Change of Plans

After some deliberation and a thorough conversation with Dr. Ratliff, we have decided to reschedule Mama's appointment at M.D. Anderson for mid-September. She will have a scan on September 2 to determine the results of the stereotactic radiosurgery from last week. Dr. Ratliff said that if the doctors in Houston were to recommend a treatment protocol, they would want her to be at least 4 weeks out from any type of treatment. Also, she really wants to know the results from that procedure before we move on to make further decisions.

Micah, the kids, and I are settling in back at home in Oklahoma. We are glad to be home for a little while. Micah will start classes in mid-August and I will begin homeschooling Ella for kindergarten.

Mama is still experiencing some fatigue and loss of appetite from radiation treatments. Dr. Ratliff said she can expect that for several more weeks. She has also recently tapered off of her steroid medication. The steroid did its job by decreasing the swelling in her brain. It also increased her energy and appetite. Well, now that it's gone, those things have changed as well. I am anxious to be well beyond any treatment for a while so that she can establish some routine with her eating and sleeping. Part of the decision for our family to return to Oklahoma was so that she would have some peace and quiet and that she would take that time for rest. We don't have plans at this time to return to Tennessee before our trip to Houston. That can always change if she needs me.

Sometimes in this situation it is hard to remember that as long as she is able, all of the decisions are hers. We've talked about all of the options together and made our decisions based on what she wants. Right now she needs support and encouragement from everyone. It is a comfort to me, being so far away for now, to know that you are there to help her and support her decisions. Continue in your prayers (wherever you are) for wisdom and complete healing. Thanks.

The Good Report

We held our breaths on Monday waiting to hear the results. What a relief when Dr. Kovalic came in with a smile on his face. We looked at the scan images on his computer old and new images, side by side. The difference was striking even to the untrained eye. He walked us through each diminished tumor, lung to brain, revealing one in the brain that has gone altogether. One down, five to go.

What is next? Stereotactic radiosurgery on Thursday, July 22 in Jackson.

http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/St-Wr/Stereotactic-Radiosurgery.html

Hopefully, this link will give you some idea about what that means. Very basically, it is a one time, high dose radiation that is beamed directly into each brain tumor. Dr. Kovalic anticipates good results.

We have an appointment in Houston at MD Anderson on Monday, August 2nd. Depending on the results of this next radiation treatment, it is entirely possible that she will not need any further treatment at this time. However, we feel it important to follow through with the Houston visit in order to establish a relationship with doctors there for now and the future. It never hurts to have a second and third opinion.

She continues with diligence in her diet modifications and pursuit of good health through nutrition. The natural healing protocol we are following can be found in the book Cancer Free by Bill Henderson. The book is well outside of mainstream medical thinking, and that seems to be a problem for some people. Although, for the life of me, I don't know why. Another great book along those same lines is Cancer: Step Outside the Box by Ty Bollinger. Honestly, I've been quite surprised by the amount of support we have heard for our "natural healing" efforts. It does take some courage to "step outside the box." Thanks to those of you who have been encouragers on this front.

Micah and I and the kids are planning to return to Oklahoma next week. We are sad to leave, but so excited to be back with our OK family. We will join Mama and Daddy in a few weeks for our trip to Houston. That's as far as the plans go.

Mama has talked a bit about returning to work on a very limited basis, perhaps just on Saturday morning. I think she would enjoy being back in that groove. She is still experiencing some fatigue and having a bit of trouble remembering tiny details, but nothing dramatic. I know she would say that she dreads us leaving, but I think the restful time will be good for her. Take my word for it, the Smiths can generate a lot of chaos, laundry, dishes, etc. I know she loves us, but we need to go home for everyone's sake. At least for now.

Pray for safe travels, successful procedures and, as always, complete healing.

Prayers Upcoming

On Monday, July 12, Mama will have a scan of her brain to determine the effectiveness of this course of radiation therapy. Please pray that the results are overwhelmingly good. Balancing the stresses of life in general and the strain of such a serious illness waxes and wanes in its difficulty from day to day. As Micah and I consider the necessity of returning home to Oklahoma, I am plagued with guilt. More can be determined after Monday's scan, as we will know the results by the afternoon.

