10:10 Wellness

Treatment update Thursday 2/28/13

I've been quiet here.  The old adage "no news is good news" does not apply.  When I get silent, it means I'm troubled.  I finished my second 4 week cycle of Sutent in mid-January and had the anticipated follow-up PET scan to evaluate the drug's effectiveness after two cycles.  The results of that scan weren't so good.

Some of the tumors had grown and some were more metabolically active (i.e., hungry).  My oncologist suggested we try another drug.  At the time there were no FDA approved drugs for a plan C so we would have to consider experimental drugs or clinical trials.  Neither appealed to me.  I hate drugs, and the thought of taking unproven drugs with all the potential side effects appalled me.

Treatment update Wednesday 12/12/13

Last time I wrote I mentioned that we were considering a new drug.  Well on November 11, I began taking Sutent.  Like Gleevec it's a one-a-day targeted chemo pill.  This targeting means that it only goes after the bad guys - no collateral damage.  And like Gleevec it came with a very long list of potential side effects.  Some of those that my nurse said were very common are extreme dryness of the hands and feet (leading to cracking of the skin), a rash, and bad mouth sores.

Praise God (and all of you for your prayers), I've had none of that.  Zip.  The only real side effect is the lack of energy.  It's kinda like having the flu without all the messy flu symptoms - just the blahs.  Some days are better than others, but I certainly can't complain.  I'm still able to maintain my work schedule, and I have a very handy excuse if I don't want to clean toilets!

3 Keys to Ruling the World

My favorite Christian author, Donald Miller, has evolved from writing books to helping others live their lives in such a way as to create great stories.  His book Storyline (which I haven't even read yet) is also the basis for conferences that Donald is holding across the country to help people live better stories.

In my email box this week I was pleased to get a message from Donald.  It's a quick read that deserves my attention and follow-through.

3 Keys to Ruling the World

Abundance!

A Letter from my Favorite On-line resource: Wikipedia

I use Wikipedia - a lot.  And I really appreciate it's ad-free content.  Who pays for such a resource?  You can!  Please consider contributing if you don't already, and if you use the site.  Here's a letter I received from the non-profit after I send them a few bucks:

Bring on the sun

There's an enormous amount of disagreement and misinformation about the sun's role in our health.  I'm especially sensitive to any content that addresses melanoma as that's what took bro.  I suppose I'm a contrarion as I don't believe the sun is evil.  In fact, you might even label me as a sun worshipper.

The Mercola article "90 Percent of Melanoma Surgeries are Unnecessary, Study Finds" shows me that some of my sun worship is in fact harmful.  If you have any concerns about skin cancer, and want to learn safe, natural (aka, God's) ways to obtain Vitamin D (a proven cancer fighter) take the time to read this article and watch the videos.

Glorifying God while in the trial

On July 4, 2012 I ran the Peachtree Road Race with my sis Cynthia, bro-in-law Jim, my niece Michelle, her boyfriend Will, and one of sis's friends - along with 60,000 other runners.  We ran this race as a tribute to our late brother Jimmy, and sis had t-shirts created to memorialize bro.

While on the course a sixty-something yr. old approached me and asked about the shirt.  This was sometime before mile 3 when my wheels came off, and I walked the rest of the course.  We chatted for a while about Jimmy's situation, and then she told me her grandson was battling cancer in Dallas.  She said his name was Luke Gidden and he had a Caring Bridge site that his mom was updating.

Not long after the race I found the site and subscribed so that updates appear in my email box.  Luke's mom is a talented writer and devoted caregiver.    She shares much of the wisdom, Godly wisdom at that, along with some of Luke's insights and wisdom.  Today included a piece that spoke to me (and the hot brunette) as we've struggled with some challenges of our own. 

I hope you'll find some time to read and offer up prayer for my internet friend Luke.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/lukegidden

 

Least of These

I feel like I'm out of the woods - from a health perspective anyway.  There's much to be healed and restored before I'm back to normal.  But I have a feeling I've passed through the worst of this cancer storm.  Certainly we have no guarantees for tomorrow; but today I have a renewed sense of hope and purpose.

For the past couple of months my existence has been pretty sloth-like.  Large portions of my days were spent on the same spot on the couch.  I'm not disappointed about this - it's just where I was.  As much as I would like to have had the mojo to go to the gym or even for a short walk, it just didn't exist.  I knew this wasn't healthy.  My book resources all suggest getting some exercise to oxygenate my body.  Maybe tomorrow.

Treatment update Monday November 19, 2012

Healthwise, October was not a very good month.  September wasn't exactly a bed of roses either.  In late September my gut began to swell.  Combined with my now bony build, I somewhat resembled a starving African.  The swelling was uncomfortable such that I can for the first time empathize with a pregnant mom.

After thumping on my gut which sounded much like thumping on a pumpkin, my doctor ordered an immediate CT scan and a paracentisis.  I like to call that my belly drain. The CT scan revealed that the tumors had grown about 25% throwing into doubt whether the wonder drug Gleevec should be continued.

Good To Be Alive

My new favorite song.  By Jason Gray.

Good To Be Alive

Treatment update Tuesday October 16, 2012

I've been quiet with updates for a while.  Most of that quietness was because I really had no health or treatment updates to share.  No news is good news, right?!  Then in the 3rd week of September I began to experience what I would call stomach bloating.  It was actually more than just my stomach but really my entire abdominal area felt (and looked) bloated.

I can now truly empathize with pregnant women.  There were times in bed that I just couldn't get comfortable.  The hot brunette bought a sleeping wedge, a pillow shaped like a wide door stop, that provided relief and enabled me to sleep well again.

Because the bloating didn't go away, I asked my doctor what we could do.   He sent me over for a CT scan which revealed I had a fluid build-up.  So we scheduled a paracentesis, a simple procedure where they basically drain the peritoneal cavity (that's the sack that surrounds all our organs).  We did that yesterday.

One of the nurses said that they've drained as much as 8 to 10 liters from a patient.  I offered up a little less than 2.  But let me tell you, those 2 made a big difference.  Last night I ate my first full meal in a month.

I expect today to get results on this as well as a chromosome test which will help determine if the Gleevec drug I've been taking should be continued.  Pretty heavy testing you might say.

Please pray for tumor destruction and perseverance.  Praise God for both!