Part of the purpose of this blog is to not only communicate with the many who ask about how I am doing, but to also chronicle the different aspects of the cancer battle. Therefore, I think I need to take a moment to discuss some of the recent months in my life, to raise an Ebenezer, if you will (1Samuel 7:12), and to declare, "Hither by God's help I am come."
The period from late
September 2015 to early February 2016 can be described as life going from difficult to
very difficult to bizarre. The transition from difficult to very
difficult was from late September to late November, as pressures and
demands at work increased, coupled with the rising level of cancer in my body
rendering my body less able to meet the demands of work and ministry. After
Thanksgiving, we moved into the bizarre stage with the intense physical pain in
hip and leg, and coping to survive that is almost beyond my ability to believe.
Only Carol knows a measure of what that time was like for me, and I have only
an inkling of what that time was like for her. Fortunately, I think those
memories are fading with time. We went down several blind allies of
misdiagnosis and physical therapy, and the holidays are just not a good time to
try to things done in the medical community. But it was a time of spiritual
growth and seeing God's faithfulness in our lives.
The "bizarre"
stage ended the day following an elder meeting at my church on the evening of 2/4 where I was in such pain
I had to stand for most of the meeting. I was seated next to a fellow elder who is a nationally renowned neurologist in research, treatment, and teaching. After the meeting, he gave me a brief check over, and then interceded to set up a meeting for me with a pain specialist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center by 7:30 the
following morning. As part of diagnosis (not treatment) I received an
electrical shock along a nerve path that resulted in (once the shock wore away)
in much reduced pain. The UTSW Pain Doctor also prescribed some steroids that began (along with
heavy duty pain meds already from my cancer doc) to alleviate the pain.
Towards the end of January, the cancer docs at Texas Oncology were getting back
involved (I was on a two month checkup schedule) and a CT scan the week
following the elder meeting of 2/4 identified a tumor between pelvis and
spine that was pressing on the nerve, dissolving the bone and the real cause of
the problem.
The cancer docs also
confirmed what I had known all fall, that the cancer was back in full
force and it was time to hit it with the chemotherapy again. The strategy
became to first treat and eradicate the tumor with radiation therapy, and then
to hit the cancer itself with chemotherapy. I was on what I
call "light artillery" chemo for several weeks, with the
"heavy artillery" to begin following radiation. Both drugs are oral, meaning I just take the appointed pills on the appointed mornings, and do not have to go in for infusions, a real blessing.
The "heavy
artillery" drug is the same one that I was on several years ago
that was very effective and without as many serious side effects as other drugs
I had taken. It is very potent, very strictly controlled, and incredibly
expensive, yet I have absolutely $0 co-pay on it. Sometimes, as Carol and I sit
in our bedroom for our evening Bible readings and prayer, we just marvel at how
much God has chosen to bless our lives. If things go with this drug as they did
last time (and we pray they will), I will probably be on it for about a year,
it will make me tired but not too sick, and should not stop me from ministry or
work. Above all, we hope it will once again be effective at knocking down the
cancer. Your prayers in this regard are much appreciated.
