I didn't leave you hanging on purpose, I promise. We've been waiting and waiting on a surgery consult. Apparently Dr. Tauer (oncologist) and Dr. Behrman (surgeon) have been playing phone tag for the past five days. They finally connected last night, and Mom is now scheduled to see Dr. Behrman on Tuesday morning. This does not mean surgery's a sure thing - he hasn't even seen her scans yet - but it does mean that he's willing to do what he can. We hope and pray that after examining Mom and reviewing her scans (and any other tests that may need to be done), Dr. B will decide that this surgery can be done. And then will perform the most successful pancreatic cancer surgery in the history of all time. :)
Also happening next Tuesday is the meeting of the GI tumor board, where Dr. T will present Mom's case to several other doctors from different specialties. He expects his surgery plan to be met with some criticism, but hopes this group can help him fine tune it as needed. I'm praying God will bring the right brains to this meeting.
We trust that God will lead each of these doctors to the right decisions for Mom. We know no one loves her more than He does.
I'd be lying if I said we weren't struggling this week. The last several days have been rough. Mom is very weak (physically) and has been in a lot of pain...if it's not her back, it's her stomach. The stomach pain is new; we're wondering if she might've developed an ulcer (from weeks of using Aleve for her back pain). I'm driving her crazy, asking every 30 minutes where she hurts and how bad and trying to get some kind of nutrition into her always. We're so thankful to be meeting with the surgeon next week, but Tuesday seems like forever away.
We covet your prayers for less pain, less cancer, more good news, and more JESUS!
"I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed; for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." -Lamentations 3:19-23
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
surprised out of our socks
Friday edit: No news today, so it will probably be Monday before we know anything. Pray for Dr. B this weekend! On to yesterday's news...
"Hope is not a wish granted or a favor performed; no, it is far greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks." -Max Lucado
Wow, guys. I'm kind of speechless after the afternoon we've just had. I was scared about this appointment with Dr. Tauer. We were hoping for good news, but prepared for bad. At best, we were hoping to hear that there was no other cancer besides what's on Mom's pancreas and that we could begin radiation and chemo with the (slim) chance of surgery down the line.
We were surprised. Out of our socks.
Dr. Tauer first came into the room and asked if we wanted this conversation recorded (something they usually do for first-time visits). We thought surely that meant it was bad news. Dr. T started recording and shared with us Mom's PET scan results: the only cancer visible was the "thumbnail" seen two weeks ago, plus one lymph node right beside it. In the world of recurring pancreatic cancer, that's great news!
But it was what he said next that really shocked us. He wants Trish to have surgery. Like . . . now. His hope is that the cancer can be removed surgically, and then they can follow up with chemo. This new tumor is in the exact same place that her original tumor/pancreas was, so the hope is that it can be removed just as it was two years ago. Dr. T made sure we're aware that he is pushing the envelope with this. This is not the standard of care for pancreatic cancer. This is not the "safe" thing to do. The normal thing to do would be to offer chemo for as long as they could, until it stopped working. Because this idea is so outside the box, Dr. Tauer wants to present it to the GI tumor board on February 5th (a group of surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, etc.) to get some other opinions and do some fine-tuning. In the meantime, he will talk to Mom's Whipple surgeon, Dr. Behrman, to see if he'd be willing to try this surgery. We pray Dr. B will say yes and Mom can see him for a consult next week (does any of this sound familiar??).
Dr. T was very honest in telling us this is a long shot, but I think anything would be at this point. Unfortunately any battle with pancreatic cancer is a near-impossible one. Dr. T told us, "Everybody comes to this disease--pancreatic cancer--thinking it's gonna be bad, without trying to think what good they can do." We are so grateful to have a doctor who knows and loves Mom and who's willing to go out on a limb for her, in search of the good.
We've been doing lots of research lately trying to find the best options, and it seems all the things we've learned have only confused us further. Chemo? Clinical trial? Special diet? Second opinion? I have been praying fervently that God would lead us and Dr. Tauer to the right treatment plan. And this one is so crazy that I think it just about has to be from Him.
