm
So. Today was supposed to be an easy day. Blood work early. Dr. Appointment before noon. Home by dinner time.
NOT!
I need to remember that MDA is not the real world. Not even close.
So the blood work went well. Then we had a little breakfast in the cafe there and waited for the 11:30 Dr. T appointment. And waited. And waited.
We finally saw the nurse for a few general questions about 12:45.
Then Marisa the Research Specialist Nurse spent about 30 minutes with us. Everything with blood work looked good. David looked good. Everything good to go. So David gets the vaccine. 3 small sticks under the skin. He didn't LOVE it. But it was okay. And no reaction to it so far.
So except for the time delay, it's good, we will be good to go after Dr. T sees us.
Don't freak out now. David has been coughing some. Not a lot, but it has increased the last 2 weeks. He has also mentioned, not complained, just mentioned that he has had shortness of breath a few times. Because we are talking about cancer in the lungs, it has been something to concern us. Marisa says she has had some reports of these symptoms with the drug Sutent. She will mention to Dr. T. If he even exists at this point, I wonder.
So he FINALLY comes in about 1:30. Yes I know he has other patients. He is all happy with how great David has handled the first round of Sutent. But he wants to listen to lungs. He decides the right lung doesn't sound right and sends us to get an xray. We have to wait until 2:30 to leave anyway, because they have to check the injection site for any reaction. So ok. We get the xray. By then it is 2:40. We ask the nurse to please tell Marisa we are back to have site checked and get xray report.
Then we wait. Until 3:30.
Marisa says site looks fine. She'll go find Dr. T.
Remain calm. There is something more in the right lung that was not present in the previous xray, 6 weeks ago. Because they did an xray and not a CAT scan, it is not clear. It was read as either a progression of the cancer or pneumonia. Our choices are:
1. Go home. Take an antibiotic for pneumonia. Continue with the Sutent for 3 weeks. Come back for complete scans in 3 weeks as planned.
2. Have a Cat scan later this evening and spend the night.
Dr. T is okay with either.
David decides choice #1. Here's why:
1. He feels fine.
2. If it's pneumonia, antibiotic will take care of it.
3. If it's a progression of the cancer, he will have 3 weeks for the vaccine to work alongside of the Sutent.
4. He needs to feed his horse.
Dr. T says fine. If David has any worsening symptoms, if the shortness of breath becomes noticeable with normal activities, he is to go to the oncologist here that he has seen before for a CAT scan.
After Dr. T leaves, we ask Marisa if we did the right thing? She said she would have done the same thing.
So. It's funny, but pray for pneumonia.
If it is a progression, they will continue the vaccine schedule but switch the oral drug that goes with it.
We left the office about 4:30. For fun and thrills, I encourage everyone to experience Houston 5 o'clock traffic.
We made it home about 9:30.
I just looked at the actual radiologist report. While it does say there is this new mass in the right lung, neither Dr. T nor Marisa told us that the LEFT lung lesions have shrunk. So I have no idea why one lung would respond to the treatment and the other wouldn't. But I suppose cancer is not rational.
Please pray:
1. Pneumonia, not cancer progression.
2. Minimal side effects from 2nd round of Sutent.
3. Combination of Sutent and vaccine kicks cancer in the butt.
4. No complications for the next 3 weeks when we go back for complete scans and next vaccine.
We remain hopeful, knowing that there are many other drugs to try if the Sutent is not effective. One thing I have learned is that if MDA says it's not over, it's not.
The other thing I have learned is that you will not leave MDA in a timely manner. Just get over it.
Thank you for praying.
NOT!
I need to remember that MDA is not the real world. Not even close.
So the blood work went well. Then we had a little breakfast in the cafe there and waited for the 11:30 Dr. T appointment. And waited. And waited.
We finally saw the nurse for a few general questions about 12:45.
Then Marisa the Research Specialist Nurse spent about 30 minutes with us. Everything with blood work looked good. David looked good. Everything good to go. So David gets the vaccine. 3 small sticks under the skin. He didn't LOVE it. But it was okay. And no reaction to it so far.
So except for the time delay, it's good, we will be good to go after Dr. T sees us.
Don't freak out now. David has been coughing some. Not a lot, but it has increased the last 2 weeks. He has also mentioned, not complained, just mentioned that he has had shortness of breath a few times. Because we are talking about cancer in the lungs, it has been something to concern us. Marisa says she has had some reports of these symptoms with the drug Sutent. She will mention to Dr. T. If he even exists at this point, I wonder.
So he FINALLY comes in about 1:30. Yes I know he has other patients. He is all happy with how great David has handled the first round of Sutent. But he wants to listen to lungs. He decides the right lung doesn't sound right and sends us to get an xray. We have to wait until 2:30 to leave anyway, because they have to check the injection site for any reaction. So ok. We get the xray. By then it is 2:40. We ask the nurse to please tell Marisa we are back to have site checked and get xray report.
Then we wait. Until 3:30.
Marisa says site looks fine. She'll go find Dr. T.
