Hills and Valleys

Tauren Wells released a song titled “Hills and Valleys” last year and along with Sanctus Real’s “Confidence,” it has found its place as a theme for our family.  The chorus says...

On the mountains, I will bow my life
To the one who set me there
In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the one who sees me there
When I'm standing on the mountain aft, didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley end, no I am not alone!
You're God of the hills and valleys!
Hills and Valleys!
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone!

Today Tim and I went to see his oncologist to get the results from his scan on Tuesday and found ourselves in yet another valley.  The results showed that all of the tumors in his lungs and liver have increased in size since his scan mid September. At this point what Cooper deemed the “super chemo” is no longer working and Tim is having a more difficult time 
managing the side effects, so no more chemo. 

This, however, doesn’t mean that there aren’t other options.  Tim is currently scheduled to start an inhibitor that is taken orally on November 26. He will work his way up to 4 pills a day for 21 days and then off for 7 before starting over.  Side effects are much the same as what he’s been on with a few additional.  Because of the nature and severity of the side effects, he’ll see the doctor more frequently in the beginning. 

In addition, they have requested his tumor tissue from his original biopsy last September be tested for a particular protein that could qualify him for a clinical trial. It’s a slim chance, yet another option. 

Although this may be a valley in this journey, we continue to see and experience “hills” everyday.  We laughed through the appointment and both have a peace and a hope that only comes through the Holy Spirit. As the lyrics say, we know we are not alone.  Pray with us for more hills than valleys, that this inhibitor stops all cancer growth in Tim’s body, and for us to be able to manage the side effects. 

**If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal savior and have the comfort of the Holy Spirit, Tim and I both would love to share with you. Text or call us!**

Fighting On

Tim has now had two rounds of the more aggressive chemo and has tolerated both fairly well. He is easily fatigued and is experiencing cold sensitivity.  The biggest concern is that his platelet counts continue to drop.  He is still on go for chemo tomorrow but will need to rest and avoid getting even the slightest sickness. I suspect he will stick close to the house for the coming days and not venture out.  For those of you who know Tim at all, this is going to drive him crazy.  They will check his counts again before approving chemo on November 2. We expect another scan in about a month to see if this regimen is working.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been blessed by a group of men from church who have selflessly taken care of some needed chores and repairs around the house, by a new friend and organization to help with parking at the med center, and Tim was the guest speaker  at a men’s group at Believer’s Fellowship in Spring. We know that the Lord is in control and are grateful for the blessings who provides.  Pray with us for limited side effects, no sickness for any of us, and for the tumors to be reduced in size - gone completely would be great.

Facing the Next Giant

It's been just over two months and I haven't updated, because really there wasn't much to update. Tim had a scan on July 27 which showed minimal growth in both the liver and lungs.  The doctor opted to stay on the same chemo regimen (primary chemo drug being Irinotecan) and scan again to see how the tumors were responding. We found ourselves in somewhat of a normal pattern of everyday life.  However, our next Giant Encounter was lurking just around the corner.

Last Thursday, September 13, Tim had another scan and saw the liver surgeon immediately after.  She shared that there appeared to be "rapid" growth in the lungs and did not want to move forward with an ablation on the liver for fear of the lung tumors growing or multiplying during the time he would have to be off of one of the drugs. He was scheduled for chemo on Friday, the 14th, but was told when he arrived that chemo was being postponed until he could meet with his oncologist to discuss a new treatment plan.  At this same time, his blood pressure was abnormally high and he was instructed to take his blood pressure three times a day and have the results available for the doctor on Wednesday, September 19.  

We met the next Giant face to face Wednesday when Dr. Nelson came into the room and started with, "I know you guys have already seen the report and that the cancer is getting worse."  My stomach dropped.  We didn't learn anything new that we didn't already know from the scan the week before, but it became real.  I had quite a few questions and Dr. .Nelson was good to answer them all.  One of the pulmonary tumors and the one liver tumor are roughly the size of a marble.  The other identifiable pulmonary tumor is about the size of a pea.  Other lesions appear, but at this time they are too small to determine what they are.  The rectal tumor was not measured at this last scan, but is the least of the concerns right now.

The treatment plan moving forward is to switch out Irinotecan for Oxaliplatin - or as Cooper calls it, "Super Chemo." This is what he was first on just over a year ago that shrunk everything so fast.  It brings with it a lengthy list of debilitating side effects.  There was no clear cut plan for how long he will stay on this.  Dr. Nelson said, "until the side effects become limiting." Tim pointedly asked him what would happen then.  He indicated that if we see that it is working to reduce the size and number of the tumors, then he would alternate between the Oxaliplatin and Irinotecan. With each new cycle I felt like we are David with only a slingshot and a handful of stones.  But we know what the Lord can do with those stones. Pray that He will use Oxaliplatin and Avastin to eradicate the cancer while keeping the side effects manageable.  