So our prayer requests for today are as follows:
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"Hope is not a wish granted or a favor performed; no, it is far greater than that. It is a zany, unpredictable dependence on a God who loves to surprise us out of our socks." -Max Lucado
Wow, guys. I'm kind of speechless after the afternoon we've just had. I was scared about this appointment with Dr. Tauer. We were hoping for good news, but prepared for bad. At best, we were hoping to hear that there was no other cancer besides what's on Mom's pancreas and that we could begin radiation and chemo with the (slim) chance of surgery down the line.
We were surprised. Out of our socks.
Dr. Tauer first came into the room and asked if we wanted this conversation recorded (something they usually do for first-time visits). We thought surely that meant it was bad news. Dr. T started recording and shared with us Mom's PET scan results: the only cancer visible was the "thumbnail" seen two weeks ago, plus one lymph node right beside it. In the world of recurring pancreatic cancer, that's great news!
But it was what he said next that really shocked us. He wants Trish to have surgery. Like . . . now. His hope is that the cancer can be removed surgically, and then they can follow up with chemo. This new tumor is in the exact same place that her original tumor/pancreas was, so the hope is that it can be removed just as it was two years ago. Dr. T made sure we're aware that he is pushing the envelope with this. This is not the standard of care for pancreatic cancer. This is not the "safe" thing to do. The normal thing to do would be to offer chemo for as long as they could, until it stopped working. Because this idea is so outside the box, Dr. Tauer wants to present it to the GI tumor board on February 5th (a group of surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, etc.) to get some other opinions and do some fine-tuning. In the meantime, he will talk to Mom's Whipple surgeon, Dr. Behrman, to see if he'd be willing to try this surgery. We pray Dr. B will say yes and Mom can see him for a consult next week (does any of this sound familiar??).
Dr. T was very honest in telling us this is a long shot, but I think anything would be at this point. Unfortunately any battle with pancreatic cancer is a near-impossible one. Dr. T told us, "Everybody comes to this disease--pancreatic cancer--thinking it's gonna be bad, without trying to think what good they can do." We are so grateful to have a doctor who knows and loves Mom and who's willing to go out on a limb for her, in search of the good.
We've been doing lots of research lately trying to find the best options, and it seems all the things we've learned have only confused us further. Chemo? Clinical trial? Special diet? Second opinion? I have been praying fervently that God would lead us and Dr. Tauer to the right treatment plan. And this one is so crazy that I think it just about has to be from Him.
So our prayer requests for today are as follows:
- A yes from Dr. Behrman (surgeon) and an appointment to see him soon! We hope to hear from him/Dr. Tauer about that tomorrow.
- wisdom for these two men and any other doctors that may become involved, as well as for our family as we continue to make decisions about treatment
- that this pancreatic cancer will not grow or spread to any other organs/lymph nodes while we are waiting to take action (once again, prayer will be our chemo)
- that Mom's breast cancer will remain in remission
- that Mom's back pain will improve . . . Dr. T did say he is concerned about her back pain, as the "thumbnail" appears to be a bit too low to be causing it; he's worried something else might be hiding back there that we can't see yet.
- Complete healing for Trish . . . from ALL types of cancer!
- that God will continue to reveal His glory through every step of this journey
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
PET scan today!
Could this cancer fiasco possibly drag out any longer? It's now been over 2 weeks with a few answers and no plans and it's making me crazy.
Anyway, Mom's PET scan is scheduled for this morning; it will probably happen around 8am. Once we know if the cancer is anywhere else, we can proceed with a treatment plan. We should find out the results of the PET scan tomorrow afternoon around 3:30pm.
Tricia update . . . Mom had a rough weekend in Chattanooga but the last couple of days have been better.
Pray for no back pain during the PET scan - lying flat usually provokes it. Pray that this scan will show no other cancer anywhere in Mom's body. Pray for God to lead us to the right treatment plan, the right provider (second opinions and alternative treatments are not off the table). Pray for Mom's breast cancer to remain in remission and for her pancreatic cancer to be back there soon. Pray for our family, especially for Jamal and Tekia. Satan is attacking all of us, but I'm most concerned about them. Above all else, pray for God to reveal His glory through this journey. Every day is one we could not face without Him.
My verse of the day, courtesy of my Bible app:
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -Matthew 6:34
Anyway, Mom's PET scan is scheduled for this morning; it will probably happen around 8am. Once we know if the cancer is anywhere else, we can proceed with a treatment plan. We should find out the results of the PET scan tomorrow afternoon around 3:30pm.