How thankful we are to the Brown family for last Friday night's festivities!! What an amazing show of compassion, generosity, and support by this community.

I will update as soon as possible when we hear the results. Please continue in your prayers for complete healing.

Settling In

The thing about a journey that starts with a crisis is creating the "new normal." That is what we are trying to do. I know it has been a good while since the last post which is mostly due to the fact that my parents don't have internet service. I checked into satellite internet, but it is quite expensive and requires a 2 year contract. I am just not willing to get Mama and Daddy involved in that. We'll just hold out for AT&T to extend their DSL service another half-mile.
Most everyone know that Mama's PET scan showed no other cancers outside the ones we already knew about. Just to review: she has a common cancer, adenocarcinoma. There is one three centimeter tumor in the upper lobe of her right lung which currently is not giving her any symptoms. She has five brain metastases. Anytime cancer goes to your brain you've got a bad situation on your hands, obviously you don't have to be doctor to know that. However, her symptoms are dramatically improved since we arrived on May 7, and she is even further improved since coming home from the hospital on May 21. We are still communicating with MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in an effort to get her an appointment with a doctor there. We do not yet have that appointment. It is a process of sending records, scans, waiting for insurance. We also must wait to finish the radiation treatments that are ongoing in Jackson. She has the final two brain radiation treatments this coming week and has eleven more on her lung. As I have written before, it will be about four weeks from the end of the brain radiation before she will be scanned to determine the effectiveness of the radiation on her tumors.
We met yesterday with a medical oncologist, Dr. Ratliff, in Memphis at the UT Cancer Center. Many thanks to our dear friend Linda Clayton for setting all that up and treating us to a fun day out. Dr. Kovalic in Jackson is a radiation oncologist, and Dr. Ratliff in Memphis is a medical oncologist. The former administers radiation treatments and the latter will manage any chemotherapy treatments if needed. Dr. Ratliff is very comfortable with what we are doing now and saw no need to begin any chemo right away. Our hope is to be able to coordinate any recommendations made in Houston with Dr. Ratliff so that treatments, if any, can be administered in Memphis.
On a different page entirely, I have spent a great deal of time researching alternative treatments. My bank statement will be riddled with amazon.com charges for books on all manner of ways to heal your body with non-toxic treatments, nutrition, supplements, etc. Some of you may think it crazy and a waste of time and you are certainly entitled to that opinion. But before you judge me and think that I am going to refuse the advice of a doctor because I can heal my Mama with broccoli, just hear me out...
I believe that the Lord designed our bodies to heal. I believe that there are individuals who have cured their diseases using only food. I believe that the pharmaceutical industry is an outright racket. I believe that if we called 90 percent of what is on grocery store shelves by its real name, you'd never buy it much less put it in your mouth. Let's just say I have a great deal to say similar to that, but you are reading this to find out about my Mama and not my politics. Anyway, we (together) have decided to restrict her diet and incorporate some natural supplements. She is off meat, dairy, gluten, sugar and all processed foods. Difficult, not crazy and certainly not impossible. She has always preferred to eat healthy foods. She has never been in love with meat and the cancer has robbed her of an appetite for sweets, so I'd say we're all set. If you have any good vegan recipes you'd like to share, by all means, send them on!
Her outlook is great. She is holding tight to her faith and the power of prayer. You all have surrounded her with so much support with your cards, gifts, food, calls, and prayers. She is so very thankful.
Please continue to pray for us that the Lord would grant wisdom and complete healing.

Keeping Up

Sorry it has been so long since the last entry, although not much has happened in the way of hard news. Mama came home Friday evening and has been so glad to be there. She has gained some strength back everyday. After two weeks in a hospital bed anyone would be weakened. Her appetite is good which is a good thing because everyone has been so kind to bring food. She was able to go to worship on Sunday morning and it was an encouragement to her. Radiation treatments resumed yesterday, and today she is having a PET scan in addition to her daily treatment. Now that she has been discharged from the hospital we are beginning the process of getting an appointment in Houston. I spoke with a nurse practitioner yesterday who said that they would want to wait to see her two weeks after she finishes this course of radiation therapy. She is scheduled for 23 treatments Monday through Friday and today is number 9. This pushes the Texas option into the summer. We have been assured that she is receiving the treatment she most needs at this point which is whole brain radiation. Our most specific prayer request for now is that the tumors are responsive to this course of radiation. We will know that answer between two and four weeks after completing radiation as the brain needs a "cleanup period" in order to see a clear picture of what is going on.