Remain calm. There is something more in the right lung that was not present in the previous xray, 6 weeks ago. Because they did an xray and not a CAT scan, it is not clear. It was read as either a progression of the cancer or pneumonia. Our choices are:
1. Go home. Take an antibiotic for pneumonia. Continue with the Sutent for 3 weeks. Come back for complete scans in 3 weeks as planned.
2. Have a Cat scan later this evening and spend the night.
Dr. T is okay with either.
David decides choice #1. Here's why:
1. He feels fine.
2. If it's pneumonia, antibiotic will take care of it.
3. If it's a progression of the cancer, he will have 3 weeks for the vaccine to work alongside of the Sutent.
4. He needs to feed his horse.
Dr. T says fine. If David has any worsening symptoms, if the shortness of breath becomes noticeable with normal activities, he is to go to the oncologist here that he has seen before for a CAT scan.
After Dr. T leaves, we ask Marisa if we did the right thing? She said she would have done the same thing.
So. It's funny, but pray for pneumonia.
If it is a progression, they will continue the vaccine schedule but switch the oral drug that goes with it.
We left the office about 4:30. For fun and thrills, I encourage everyone to experience Houston 5 o'clock traffic.
We made it home about 9:30.
I just looked at the actual radiologist report. While it does say there is this new mass in the right lung, neither Dr. T nor Marisa told us that the LEFT lung lesions have shrunk. So I have no idea why one lung would respond to the treatment and the other wouldn't. But I suppose cancer is not rational.
Please pray:
1. Pneumonia, not cancer progression.
2. Minimal side effects from 2nd round of Sutent.
3. Combination of Sutent and vaccine kicks cancer in the butt.
4. No complications for the next 3 weeks when we go back for complete scans and next vaccine.
We remain hopeful, knowing that there are many other drugs to try if the Sutent is not effective. One thing I have learned is that if MDA says it's not over, it's not.
The other thing I have learned is that you will not leave MDA in a timely manner. Just get over it.
Thank you for praying.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Time flies!
I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted.
David finished his first round of the Sutent, this is the oral pill that he took one a day for 4 weeks. Thankfully the only side effect that he noticed was a metallic taste. The nurse advised him to try Zinc and this seemed to help. Certain foods did taste better, so we focused on those and he has managed to gain about 5 pounds! He is currently finishing up his 2 week break with no medication. He will begin round 2 on Tuesday April 1. They have told us that different side effects can happen at anytime, so we will keep praying that they are minimal and mild!
Tuesday, April 1 is also his next appointment at MDA. We will drive over tomorrow (Monday) evening to be there early Tuesday for blood work. Then at 11:30 he has an appointment with Dr. T and will also receive his first vaccine.
They have told us side effects from the vaccine are minimal, usually irritation at the injection site, if anything. I think we have to hang out for an hour after the injection to make sure he doesn't have any problems. So hopefully we will be on the way out of Houston early afternoon and avoid all that lovely traffic.
I'm not certain of the schedule after this. I think it is back every 3 weeks for an injection while he continues a 4 week on/2 week off schedule of the oral medication. At some point there will be more scans. It is difficult waiting until the next scans, and wondering and hoping and praying this treatment is working!
I will update Tuesday evening and post the news of the day.
Please pray:
1. Safe and expedient travels and protection for our girls while we are gone
2. Easy blood draw with correct results to allow treatment to progress.
3. Minimal vaccine side effects
4. Minimal side effects with next round of oral meds.
5. Shrinkage of current lung nodules
6. No spreading anywhere!
Thank you for checking on us these past weeks. We really appreciate your prayers and encouragement!
David finished his first round of the Sutent, this is the oral pill that he took one a day for 4 weeks. Thankfully the only side effect that he noticed was a metallic taste. The nurse advised him to try Zinc and this seemed to help. Certain foods did taste better, so we focused on those and he has managed to gain about 5 pounds! He is currently finishing up his 2 week break with no medication. He will begin round 2 on Tuesday April 1. They have told us that different side effects can happen at anytime, so we will keep praying that they are minimal and mild!
Tuesday, April 1 is also his next appointment at MDA. We will drive over tomorrow (Monday) evening to be there early Tuesday for blood work. Then at 11:30 he has an appointment with Dr. T and will also receive his first vaccine.
They have told us side effects from the vaccine are minimal, usually irritation at the injection site, if anything. I think we have to hang out for an hour after the injection to make sure he doesn't have any problems. So hopefully we will be on the way out of Houston early afternoon and avoid all that lovely traffic.
I'm not certain of the schedule after this. I think it is back every 3 weeks for an injection while he continues a 4 week on/2 week off schedule of the oral medication. At some point there will be more scans. It is difficult waiting until the next scans, and wondering and hoping and praying this treatment is working!
I will update Tuesday evening and post the news of the day.
Please pray:
1. Safe and expedient travels and protection for our girls while we are gone
2. Easy blood draw with correct results to allow treatment to progress.
3. Minimal vaccine side effects
4. Minimal side effects with next round of oral meds.
5. Shrinkage of current lung nodules
6. No spreading anywhere!
Thank you for checking on us these past weeks. We really appreciate your prayers and encouragement!
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