Tricia update . . . Mom had a rough weekend in Chattanooga but the last couple of days have been better.
Pray for no back pain during the PET scan - lying flat usually provokes it. Pray that this scan will show no other cancer anywhere in Mom's body. Pray for God to lead us to the right treatment plan, the right provider (second opinions and alternative treatments are not off the table). Pray for Mom's breast cancer to remain in remission and for her pancreatic cancer to be back there soon. Pray for our family, especially for Jamal and Tekia. Satan is attacking all of us, but I'm most concerned about them. Above all else, pray for God to reveal His glory through this journey. Every day is one we could not face without Him.
My verse of the day, courtesy of my Bible app:
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." -Matthew 6:34
Saturday, January 19, 2013
here we go again
Hey friends, sorry about my lack of updates...I'm out of town without a computer (my last post was copied and pasted from my facebook status...by Trish...her first blog post!). Anyway, cancer really didn't fit into our plans this week. I'll write more when I get home, but here's a quick update...
Dr. T called yesterday and told Mom that the biopsy showed pancreatic cancer. Not at all the news we were hoping for, but that's where we are. The next step is a PET scan, which has yet to be scheduled but will probably be early next week. Please be praying that it will show NO other cancer anywhere else in her body! If the cancer is anywhere else, that would limit our options severely. And would just plain stink, obviously. I feel certain that chemo is in Mom's future - probably a pretty tough one - and possibly (hopefully) radiation and a surgery consult.
But none of that is happening today. :) Today Mom and I are on separate girls' trips that we've had planned. She's spending the weekend with her best friend Patty at Tekia's cheer competition in Chattanooga. And I'm in Vegas with my cousin Ashley and friend Jill! Dad and Jamal are hanging out at home. And baby Shae is now being called Hattie Grace and is doing great with her new mom and dad. :)
And I just typed the majority of this post while sitting at an empty slot machine, waiting for a table at our restaurant to open up. Most random blogging ever. So there's that.
Dr. T called yesterday and told Mom that the biopsy showed pancreatic cancer. Not at all the news we were hoping for, but that's where we are. The next step is a PET scan, which has yet to be scheduled but will probably be early next week. Please be praying that it will show NO other cancer anywhere else in her body! If the cancer is anywhere else, that would limit our options severely. And would just plain stink, obviously. I feel certain that chemo is in Mom's future - probably a pretty tough one - and possibly (hopefully) radiation and a surgery consult.
But none of that is happening today. :) Today Mom and I are on separate girls' trips that we've had planned. She's spending the weekend with her best friend Patty at Tekia's cheer competition in Chattanooga. And I'm in Vegas with my cousin Ashley and friend Jill! Dad and Jamal are hanging out at home. And baby Shae is now being called Hattie Grace and is doing great with her new mom and dad. :)
And I just typed the majority of this post while sitting at an empty slot machine, waiting for a table at our restaurant to open up. Most random blogging ever. So there's that.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
next stop: pinky nail
Here's the Team Tricia update for today . . .
The biopsy went well. It was much less painful than Mom's last pancreas biopsy, though she is pretty sore tonight. The radiologist told Mom that this "mass" is about the size of his thumbnail. Seriously. All this drama is being caused by a thumbnail. Crazy.
The nerve block didn't happen. Mom's back pain has decreased significantly in the last week! Dr. T gave her pain pills last Tuesday but she's rarely had to use them. After talking with Trish and reviewing her scan, the radiologist decided the nerve block wasn't needed. He said the thumbnail (oh yeah, from here on out I'll refer to the tumor/mass/lesion as a thumbnail) might not be as close to those nerves as he had originally thought. Plus, since she wasn't hurting at all today, there would be no way to gauge whether the procedure was effective or not. So no nerve block. Trish can always go back and get one later if she needs one.
We found out today that the results of the biopsy won't be back tomorrow. So now Mom's appointment with Dr. T is on Thursday at 4pm.
Thanks for all your prayers today! Keep them coming!
The biopsy went well. It was much less painful than Mom's last pancreas biopsy, though she is pretty sore tonight. The radiologist told Mom that this "mass" is about the size of his thumbnail. Seriously. All this drama is being caused by a thumbnail. Crazy.
