God has continued to answer prayers for strength and
healing. I did have a few rough days a
couple of weeks ago. It seemed primarily to be related to medication
adjustments, but even that has and continues to improve. Some days right now are great physically,
some, not-so-much. And sometimes those
changes will occur half way through the day, without notice. However, I’m not going to call them “bad days”,
not with all God does to provide. Every
day, every moment is a good one, because it’s a gift from HIM. So, I’ll take the not-so-good moments,
thankful that whatever the moment, He walks beside me/carries me through.
Today I went to Moffitt for several tests, including an MRI
and a visit with a radiation oncologist and, finally, my neuro oncologist.
Here’s a breakdown of the day (it was a long day)
Tests
The first tests that I had run came back great. The ladies in the lab had difficulty finding
my veins, which is nothing new these days. However, they were great. As I was leaving they gave me a little bit of
advice. Because of the MRI, they had to
start an IV. Between that and the other
lab work I had been stuck multiple times.
So, the ladies told me to be careful how much water I drank for the rest
of the day. I assumed they were going to
say because of the contrast needing to be flushed out of my system that I
should drink a lot the of water. However, instead they said the water might
leak out through all of the needle holes that they had made. Once again, I appreciated their friendliness,
attitude and humor. Thank you, ladies, for
finding the good in a difficult situation.
MRI
The next thing on the list was the MRI
which was basically uneventful.
Radiation oncologist
The radiation oncologist reviewed the MRI
report (this showed the two spots mentioned by the surgeon after surgery) and
explained how he would like to move forward with some radiation to keep them
from changing. It is time to deal with those
two spots at this stage of my recovery from surgery. His suggestion is to use a higher powered, more
focused type of radiation to target these two spots directly. This would be done over five consecutive days. He also wants to focus a little bit of radiation
in the area where the tumor was removed just as a precaution. The idea is that this radiation will kill the
remaining cancer cells leaving the chemo a clean area to do its job.
Neuro oncologist report
The neuro oncologist was content with the way things are
going at this point. While there are the
two spots that need to be dealt with, he is confident that the radiation will
be helpful as well as the new chemotherapy and he said we still have other
things we can try if we want or feel like these are not doing the best that
they can. He also reminded me that the
neural pathways that were cut during surgery can be rebuilt but it takes time. Those connections can rebuild at about a rate
of 1mm a day. I don’t know how many millimeters I have to rebuild, but I
imagine that it is several days of work ahead.
So, we just keep moving forward one day at a time, one slow step at a time. He said to keep up with all I’m doing at home
for therapy.
Next steps include awaiting the scheduling for
radiation, probably to start in another week once preparations are made through
the planning process. Begin chemo regimen,
involving the same chemo I took before plus the new one. Both are being shipped to me now and should
arrive in a few days. Also continue with
all the therapy to gain mobility and strength.
So, I’m off now to walk for a while.
More updates will come as I hear more news.
Some thoughts from
this week:
God doesn’t just think about me when I ask Him for
help. He thinks about me often and is
never surprised by anything that happens in my life.
“Thine eyes did see my
substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written,
which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
How precious
also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
If I should
count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still
with thee.”
Psalm 139:16-18
When a train goes through a tunnel and
the world gets dark, do you jump out? Of course not. You sit still and trust the engineer to get
you through.” – Corrie ten Boom
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