Wednesday, June 30, 2010

the day after

Praise God for all his care and His people's prayers. The surgery was successful and the surgeons all feel very good about the outcome. The tumor was fully removed and the initial pathology indicates that they got it all with good margins, keep praying this is confirmed when the lab work up is done.

Today she is looking pretty good and even has taken a couple very short walks. Still lots of tubes and soreness, but not too much pain. We will be here for at least a week, taking it a day at a time!

Thank you all for the many prayers (literally a chorus) and encouragement. Have not had an opportunity to call everyone, so spread the news and keep praying. Our God is the Rock and He can be trusted in all things, we continue to learn more of his Grace and Mercy each day!

Christ's love to each of you, Tom

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Pre-Op

Today was a very busy day for me at the Cleveland Clinic. Tom and I drove down Tuesday night in order to make my first appointment at 7:30am...and neither of us are morning people!
I had an EKG, blood drawn, and consults with the anestesiologist (?), stoma nurse, surgeon, and oncologist. We were finally able to get out of Cleveland at 4 this afternoon. Overall, due to my positive MRI and PET scans, the doctors are feeling good about a positive outcome. Unfortunately, due to my radiation history, my surgeon calls me a "special case", and didn't have alot of definitive answers for me today. The goal is still to remove my entire colon in addition to the removal of the rectum, but that is dependent on the "health" of my small bowel. It needs to be healthy enough to accomodate an iliostomy...if not, they will leave the colon and I will have a colostomy. I do not have a specific surgery time as of yet, but they are telling me it could be an eight hour surgery, so hopefully we will start early....the surgeon remarked that I am her only "date" for the day. Again, thanks to all who are praying so earnestly on my behalf. Please pray that the results of a "localized tumor" are confirmed and the removal goes well, with no to minimal lymph node involvement. I am trusting the Lord that I will only need intraoperative radiation (if that) with no follow up chemo treatment...that would be a miraculous result, but I know that God is the great physician, and with Him all things are possible!! Please too remember to pray for wisdom and stamina for my surgical team, Dr. Hull and Dr. Stephans. I am thankful that my family will be with me during the week I am in the hospital...please pray for them as well....I think it is more difficult to be the cargiver than the patient!
Hopefully Tom will be blogging in my place during the week I am in the hospital, and I hope to be back asap!!

Monday, June 14, 2010

Surgery

After being told Friday afternoon, that it would be at least a week before I heard any information regarding surgery, I received a call this morning, that surgery has been scheduled for Tuesday, June 29th! I will travel to Cleveland on the 23rd for a pre-surgery appointment in which I will have blood work, an EKG, and a physical to make sure I am ready for surgery. I will then meet with my doctors and the anesthesiologists to go over what will be taking place during surgery, and finally with a stoma nurse who will be able to talk to me about what to expect after surgery and how to adapt to having a bag. I am thrilled with the timing and am anxious to have it "behind" me...ha! Again, thanks for all the prayers....please continue to pray that all of the details will fall into place, and that surgery will go forward as scheduled.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Praise God!

Tests were completed at Cleveland yesterday. God was in charge of it all!!
On Wednesday, I learned that my MRI had been moved to 7:30pm, which meant I could not eat or drink all day. And God knows that is no easy task for me!! The Cleveland Clinic was so gracious. When I arrived for my PET scan, the nurse asked if I was having any other test that day, and when I mentioned the MRI, she gave me an IV that could be used for both tests so I would only have to be poked once....quite a blessing. Upon completion of my PET scan, the nurse called over to the MRI area, and they were able to get me in as soon as a arrived! My MRI was complete at 4:30!! Dinner never tasted so good!! I know that many were praying for those tests. Both involve lots of time in small tubes, and yet I was able to be very calm, and had wonderful visualizations of worship time at Woodside...God was truly with me!
Today, I received the results of my tests...the PET scan was totally clear....there is no cancer in the pelvis....it is totally localized in the anal area. The MRI was done to see where the roots of the tumor are, and if the tumor could be removed surgically without preoperative radiation. PRAISE GOD!! The tumor is able to be fully removed when the rectum is removed, so we are moving forward with surgery!! That will be scheduled in the next couple of weeks. This is the best outcome we could have hoped for, and I know it is only because of all the prayers you have been saying on my behalf. I trust that you can say with me that God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!! I can hardly wait to see what He will do next! Please pray for my surgical team, Dr. Hull and Dr. Stephans as they prepare for my surgery.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Tests Scheduled

The PET and MRI didn't happen today as I had hoped, but they are scheduled for Thursday afternoon, both at the Cleveland Clinic. This experience has been quite the education in health insurance, and I thank my sister profusely for her extensive hours on the phone interacting with the insurance company on my behalf. We are still praying that the MRI shows a localized tumor that will lead to a quick surgical intervention. Thanks for your prayers, cards, and calls of encouragement....God is blessing me daily through them!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Doctoring

As many of you know, I have been in the process of searching for the right medical team to be in charge of my care. Tom and I had a great visit with a team from the Cleveland Clinic on Tuesday, and are both feeling confident that God has brought us to the doctors who can deal with my case. The biggest obstacle is my history of previous radiation. The treatment of choice for rectal cancer is several weeks of pre-operative radiation/chemo, following by several weeks of rest, followed by surgery (in my case this will involve removal of the rectum) and then after a few weeks of healing, post-operative radiation/chemo. Due to my previous radiation history, the role of pre-operative radiation has been an issue. Cleveland has the possibility of intraoperative radiation that may eliminate my need for preoperative radiation. Whether I am a candidate for this is dependent on the results of a MRI and PET scan. I am in the process of waiting for this to be setup. I will need to return to Cleveland for these tests. Please pray that I would be able to have these early the week of June 7th, and that the tumor would be very contained allowing for surgery without preoperative radiation. Thanks for your prayers!

My Story

There are so many of you who are praying for me....many I know and many I have never met. God is in control of all things, and I am blessed that so many are keeping me in their thoughts and prayers. On May 7th I was diagnosed with rectal cancer. This is my third cancer diagnosis, so I know that God is indeed the great physician as He has healed me in the past. I don't know what this journey has in store, but I am trusting God daily for what He has for me. Many of you want to stay updated so you know how to pray, so this is my way to get that information to you. Thanks for your care and concern! As God continues to show Himself through this experience, I will be anxious to share with you how He is working, and I trust that you will share how God is working in your life. Thank you for walking this with me....