The nerve block didn't happen. Mom's back pain has decreased significantly in the last week! Dr. T gave her pain pills last Tuesday but she's rarely had to use them. After talking with Trish and reviewing her scan, the radiologist decided the nerve block wasn't needed. He said the thumbnail (oh yeah, from here on out I'll refer to the tumor/mass/lesion as a thumbnail) might not be as close to those nerves as he had originally thought. Plus, since she wasn't hurting at all today, there would be no way to gauge whether the procedure was effective or not. So no nerve block. Trish can always go back and get one later if she needs one.
We found out today that the results of the biopsy won't be back tomorrow. So now Mom's appointment with Dr. T is on Thursday at 4pm.
Thanks for all your prayers today! Keep them coming!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
biopsy TODAY!
Once again, I am overwhelmed by the love that has been shown to our family during a hard time. Over the last week, we have been surrounded and prayed over by friends (a couple of times) . . . we've received so many emails/tweets/facebook comments/messages that I still haven't been able to read all of mine . . . people have offered to clean our kitchen, bring us dinner, keep our baby . . . Trish is getting cards in the mail daily . . . and of course so, so many of you - friends and strangers - have promised to join with us in prayer as we humbly ask God for healing. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We have seen His glory.
Here is the plan for TODAY. My mom's day will start around 8:30 with check-in and lab work. Her biopsy is scheduled to begin at 10am and will be followed by the nerve block around 11 or 11:30. After that, she must remain at the clinic for observation for around 6 hours. It's going to be a long day.
We are supposed to find out the results of the biopsy TOMORROW at 2pm. We hope they will be ready by then, because we already have a busy Thursday planned . . . baby Shae is moving to a family who hopes to adopt her. :) And then Friday Mom, Tekia, and I are all headed out of town for the weekend!
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| Mom and Shae at our formal-themed family Christmas last weekend. (we do themed Christmases . . . it's basically awesome) |
Here is the plan for TODAY. My mom's day will start around 8:30 with check-in and lab work. Her biopsy is scheduled to begin at 10am and will be followed by the nerve block around 11 or 11:30. After that, she must remain at the clinic for observation for around 6 hours. It's going to be a long day.
We are supposed to find out the results of the biopsy TOMORROW at 2pm. We hope they will be ready by then, because we already have a busy Thursday planned . . . baby Shae is moving to a family who hopes to adopt her. :) And then Friday Mom, Tekia, and I are all headed out of town for the weekend!
Prayer warriors, we need you today! Pray for these two procedures to go
smoothly. Pray for a benign biopsy and a successful nerve block. Pray for God to make Himself known at the clinic today.
"Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory." Psalm 50:15
p.s. You can thank Shae for making sure I got up early enough to update the blog. She really wanted me to update it at 2am . . . and then again at 5am . . . finally at 7 she got her way. Persistence pays off. ;)
"Trust me in your times of trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory." Psalm 50:15
p.s. You can thank Shae for making sure I got up early enough to update the blog. She really wanted me to update it at 2am . . . and then again at 5am . . . finally at 7 she got her way. Persistence pays off. ;)
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
rejoice always
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
That was the first thing I read this morning. The Bible app on my phone has a "verse of the day", and that was today's. It was easier to do at 7am than it is now, but I'm working on it.
If you haven't already heard, we received some very bad news today. My mom's CT scan showed a mass where her pancreas used to be (the part they removed two years ago). This is likely pressing on some nerves and is the cause of her back pain. Mom's been having back pain since October, but after a good CT scan that month and a good MRI 6 weeks ago, it was determined that she likely had a muscular injury. I guess this tumor was just too small to see on Mom's previous scans. Dr. T feels like this is probably the pancreatic cancer recurring. However, he wants to do a biopsy to be sure. Next Tuesday, 1/15, Trish will have a biopsy as well as a nerve block to help with her pain. We should get the results of the biopsy the following day (1/16 . . . Mom's birthday).
Though, given what we know, the outlook looks grim, we continue to believe in miracles (because, hello, God's given us like a hundred of them) and are holding onto hope that this might not be pancreatic cancer. So it's time to rally the troops and pray with us! Pray for healing for mom, pray for wisdom for Dr. Tauer and the rest of her medical team, and pray for peace for our family, especially Jamal and Tekia. Above all, pray that God's glory will be revealed through this journey.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and love. We are so blessed to be loved by so many.
