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October 31, 2006
PET Scan Results
I know that many of you have been waiting for PET scan results. I’ve just received them now and don’t fully understand them. Nothing is said about the size of the tumors in the liver, just that one in the left lobe is “intensely hypermetabolic” and a much smaller one on the right side also showed up. But it also showed a 1.2 cm area in the breast that is “mildly hypermetabolic” compared to normal tissue.
Dr. Leimert wants to see me at noon tomorrow and order a new mammogram/ultrasound even though I just had one a couple of months ago. So, results are in, but answers aren’t! All I can do is let you know what we hear step-by-step. We can’t book tickets to Manila until Dr. Leimert says it’s OK to do that.
I was able to have the PET scan on Thursday instead of Friday, which meant I didn’t miss my Bible study or Wil’s soccer games. I’d hoped it might mean I would have had these results earlier, but I guess God is needing to teach me more about waiting with patience. I’ve been thinking more about the verse in Hebrews 12:1 that says we are to “run with patience the race that is set before us.” Seems like a contradiction in terms, doesn’t it? But what is clear, is that our focus has to stay on “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” There is nothing like having no ability to plan apart from medical concerns to teach us just how true that is.
Posted by David at 1:23 PM
October 25, 2006
Good News and Wil's Birthday
God is answering our prayers. I had emergency treatment this morning on the tooth that was causing a toothache (drilling a hole in the crown and putting medicine into two of the three roots), so should be able to wait a while for further treatment. Then at lunch time we had a call from EPIC Imagining. First the lady said she was sorry she couldn’t get me in for the PET scan before Friday, then as we talked she figured out a way to do it tomorrow, Thursday, at 12:30. That means I can be at home for at least part of the Bible study on Friday morning, and don’t have to miss Wil’s game. It also means that we will have the scan results earlier.
Now can you please pray they will be able to get the needle into my veins without too much hassle? It has taken three tries the last two times I’ve needed to have an IV start (for my last Muga scan and CAT scan) and the false starts are painful and can leave bruising which makes it hard to use those veins in the future. Thanks so much.
We gave Wil his gifts this morning before he left for school, and took him a special lunch. We’re preparing a meal he has requested for dinner, even though we’ll only be at home together to eat it for about 15 minutes between his soccer practice and my orchestra practice. Taking some of his friends out for a meal will have to wait until next week because we can’t fit it in until then. We are so thankful to the Lord for a son like Wil who is growing in wisdom, stature, and his relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Posted by David at 3:31 PM
October 23, 2006
Treatment Update
Thank you for praying! Dr. Leimert consulted the GI Specialist right away, and then emailed me to say, “In patients with more than 3 lesions (as is the case in your liver), localized surgical procedures for metastatic breast cancer are not successful, and Dr. Hanson (the GI specialist) does not recommend this approach.” (That means 'no' to the RFA procedure of zapping just the one largest tumor).
”We did, however, discuss another option. There is a relatively new technique using radioactive glass beads (Yttrium 90) which can be infused into the liver via the hepatic artery. There is a physician at St. Vincent's who does this procedure (Dr. David Liu). We would need to convince ourselves that there is no other metastatic disease elsewhere in your body, and a PET scan might be the best way to do that (although no test is foolproof in that regard). Let me know if you are interested in pursuing this non-chemotherapy option, and I can get the PET ordered and can contact Dr. Liu for a consultation.”
I replied that I would like to go ahead with the PET scan and had a call just a few minutes ago saying the first available slot for the scan is this Friday at 8 am. That isn’t ideal timing since not only do I have a Bible study then, but Wil is playing in a soccer tournament. So I’d like you to pray there will be a cancellation earlier this the week and I can have the scan done sooner and get an appointment with Dr. Liu. I need to go on line and learn more about this procedure and the possible side effects.
Wil has said he is happy for both Dave and me to make the trip to Manila and he wouldn’t mind staying with a couple of friends while we are away. And there are flights available using our frequent flyer miles on a number of different days in November. If we could go from about the Nov.14- 30 we would be able to keep all the appointments already on our calendar and tie up with a lot of friends in the Philippines, as well as getting my dental work done. I have an appointment this Wednesday to have some emergency work done on the tooth that hurts. This would mean I can wait until I get to Manila for the root canal and not be in pain on the trip. Through an OMF friend I’ve been in touch with my dentist in Manila and he says he will fit me in as soon as I can get there, and do the work in the time I have available. As an added bonus, there is a retreat for OMF women in the northern part of the Philippines from Nov. 24-26 that I could probably attend. It would be great to see so many friends all in one place, and the speaker for the retreat is a close Filipina friend. For all of that to work, I need to get scans, consultations, and treatment done and then be well enough to make the trip by mid November. Some of my friends here are praying for the 4 Ts: teeth, tumors, travel, and timing!
