Just to let you know, i spoke to Susette's doctor and the news is confirmed -- the PET scan was negative!
Praise the Lord and keep on praying!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
GREAT NEWS! (with reservations)
This may be a bit premature but i have to post it this exciting news nonetheless...
Susette had her PET scan today to determine the status of her cancer. Less than an hour ago, her doctor called me with the following "preliminary" results. He said, the technician reviewed her results and said that the PET scan "appears" to show no sign of the cancer anywhere. Yes, that's right -- NO SIGN OF CANCER! Is our God good or what!!!!
BUT... He followed his statement with the following: we will know for sure tomorrow morning. If he doesn't call me than that is good news and it means that the results are as he stated - NO DETECTABLE SIGNS OF CANCER. If he does call, then there is a different or varying result.
i asked him if this information is conclusive. He said, the PET scan is not the most comprehensive evaluation of all cancer cells. It is either black or white based only on what "it is able" to detect. Regardless of the results, he wants to continue the chemo to insure that any undetectable cancer be eliminated. The reason being is that undetected cells that survive chemo will come back at 10 times the fury of the original cells.
Well, that's it for now. i will post again tomorrow whether or not i hear from the doctor (i will probably call him regardless).
Don't stop praying! Our God is awesome and He is moving!
Susette had her PET scan today to determine the status of her cancer. Less than an hour ago, her doctor called me with the following "preliminary" results. He said, the technician reviewed her results and said that the PET scan "appears" to show no sign of the cancer anywhere. Yes, that's right -- NO SIGN OF CANCER! Is our God good or what!!!!
BUT... He followed his statement with the following: we will know for sure tomorrow morning. If he doesn't call me than that is good news and it means that the results are as he stated - NO DETECTABLE SIGNS OF CANCER. If he does call, then there is a different or varying result.
i asked him if this information is conclusive. He said, the PET scan is not the most comprehensive evaluation of all cancer cells. It is either black or white based only on what "it is able" to detect. Regardless of the results, he wants to continue the chemo to insure that any undetectable cancer be eliminated. The reason being is that undetected cells that survive chemo will come back at 10 times the fury of the original cells.
Well, that's it for now. i will post again tomorrow whether or not i hear from the doctor (i will probably call him regardless).
Don't stop praying! Our God is awesome and He is moving!
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
James 5:16
James 5:16
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Chemo #4
Susette had her fourth chemo therapy treatment on Friday and is doing pretty well.
Before we had the treatment, however, she had to go in to have a "pick line" installed. A pick line is a temporary line that is inserted into her vein (with two little plugs hanging on the outside of her arm) that allows the nurses to draw blood or inject treatments without having to search for a vein each time. The pick line has a small tube that is threaded into her vein and that runs right to her heart to insure the treatment goes right into her blood system. The last two visits were difficult for the nurses to find good veins, therefore it was recommended that Susette have the pick line installed.
At the hospital, we shared out treatment area with two very nice people - Joseph and Victoria. Joseph come in every week to get a blood transfusion. He had cancer five years back and has a very low white cell count. The drugs that are supposed to boost white cell count are pretty much ineffective for him (he's 87) so he comes in to get new blood every week. He says, "It's a way of life." He shared that he just spends his life trying to avoid bacteria or infection because he knows that if he gets anything it will be fatal. Joseph and his wife were thankful that he had lived 5 years when doctors projected that 6 months would be a long time for him to survive.
Victoria and Susette really hit it off. She is a die hard Catholic but you could tell she has a heart for the Lord. She asked lots of questions about the orphanage, Haiti and the children. She said she would love to visit the orphanage and teach the children embroidery, music and English but that she couldn't leave Joseph. We all really connected and Susette feels it was one of those "divine appointments." It was so cute, before we left Victoria handed us some money and said she wants to sponsor one of the little girls at the orphanage. She wants to sponsor the one who whom no one else will sponsor. Then, she said to please send a photo as soon as possible so she could show her son the picture of his new "sister." Victoria is a new mom at 70!
Yesterday, we had a home health care nurse from UCLA show up to teach Susette how to flush and clean her new pick line. They gave us a huge box of supplies for the month. It is very important that Susette clean and flush the line daily because infection can be very serious and dangerous. Well, this was Susette's "divine appointment number two." The nurse was a young woman from Nigeria who turned out to be a spirit-filled Christian. She lives in Torrance (near by) and belongs to small church in the area. It just so happens that she owns a piece of land in Nigeria that she wants to one day build an orphanage, school and church. Wow! Talk about a "God thing!" Anyway, they exchanged contact info and i'm sure we'll be talking more to her.
