Tricia and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

So last week was terrible. Horrible. No Good. Very bad. After I posted last Wednesday about Mom's increased pain problems, things continued to go downhill. By Friday, she wasn't keeping any food down and, subsequently, was hardly eating or drinking anything. She couldn't stand up straight because of the pain and spent most of her time curled up in a fetal position in her bed or the recliner. The pain was so bad and so constant that she was barely speaking. Her pain pills didn't touch it.

I took her to see Marcus, Dr. T's nurse practitioner, on Friday afternoon. Normally I would say I went with her. This time I took her. She was so weak there's no way she could've driven herself. I thought she was going to need a wheelchair to even get around the clinic (she refused - shocking, I know). Anyway, Marcus quickly became our new best friend as he: a) reassured us that this did not mean her cancer was rapidly spreading to other places . . . she'd had a PET one week prior and there's no cancer that grows that fast (his words), and b) made some decisions about her care that soon led to RELIEF! He told us that her tumor is likely irritating a bundle of nerves called the celiac nerve plexus, which is causing her pain and possibly some nausea (the pain meds weren't helping with the nausea, either). The nerve block is back on the table and will be done on the 12th, depending on what we find out today about surgery. Anyway, over the next two days, Mom received IV fluids twice, started a round of steroids, made a series of adjustments to her pain med regimen, and started a drug to help stomach tolerate the pain meds better (that last one is thanks to our wonderful GI doctor friend Randy). By Sunday, she was a new woman! Now she's got her appetite back (and then some - thanks to the steroids), is keeping food down with no anti-nausea meds, and has been able to cut way back on her pain meds. She still has some pain on and off, but it's definitely not keeping her down like it was a few days ago. And she's even gained a few pounds back!

We're not sure what caused such a sudden, dramatic increase in Mom's pain. The weekend before, our church hosted the Mid-South Girls Conference (600 girls spent the day worshiping and learning more about Jesus - incredible!). As usual, Trish coordinated the desserts for lunch. She was on her feet all day Friday and Saturday working on this, so maybe that got her celiac nerves inflamed enough that they just couldn't recover? Who knows. We are just so glad she's feeling more like her old self. Last week was one of the hardest and scariest we've had since this cancer journey started 11+ years ago. I am so thankful for all of you who prayed us - and fed us - through it, and so, so thankful that we serve a God who enters into our pain and is able to deliver us from it.

Okay, on to today's prayer requests . . . it's a big day!

• We see Mom's surgeon, Dr. Behrman, at 9am! 
• Mom's oncologist, Dr. Tauer, is presenting her case to a GI tumor board today, in hopes of getting some fresh takes on how to treat her.
• Pray for both of these men and their colleagues . . . that God will give them (and us) wisdom and discernment as they seek to make decisions that will lead to Mom's healing. Pray that Dr. B will be able to completely remove this cancer with surgery, and Dr. T will follow that up with a treatment regimen that will keep it gone for good.
• Pray that Mom's overall health will continue to improve and that she will be healthy enough to sustain whatever surgery/treatment is coming. 
• Pray for God to work in BIG ways and for people to notice! It is our greatest wish that the world see more of HIM through this journey.

   
"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles." -Psalm 34:17