Mama remains hopeful and confident in her prayers and yours. She is continually overwhelmed by the support of her church, friends, and community. As always, thank you for holding us up. We will know the results of the PET scan tomorrow and if I can find my way to an internet connection I will post those here. If I can't get to the blog, I will put something on facebook, because I can do that from my phone.

As an end note, I would ask that you remember the Don Huggins family in prayer. He passed away last night. Pray that they might find a measure of peace and comfort in this most difficult time.

Answered Prayers

At this point many of you may have already heard the good news we received this week. First of all the abdominal/pelvic CT scan showed nothing suspicious. Then she had a colonoscopy yesterday morning that confirmed those results. It was all clear and normal. Thank the Lord for the answer to those prayers. Also, the pneumothorax appears to have resolved. She got a larger chest tube a couple of days ago and, although more painful, it seems to have worked. We are waiting to have it clamped this morning. If all goes well we could be going home tomorrow.

Micah and I have met with Dr. Kovalic, the radiation oncologist here in Jackson. He has been very patient to answer our questions and provide us with information that is helping us make the best decisions regarding her care. We are still looking to MDA in Houston for a second opinion. I just don't feel comfortable making these kinds of decisions based on the opinions of one doctor no matter how good he is. This situation is just far too serious. The sheer volume of information in a situation like this is so overwhelming, and it quickly becomes so difficult and confusing to navigate. Part of the puzzle is taking medical facts and reconciling them with our faith. Listening to the doctors with their tests and scans and statistics and prognosis can become a real beat down if you let it. Slowly but surely I am able to take their "facts" and turn to the Lord. It always hurts to have your faith pressed, no matter what your situation. We are learning to focus on our daily bread (thanks Amber) and not on our weekly or monthly bread. Can we ask (and by ask I mean beg) the Lord for time for her that he has not promised any of us? Let's all get up this morning and ask how we can serve Him today not what can he do for us tomorrow. Keep those prayers going up. Thank you.

Waiting Game

I have been away from an internet connection for a couple of days. Sorry for the delay in getting out details. One thing I want to clarify from a previous post is the word "pneumo." I used that term because it is the term the doctors use for what is going on with Mama's lung. It is short for pneumothorax which is a medical condition wherein air or gas is present in the pleural cavity. Essentially, a collapsed lung. I say all of that to say that I did not mean pneumonia. Some of you doctors reading this can comment and explain it to us further and in better terms. Thanks.

We are on our way to the hospital now to visit. The PET scan has been cancelled for today, because as I mentioned before, you can't get one as an inpatient. Thank you insurance company for your complication of this matter!! Because of the delay with the PET, Dr. Kovalic had a CT done on her abdominal area yesterday. We are awaiting those results. Also, we have begun looking into a hospital to hospital transfer to MDA. Hopefully, that is a possibility. That is pretty much what I know at this point. Will hopefully post more later today. Thank you for your continued prayers and overwhelming support.

Disappointments

Well...it's a no go on coming home today. Her chest x-ray looked good and her exam was good, but after they turned the suction off the chest tube, the pneumo came back (I think I'm going to need a medical dictionary if I'm to spell some of these terms correctly). Now she needs to be back on suction for 24 hours. We will hopefully be consulting with a pulmonologist by tomorrow if this issue hasn't resolved. I am getting that feeling like we need to be doing something different to fix this. I keep telling Mama, "I'm not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night." Funny how these situations bring out the medical expertise in us all!

Looks like we're going to need prayers to deal with the small disappointments along the way. She is resting right now, and was able to get up and wash up a bit this morning. That always makes you feel better. She is also so encouraged by your friendly visits, calls, flowers, cards, and of course the prayers! This weekend has brought two of her out-of-town brothers, Paul and Dell, and several of their family members. It is a comfort to see them as well.