So, in summary, God continues to work mightily in our circumstance. Susette, who is supposed to feel worse after each treatment, is actually feeling better after each treatment. She is strong and feeling God's presence and healing. Please continue your prayers, especially as she prepares for her next PET scan to happen sometime in the next week or so. God bless.
Before we had the treatment, however, she had to go in to have a "pick line" installed. A pick line is a temporary line that is inserted into her vein (with two little plugs hanging on the outside of her arm) that allows the nurses to draw blood or inject treatments without having to search for a vein each time. The pick line has a small tube that is threaded into her vein and that runs right to her heart to insure the treatment goes right into her blood system. The last two visits were difficult for the nurses to find good veins, therefore it was recommended that Susette have the pick line installed.
At the hospital, we shared out treatment area with two very nice people - Joseph and Victoria. Joseph come in every week to get a blood transfusion. He had cancer five years back and has a very low white cell count. The drugs that are supposed to boost white cell count are pretty much ineffective for him (he's 87) so he comes in to get new blood every week. He says, "It's a way of life." He shared that he just spends his life trying to avoid bacteria or infection because he knows that if he gets anything it will be fatal. Joseph and his wife were thankful that he had lived 5 years when doctors projected that 6 months would be a long time for him to survive.
Victoria and Susette really hit it off. She is a die hard Catholic but you could tell she has a heart for the Lord. She asked lots of questions about the orphanage, Haiti and the children. She said she would love to visit the orphanage and teach the children embroidery, music and English but that she couldn't leave Joseph. We all really connected and Susette feels it was one of those "divine appointments." It was so cute, before we left Victoria handed us some money and said she wants to sponsor one of the little girls at the orphanage. She wants to sponsor the one who whom no one else will sponsor. Then, she said to please send a photo as soon as possible so she could show her son the picture of his new "sister." Victoria is a new mom at 70!
Yesterday, we had a home health care nurse from UCLA show up to teach Susette how to flush and clean her new pick line. They gave us a huge box of supplies for the month. It is very important that Susette clean and flush the line daily because infection can be very serious and dangerous. Well, this was Susette's "divine appointment number two." The nurse was a young woman from Nigeria who turned out to be a spirit-filled Christian. She lives in Torrance (near by) and belongs to small church in the area. It just so happens that she owns a piece of land in Nigeria that she wants to one day build an orphanage, school and church. Wow! Talk about a "God thing!" Anyway, they exchanged contact info and i'm sure we'll be talking more to her.
So, in summary, God continues to work mightily in our circumstance. Susette, who is supposed to feel worse after each treatment, is actually feeling better after each treatment. She is strong and feeling God's presence and healing. Please continue your prayers, especially as she prepares for her next PET scan to happen sometime in the next week or so. God bless.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Trying to Boost White Cells
Because Susette's white blood cell count was abnormally low, she has had to go to UCLA for the last four days for daily shots of Nupagin, a drug that helps build white blood cells to fight off infection. The drug apparently generates new white cells through bone marrow, causing achey bones and joints. Susette had a particularly difficult time sleeping last night and said it felt like she had Denge fever (called the break bone disease) again -- a horrible disease we both had in Haiti.
Today we go in for tests and a consultation with her doctor to see if her white cell count is back up. Please pray for her. Thanks.
Today we go in for tests and a consultation with her doctor to see if her white cell count is back up. Please pray for her. Thanks.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Chemo #3
Susette's third chemo therapy treatment went well with few problems. There was one issue, however, where the nurse forgot to dilute one of he chemo drugs with saline. Susette was sleeping when the nurse came over and added an IV of the final drug for her day's treatment. About a minute into the drug, Susette woke up saying, "my veins are burning." i ran and got the nurse who realized that she was supposed to dilute the drug with saline solution because it is too strong for direct IV. She didn't admit her mistake and fumbled about "suggesting" that saline would make it better. The nurse then grabbed a hot compress to put on her arm where the IV was going and the veins were hurting. That made it worse and she returned in a few minutes with a cold compress -- which felt better.
It just accentuated to me how easily problems can occur in this process. Way too often the suffering that occurs with cancer patients happens as a result of the misadministration of treatment.
Please keep her in prayer.
It just accentuated to me how easily problems can occur in this process. Way too often the suffering that occurs with cancer patients happens as a result of the misadministration of treatment.
Please keep her in prayer.
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