Regardless - 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Still Here

It's been almost a month since the last update, and several people have asked for an update.

Tim has had two more rounds of chemo since the last post.  The first one was fairly uneventful.  He was in a room on the backside of the infusion center where it was extremely quiet and he was able to sleep through the entire 4 1/2 hours.  There were few side effects other than nose bleeds and fatigue.  

We saw Dr. Nelson before his second infusion.  He was said Tim is doing really well as far as handling the chemo.  The nosebleeds are a common side effect of the Avastin and not to be concerned unless we couldn't get them stopped.  His labs were all good and he was given the go ahead for chemo on Friday, the 6th.

This appointment would prove to be very different than any of the previous ones - Abby was on chemo duty.  She drove him there and home and handled the infusion process very well.  This round, though, did make him sick. He was rather nauseous and light headed throughout Friday and Saturday. He's slept a lot and feels like he has the flu.  This is all to be expected - we just never know if it's going to affect him this way or not.  Some times it does and some times it doesn't. 

He has one more round on the 20th and then is scheduled for a scan on the 27th to see how the cancer is responding.  We are most concerned about the lesions on the liver that appeared to be growing on the last scan.  Please pray that all cancer is responding (all pelvic lesions, liver, and lungs) and that his body continues to tolerate the chemo.

Still Hope

Catching up from last week --

Tim had an MRI and a CT scan last Wednesday and we saw his oncologist for the results on Thursdays. In some ways, it was a mixed bag of information. His lungs show no growth in size or number and it even appears that some of the lesions are responding to the chemo. The rectal tumor and associated areas appear to be stable. However, there is at least on new lesion on the liver. For now he will continue with four more cycles of his current chemo regimen and then rescan again to assess the liver and consider other treatment options. I asked exactly what this meant as the liver surgeon had previously talked about ablating any future spots. Dr. Nelson explained that he would switch Tim back to Folfox which is a combination of chemo drugs that includes oxaliplatin - the drug that he was on prior to the liver resection that caused the most severe side effects. He would prefer not to do an ablation at this time because it would mean going off of chemo and his fear is that the other areas will grow. He saw both surgeons yesterday and everyone appears to be on the same page. We are thankful that the entire team is working together and there are still options to manage his disease.

Some days you wouldn't know Tim's body has been invaded by this awful disease and others he struggles to get out of the recliner. He is trying to learn his limits and not overdo it, but the energizer bunny doesn't really know when to stop until he runs out of batteries. This last treatment did not go as smoothly as the one before. He was sick Friday evening through most of Sunday and slept quite a bit. The newest development is frequent nosebleeds which is a common side effect of the avastin. This means they will likely be monitoring his platelets and his susceptibility for anemia. Pray that we adjust to some sort of normal life and that we don't take anything for granted.

Yes, It's Been a While

It's been over a month since my last post, but there honestly hasn't been much to say.  Tim's infusions have continued every other Friday and weekend with only one minor hiccup.  We never know how he is going to react from one infusion to the next.  His last treatment he experienced almost no symptoms, while the one before that made him extremely sick.  Before his last infusion, he began running a fever and we were at the point of having to go the the MD Anderson Emergency Clinic down at the medical center.  Luckily, he had an appointment with the oncologist the next next day and because there were no other signs or symptoms of infections, they continued with chemo as scheduled.

He's seen the nutritionist twice in the last month and any of you who know Tim very well know that he did not like the changes they want him to make.  It's definitely a slow process, but he is trying new things - wheat bread with seeds, green vegetables, and WATER!

Moving forward - Tim had an MRI and CT today, sees his oncologist tomorrow, chemo on Friday, and then sees both of the surgeons on Monday. Pray that the cancer is reduced or at least stable - NO GROWTH! More to come after Monday.

No New News

Today was another infusion day. They added back in a targeted therapy drug that works with two of the chemo drugs and he slept through quite a bit of the infusion. It seems that the new anticipatory medicine knocks him out and helps a little with side effects. Although not as sick as the treatment before last, he has been nauseous and vomiting. Hopefully, his two meds will kick in soon to alleviate it.

To set the record straight with facts - despite a rumor going around, Tim has not been given any prognosis on life span. We are unsure where this false information originated, but know it has upset the kids and we are working to alleviate their fears. We are continuing to live our life as normal as possible and have even made plans for the next year. What we have learned is not to take for granted God’s blessings. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Only the Lord knows the number of our days.