That was the first thing I read this morning. The Bible app on my phone has a "verse of the day", and that was today's. It was easier to do at 7am than it is now, but I'm working on it.
If you haven't already heard, we received some very bad news today. My mom's CT scan showed a mass where her pancreas used to be (the part they removed two years ago). This is likely pressing on some nerves and is the cause of her back pain. Mom's been having back pain since October, but after a good CT scan that month and a good MRI 6 weeks ago, it was determined that she likely had a muscular injury. I guess this tumor was just too small to see on Mom's previous scans. Dr. T feels like this is probably the pancreatic cancer recurring. However, he wants to do a biopsy to be sure. Next Tuesday, 1/15, Trish will have a biopsy as well as a nerve block to help with her pain. We should get the results of the biopsy the following day (1/16 . . . Mom's birthday).
Though, given what we know, the outlook looks grim, we continue to believe in miracles (because, hello, God's given us like a hundred of them) and are holding onto hope that this might not be pancreatic cancer. So it's time to rally the troops and pray with us! Pray for healing for mom, pray for wisdom for Dr. Tauer and the rest of her medical team, and pray for peace for our family, especially Jamal and Tekia. Above all, pray that God's glory will be revealed through this journey.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and love. We are so blessed to be loved by so many.
Sunday, January 06, 2013
a cancer-free 2013?
Trish has her first scan of the new year this Tuesday. We would so appreciate your prayers for a cancer-free 2013!
My mom has been doing pretty well for the most part. For those of you who are worried about her continued weight loss ("your mom looks like she's lost more weight" is a common thing for me to hear on Sunday mornings), we feel pretty sure the GI side effects from one of her breast cancer meds (Tykerb) is to blame for that. She has good days and bad days, but all in all, Trish has grown really weary of Tykerb and its lousy side effects. It won't surprise me a bit if she tries to sweet talk Dr. T into stopping it this week.
The other issue Mom is having is back pain. She actually had an MRI regarding this back in November (you didn't miss anything - we didn't tell many people about it). We were so thankful to learn that the MRI showed absolutely nothing, and it was concluded by the nurse practitioner and Trish that some type of muscular injury was to blame. She had recently been lifting a wheelchair in and out of the car (Tekia...broken toe), so we think it might've happened then. We were hoping a few weeks of no heavy lifting would fix the problem, but it hasn't. So Mom will talk to Dr. T about that as well.
We started off 2012 with the news that Mom's breast cancer had returned, and God has been faithful to provide more healing. But even with our family's good health, the last year has been trying as we've lost several friends to this awful disease. Our friends Kathy, Kristen, Joan, and Maura have all taken up residence in heaven...please keep their families in your prayers.
I'll be staying home with baby Shae on Tuesday, but I'll update when I hear the results of Mom's scan. Thank you for joining us as we pray for a clear scan and ask God to reveal His glory!
My mom has been doing pretty well for the most part. For those of you who are worried about her continued weight loss ("your mom looks like she's lost more weight" is a common thing for me to hear on Sunday mornings), we feel pretty sure the GI side effects from one of her breast cancer meds (Tykerb) is to blame for that. She has good days and bad days, but all in all, Trish has grown really weary of Tykerb and its lousy side effects. It won't surprise me a bit if she tries to sweet talk Dr. T into stopping it this week.
The other issue Mom is having is back pain. She actually had an MRI regarding this back in November (you didn't miss anything - we didn't tell many people about it). We were so thankful to learn that the MRI showed absolutely nothing, and it was concluded by the nurse practitioner and Trish that some type of muscular injury was to blame. She had recently been lifting a wheelchair in and out of the car (Tekia...broken toe), so we think it might've happened then. We were hoping a few weeks of no heavy lifting would fix the problem, but it hasn't. So Mom will talk to Dr. T about that as well.
We started off 2012 with the news that Mom's breast cancer had returned, and God has been faithful to provide more healing. But even with our family's good health, the last year has been trying as we've lost several friends to this awful disease. Our friends Kathy, Kristen, Joan, and Maura have all taken up residence in heaven...please keep their families in your prayers.
I'll be staying home with baby Shae on Tuesday, but I'll update when I hear the results of Mom's scan. Thank you for joining us as we pray for a clear scan and ask God to reveal His glory!
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| This photo has nothing to do with this post. But this baby is cute. |
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