Not Uncertain for Long

Jeremiah 17:14 says, “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”  We have cried out to the Lord for healing and today we are celebrating plans for Tim’s cancer to be eradicated. 

When we left the doctor’s office two weeks ago we were expecting to be referred to a surgeon sometime in January.  Once again, those were our plans and timeline, not God’s.  We received a message Friday afternoon at 4:30 saying Tim had an appointment today (Monday) at noon.  We travelled downtown to the medical center today to consult with a liver surgeon at MD Anderson.   

From the very beginning, we were both very comfortable with her PA and with the doctor. Dr. Chun felt that he was an excellent candidate for a resection and that the timing was perfect.   

Current plans are to have one more chemo infusion this Friday and then wait 5 to 6 weeks before performing surgery. In that time, he will have another scan with contrast downtown to get exact measurements and volumes on January 3 and see the doctor again on the 4th to finalize plans for surgery. She explained that in order for Tim to be a candidate for a liver resection, he would need to have at least 20 to 30% of healthy liver. God has created the human liver to be able to regenerate itself in a matter of weeks!

She showed us the scans and explained that his entire left liver is consumed with tumors and at least one extends to the right side.  Her initial estimates are that she will remove about 60% of his liver. She explained that this could not be done laparoscopically, but would require a full incision to open his entire abdominal cavity. 

She said she expects that he’ll be in the hospital about a week and then home with a recovery time of about 6 weeks.  We know this will be a difficult time as I try to split my time between the medical center and home with the kids, but we are blessed with such a huge support system that I know the Lord has placed in our lives for this time.  

Tim’s official diagnosis was stage 4 colorectal cancer, but all of this is about the liver....he is also being referred to a colorectal surgeon to consult about the initial tumor.  We don’t know exactly when this will happen. Maybe January. That treatment could include radiation, surgery, chemo, or some combination.  It is secondary at this point because of the liver being such a vital organ. 

All of this was a lot to take in and most unexpected, but for the first time we are talking about “curing him of cancer” versus “treating his cancer.” For this, we give all of our praise and glory to our savior and healer, the Lord Almighty. 

“We proclaim how great You [God] are and tell of the wonderful things You have done.” Psalm 75:1