"stable disease"

I hate the disease part, but I love the stable part! Good news today! There was no (significant) change at all in Mom's scan! The lymph node (with breast cancer) in her abdomen still appears completely normal. The lymph nodes in her chest are still enlarged, but no different. The pancreas, liver, and everything else in that area show no signs of disease.

There were a couple of surprises, but nothing Dr. Tauer is concerned about. First, the scan showed "stable sclerotic bone metastasis" on Mom's T12 vertebra. Dr. T had the radiologist look back at previous scans, and apparently this was first seen in 2006. Dr. T said it could just be some arthritis; the radiologist called it metastasis because he knew Mom had stage IV breast cancer. It has never changed and never lit up on a PET scan, leading us to believe it's not cancer. I'm not sure why we're just now hearing about it. We only recently started getting written reports of the CT scans, and it probably hasn't been included because it was "old" news. No follow-up will be done (except her normal CT scans) unless Mom starts showing symptoms. The second thing is that Mom has an ovarian cyst. Dr. T said that it looks benign and that women get them all the time. He's not worried.

The plan is for Mom to continue Herceptin (infusion every three weeks) and Tykerb (pills she takes daily). We'd love to drop the Tykerb because we think it's the source of most of her GI problems, but Dr. T isn't comfortable stopping it just yet, if ever. If it ain't broke . . .

Mom requested a genetics consult, because you know it's kind of fishy that she gets so many diseases (breast cancer, Crohn's disease, and pancreatic cancer in the last 11 years . . . but who's counting?). Dr. T said it would probably be a good idea since she's never had one before, so he set up an appointment for her with the geneticist tomorrow.

So there's the October scan report! Thank you so much for praying us through another scan day. We appreciate it more than we can say.

And we would appreciate very much it if you would also keep our friend Joan and her family in your prayers this week. Joan has been battling stage IV lung cancer for about three years now, and this week she's entering a new trial in Nashville. She should begin the trial drug tomorrow. She and her family/friends will be doing a lot of traveling between here and Nashville over the next few weeks. Pray that this treatment will be successful in stopping her cancer's growth, that the side effects would be minimal, and that Joan would begin to feel better soon! God has been glorified through Joan's journey, and I'm excited to see what he will do in this next chapter.

Thanks, friends!

scan day tomorrow!

Speaking of months for which I'm thankful, October is another one. If not for the research funded by so many pink events during past Octobers, my mom would probably not be receiving the two life-saving drugs that are currently being used to battle her breast cancer. I wish every cancer could have an October.

And speaking of Trish and breast cancer, tomorrow is a scan day . . . no fun. :( They'll be looking for any signs of disease, of course, but specifically monitoring the breast cancer for which she's currently being treated and checking for recurrence of her pancreatic cancer. We'll meet with Dr. T after the scan to get the results. (If you're behind, her last report from July can be found here.)

As always, prayers are begged for and appreciated. :) Mom is doing pretty well most days, but I can find things to worry about all the time; so I'm nervous as usual. Please pray with us for an "all clear" and for God to be glorified tomorrow!

let's hear it for August

August is not my favorite month. (I realize it's October, but you know how prompt I am about updating my blog...)

Historically, August has not been a great month for our family. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2001. In August 2004, the breast cancer recurred in her liver. Then in August 2010, my dear Paw Paw died suddenly, and three weeks later, on the very last day of the month, my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I know God holds the eighth month in his hands just as tightly as he does the other eleven, but I would be lying if I said I didn't dread its arrival every year.

This year was a little bit different, though. This year I realized that August, mean as it can sometimes be, does have its perks. Because we can't take a picture like this in any other month of the year.

    
Yes, there is my mother. Surviving stage IV breast cancer and stage II pancreatic cancer. And not just surviving. Living. With a heart full of thanks and joy.

And I'm wondering . . . who would God be to me if there had been no Augusts?

C.S. Lewis wrote, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

My darkest August days have seen me on my knees, face down in my bathroom floor, crying wordless prayers, and God has met me there. And in those moments, I've known him in a way that I often forget about on my brighter days. I've learned how to trust him more, believe him more, rest in him more. I've learned that his presence is constant, even when it's not obvious. So I suppose I'm thankful for those Augusts and the father I've come to know there. He is really all I need.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

And let's hear it for August.

lucky tomorrows

Tonight I'll be sharing a life lesson from my baby sister. 

Due to a months-old toe fracture that won't heal, Tekia is currently wearing a boot and walking with crutches. The other night she and I were returning home from a trip to Walgreens, and she dropped some of her change while getting out of the car. I told her, "Kia, you dropped a penny."
 

She (realizing that bending down to get it would require some extra effort) shrugged and said "That's okay. I'll just leave it. Then I can find it tomorrow! And you know what they say about finding pennies, don't you?"
 

What if we lived every day with that attitude? Planning for and expecting good things to happen to us the next day?

Expect lucky tomorrows.

p.s. "I just burped and it came out my eye." (other wisdom shared by Tekia this week) (or something)