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November 20, 2005
In everything give thanks
We’ve been enjoying a week of clear skies and beautiful sunshine, but accompanied by cold winds, so are looking forward to almost a week in the much warmer sun in Florida! We leave Monday evening, arriving in Tampa on Tuesday morning, and return the following Sunday. As I sit here with two sweaters and a flannel shirt on, and still cold fingers, the warmth sounds wonderful. We’re so looking forward to time with a mini contingent from Gold Hill (our church in England) composed of four couples. There will be 11 of us together for Thanksgiving! That in itself is plenty of reason to thank the Lord. In addition, on Nov. 20,the Sunday evening before we fly, we will be attending a Thanksgiving Fellowship for all the Filipino churches here in the Portland area. That will be a good opportunity to meet many more Filipinos.
We saw my oncologist yesterday to get the results of the CT scan I had last week. The scan shows that the tumors are growing in size and number. Not what we were expecting or wanting to hear. The week of November 28, after we return from Florida, I will need to have a central line (port) installed to make it easier to receive chemo treatments. Two days after the port, I’ll have the first chemo (a drug called Navelbine) along with Herceptin which has proved quite effective in treating the type of cancer I have. This will probably continue on a weekly basis for about four months, and if it is successful in shrinking the tumors in the liver I’ll be able to go back onto an estrogen inhibitor. If not, I’ll need to shift to a more powerful and toxic form of chemo. Of course we were hoping for different news from the doctor this afternoon, but at least this confirms that it was right and necessary for us to return to the States, since the cost of the chemo and Herceptin wouldn’t have been covered by our group policy in Singapore. Even though the monthly cost of health care here in the States is high, it looks as though we will be getting our money’s worth and then some!
We’ve just told Wil the news. He didn’t say much, but the expression on his face was so sad that I had to fight back tears. Pray especially for him and for Dave as this news is far more devastating for them than for me. I know the Lord will heal me, but I don’t know when and where! It’s good to be doing a Bible study that focuses on believing God.
Posted by David at 9:03 AM
November 11, 2005
Smooth sailing
Thanks so much for praying for my CAT scan this morning. The name of the person we were praying for is Nancy. I told her before she started that there were lots of people praying she would be able to find a good vein the first time, and that’s just what she did! I got there a bit early, so was seen early as well, and was ready to leave at 10:30 with just a patch of gauze on the puncture site and only a tiny drop of blood on that. I was able to lift my arms just high enough to keep them out of the cylinder where the scan is done and my doctor had prescribed some extra strong pain medicine to provide extra help. I felt groggy for quite a few hours afterwards, but that was OK. It’s such a relief to have that test over. I’m not nearly as concerned with the test results as with getting through the procedure!
More good news is that Wil had a very good report card. We were especially pleased to see how well he did in math and science. And most teachers commented that they enjoy having Wil in their classes, though some said he was a bit too chatty (!) He obviously gets that from his dad! He found out tonight that he will be on the JV2 basketball team along with most of the other freshman. He found the first few days of practice really exhausting, but he’s happy to be able to learn more about another sport. God is good.
Posted by David at 11:12 AM
November 8, 2005
Prayer request for Thursday
It’s not long since our last update, but I have a special prayer request. The last time I had a CAT scan it took five trys to get the needle into a vein without it collapsing. Every time it didn’t work was quite painful and lead to a large black and blue spot. Part of the problem is that since the lymph glands in my right arm have been removed, they have to use the left arm and the veins there are smaller than in my right arm. My veins are small and collapse easily. This was a problem in Singapore as well. But now with the tendonitis in my left arm, I’m not sure that I can get my arm into position over my head, let alone hold it there for the length of time it takes to pump in the contrast dye. Last time they had to use a tiny needle and the procedure took about three or four times as long as normal. And I didn’t have tendonitis then! All that detail to say I’m more than a little nervous about going in for this scan on Thursday morning at 10 am and would value your prayers for the Lord’s peace between now and then, and for the technician who will be inserting the needle. Thanks so much.
Posted by David at 8:17 AM
November 5, 2005
November News
Dear Team,
Rainy season here in Oregon sure is a lot colder than rainy season in Manila! There are winter storm advisories already for Mt. Hood and possibly two feet of snow there by Sunday! We are at a lower altitude, so it’s just wet and muddy and cold here. We’re thankful that the roof doesn’t leak and we aren’t in danger of flooding (both things plagued us in Manila!). I’m thankful too for a good start to the Beth Moore Bible study “Believing God” this morning. I was surprised that more than a dozen women wanted to be part of it. We can just fit in the needed number of chairs in our family room! Lesson learned from the life of David in the Precepts study on Sunday evenings have been challenging as well, especially lessons on leadership, parenting, acknowledging our sin and receiving God’s forgiveness.
Thank you for praying for Jody and Dorothea. Jody will have a port installed today and start chemo on Tuesday with 48 hr. treatments every 2 weeks for 6 months. The chemo she will receive is one of the less toxic ones, so she probably won’t lose her hair. She and David are really happy with the Christian oncologist who is treating her. Dorothea and Jim returned Tuesday night from Houston where a leading oncologist did tests and planned the protocol she will receive here in Portland. She will be getting a port soon and also have chemo for six months, but she needs a more toxic form, so is already looking at wigs. The prognosis for her is relatively good, so we are praising the Lord for sustaining and shining through these two families. Pray on!
Wil has learned a lot in his health class and is trying to eat a healthier diet as a result. He also learned that he’s about the only one in his class who likes liver! We were given an elk liver this week. It is HUGE and will probably provide at least six meals for our family. I’ve been giving the boys liver since they were babies, and it has remained a favorite. But I may need to find some new ways of cooking it. Today is the end of the first quarter for Wil. Next week we will meet with his teachers and find out how he is doing. The NT Greek has been a stretch.
Something very special on our calendar this month is a trip to Florida for Thanksgiving! We leave late on Nov. 21 and return the afternoon of Nov. 27 to spend that American holiday with four dear couples, all from the United Kingdom! They are all from Gold Hill Baptist Church and include Jim and Anne Graham, and Bob and Joan Dalton who own the house in Florida. We are really looking forward to seeing these friends and are praying the hurricane season will end before we get there. This has been a rough year for the southeastern part of the USA.
I have my next CAT scan on Nov. 10 and see the oncologist on the 17th. I had a blood test in Oct. and the results of that were good. I feel great apart from my arms. A physical therapist in our church here is giving me some extra treatments and using ultrasound to try to loosen up the tendon in my left shoulder. He’s shown Dave how to build a pulley for me to do other stretches.
I’ve been putting prayer letters and journals into chronological order to serve as references as I start writing my book. Pray I’ll be disciplined and lead by the Lord as I write.
With thankful hearts and gratitude for your partnership with us,
Dave and Karen
Posted by David at 11:00 AM