The blessings come down as your prayers go up. Thanks.

Prayer Requests

Many of you have asked what you might pray for specifically. Here are a few thoughts:

1. Pray for her lung to heal so that the chest tube may be removed and she can come home.

She wants to be home so badly so that she can spend time with the family. The chest tube is the only reason she has to be inpatient right now. Also, we cannot get the appointment with Houston until she is discharged from this hospital and records can be sent.

2. Pray that we can find a way to get an appointment in Houston as soon as possible. Maybe Dr. Kovalic can consult with them after he reads the PET scan on Tuesday and they will put us on the fasttrack.

3. It is possible that the pathology is wrong about the primary cancer being colorectal. Dr. Kovalic said that he has seen that happen several times. It could be right, but it could be wrong. Pray for the latter. Again, we will know after the PET scan on Tuesday.

4. Pray that the tumors in her brain will be diminished (or vaporized) by these radiation treatments.

5. Pray for our stamina, both physical and emotional.

I have been at her house since Wednesday night until this afternoon. My kids just needed a little normal time with me. I can tell a genuine difference in her today. She seems physically stronger and much more like herself tonight. This is likely from the Decadron, a steroid medication, which relieves the swelling in her brain caused by the tumors. Whatever the reason, it is like air in my lungs just to see her face so revived.

She is ready to fight. Tonight she looked at me and said, "I have the best friends." I am forever grateful to you for making that true. Thank you for standing by her side.

Moving Forward

We received the pathology report from the lung biopsy last night. Not so good. The results indicated that this is cancer that began as colorectal. This was surprising because she has shown no symptoms that might lead one to suspect colorectal cancer. She also had a colonoscopy within the last 4 years.

It is our plan to take her to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. They have the best reputation and survival rates. We have begun the process of getting an appointment there, but there are currently no appointments available until the first week of June. The prognosis from Jackson is weeks to months. With this bleak prognosis hanging over us I am thinking that I can't wait until the first week of June. With some help from my in-laws and their connection and conversation with one of the radiation oncologists in Jackson, we have decided to proceed with treatments in Jackson until we can get to Houston. I spoke directly with Dr. Kovalic a while ago and he said we shouldn't waste any time. If he can get started in Jackson, he will happily consult with the Houston physicians as soon as we can get there. We are slowly collecting hope. Mama is in radiation oncology at this moment. As anyone would, she is taking this hard, but she is THE toughest person I know.

We are maintaining our focus on keeping her positive and finding the most effective treatment options available in this situation. Be positive with us. Pray for strength and healing. Thank you so much for all that you are doing to encourage our family.

The First Step

Well, I've decided that this is going to be the easiest way to get information to everybody quickly. I know it seems impersonal in light of the situation, but try to bear with us. First of all, I want to thank everyone for your genuine care and concern. We have received so many calls and visits already, and Mama has enjoyed every one. Let's go back to the beginning so that everyone has accurate information.

We brought her up to Jackson General ER late Saturday afternoon suspicious that she might be having a stroke. She was stubborn as usual and did not want to come. After a CT scan and a chest x-ray, the ER doc came in and delivered the terrible news. Multiple brain tumors and a tumor in the upper right lung. Where do you go from there?

She had a biopsy of her lung on Monday afternoon. One of the risks of that procedure is that it left a small hole in her lung. We had hoped and thought we would be coming home Monday night, but some fluid had begun collecting in her lung and she required a chest tube. She was really disappointed, because she just wants to go home and spend some time with the grandkids. I think that would keep her from worrying so much about getting the biopsy results which may take two or three more days. We won't know anything about our options until we get those results. Maybe, just maybe, we'll go home tomorrow for some much needed rest and family time.

So many of you know all too well the struggles of a situation like this. There are just so many emotions to navigate for everyone involved. All of your visits and calls have helped encourage us and also just to pass the time. Hospitals are all about hurry up and wait! That gets old so very quickly.

Mama said at the very beginning that she just needed people who love her to be praying for her. I know that you are, and I am grateful. The Lord has blessed us with a wonderful support system, and He will see us through.