Posted by David at 4:20 PM
October 19, 2006
Teeth and Tumors
In our last two updates we’ve mentioned my toothache. I had a root canal redone two weeks ago, but went back to the endodontist yesterday to find out why I still have the toothache. Now he is saying that the tooth next to the one he worked on is the one causing the pain! I’d had my doubts about the rightness of the first diagnosis, but the pain was spread over a three- tooth area, and I just wasn’t sure. So now I’ve used up the amount our insurance company will pay in a year, and still am faced with a large out of pocket bill. We’ve already paid about $500 personally. I’m so frustrated with the system here that I’d like to go back to Manila to have Dr. Jonathan Perez do the needed work. Not only do I trust him more (he’s looked after my teeth for more than twenty years) but I think I can get things done faster and for less money. It looks as though I can also get a flight using frequent flyer miles, thus saving money, and getting to see many friends in the Philippines.
A further complication has come into the picture today. I went in to see Dr. Leimert, the oncologist treating me while Dr. Panutich is on leave. He reported that the results of my last CAT scan show that one of the tumors has more than doubled in size since May. He suggested I start on Taxol, a more toxic form of chemo. When we discussed this with Dr. Panutich, he had several other suggestions, one being that depending on the position of the large tumor, it might be possible to reach it with a scope and zap it. The medical name is Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA) and means introducing radio microwaves through a transcutaneous needle. If that dealt with the one tumor that has grown, I might be able to continue with Navelbine to treat the smaller ones which seem to be responding to that form of treatment. Since Navelbine is far less toxic than Taxol, I would prefer to stay on it rather than face all of the side effects that accompany killing all of the fast growing cells in my body.
So, a lot of things are up in the air right now. Pray that Dr. Leimert will be open to considering another treatment option and will contact the GI Specialist right away. It would be best if that treatment could be done before I go to the Philippines. Alternatively I need to leave as soon as possible in order to get back and start on Taxol. I know that that will be far more debilitating and could well mean I won’t be strong enough to make the trip in the future.
Posted by David at 2:40 PM
October 9, 2006
Together for 225 months
Dear Team, October 9, 2006
When I typed the date on this letter, Dave reminded me that this is our anniversary and today we’ve been married for 225 months!! (That’s 18 and ¾ years for those of you not into counting months!) These have been good years, not always easy, but as we’ve walked on with the Lord between us, they have definitely been good. It has been a privilege to serve together in ministry all these years.
We were slow to write because we’ve been processing some major decisions. Dave has felt frustrated at not seeing more immediate fruit from his labors in seeking to mobilize Filipino congregations in the Portland area. Good relationships have been built with local pastors and we enjoy the opportunities we have to fellowship with Filipino church leaders, but thus far, few openings have come to do seminars in churches on cross-cultural missions. Dave was discouraged and on the point of resigning or going on leave of absence from OMF. As we began discussing this with OMF, and praying more, I felt God was saying that instead of resigning, Dave needed me to be more involved as a catalyst or spark plug in getting this new ministry going. Dave is a servant, who works well with Filipinos, but he’s not a ‘salesmen’ who can sell a vision. We’ve seen that what most Filipino pastors here need is encouragement in the form of prayer support and a listening ear as they struggle with life in this country. Once those relationships are established, they need education in the form of information on what is already happening worldwide through Filipino ministry before they are at the enlistment stage, ready to pray, give, and/or go. As we talked, we started coming up with ideas on how Dave can contact more Filipino pastors, begin small steps in the education process by summarizing articles and books written on the subject, and sending excerpts from such articles via email. Pray that he will develop a disciplined approach to these tasks (building a data base and preparing mini training materials) in the coming months. He wants to set up a team of consultants to help him keep on task and look at the prospect from a wider angle, namely Asian Americans along the west coast of the US and Canada, rather than the narrow focus on Filipino pastors in Portland.
Apart from a toothache necessitating re-treatment of a root canal and new crown, I have felt well over the past few months and been grateful for less discomfort in my arms. It’s good to be playing in the church orchestra again, and teaching fifth and sixth graders at Damascus Christian School to play the flute. I’ll have a CAT scan on the 12th and will know the following week how the tumors are doing in my liver. Please pray for Dr. Panutich and for Linda, a close friend at church who has also been diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Next week Dr. Panutich will have another four days of IV chemo and a month later a stem cell transplant with his own stem cells. He’s getting better at walking, though still needs to use a walker, and has a strong fighting spirit. He’s become a good friend through the out-of-office visits. Linda is in her second week of daily radiation treatments. She has one week to go and will continue on daily chemo tablets for three months. Lana, another friend, has leukemia and is facing a stem cell transplant but needs to decided where to have this done and needs to find a compatible donor. They may not be Filipino, but God has given me a widening circle of fellow cancer patients to love and support.
Wil turns 16 this month and is getting more anxious to drive. He just got his mid term grades and at the moment, has an A or B in everything but Greek. He’s really enjoying soccer season, and we’re enjoying the fact that we’ve had beautiful autumn weather to enjoy watching the games so far this season (more 80 degree days are predicted for this week!) Pray for balance for him between social activities and time spent on chores and homework.
Thank you for being a part of our lives and work through prayer, Dave & Karen
Posted by David at 8:54 PM