Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Rob...a man of faith, love and so much courage!
Just wanted to let all of you know that he is doing well. It was a rough week for him as we expected. Going forward the chemo treatments will be much more challenging for Rob. Today, one week and one day from his last chemo, he is feeling much better and had a restful night of sleep. We hope that each day Rob will continue to regain his strength and feel better. The next round of chemo will be on December 29th.
Tonight at dinner, we took turns going around the table to thank God for something and Sam went first...."I want to thank God for daddy going to the hospital and getting x-rays. And I want to thank God that daddy is getting medicine and for making daddy better." As you can imagine, Rob and I were both so surprised with his words and brought to tears by Sam's innocence and his faith. This is such a joyous time of year as we prepare for Jesus' Birthday (and of course, Santa's arrival) and how wonderful to see such Spirit in our children. I have no doubt that as this journey changes us, as adults, it is also shaping and changing our boys. God works in such wonderful ways and he chose us to experience such love and so much faith. So, we continue to take one day at a time and ask for your prayers as we share our journey with you. Thank you for your support and continued prayers.
Love and blessings to all of you.
Susie
Tonight at dinner, we took turns going around the table to thank God for something and Sam went first...."I want to thank God for daddy going to the hospital and getting x-rays. And I want to thank God that daddy is getting medicine and for making daddy better." As you can imagine, Rob and I were both so surprised with his words and brought to tears by Sam's innocence and his faith. This is such a joyous time of year as we prepare for Jesus' Birthday (and of course, Santa's arrival) and how wonderful to see such Spirit in our children. I have no doubt that as this journey changes us, as adults, it is also shaping and changing our boys. God works in such wonderful ways and he chose us to experience such love and so much faith. So, we continue to take one day at a time and ask for your prayers as we share our journey with you. Thank you for your support and continued prayers.
Love and blessings to all of you.
Susie
Monday, December 8, 2008
Update!!
Praise God...our prayers are being answered! Thank you so much to all of the prayer warriors out there...I know we have been storming heaven and our prayers are being answered. Today we found out that the tumor in Rob's chest has decreased over 50%!!! The size of the tumor now measures 7.7 cm compared to 17.2 cm. No enlarged lymph nodes were found which means the lymphoma has not spread. His heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, gallbladder and adrenal glands are all normal in size. AND...the pericardial fluid (fluid around the heart) is gone! We are so blessed and so happy to have received such great news today!
So, what is the next step?? Rob will continue the scheduled 6 rounds of chemo, today was the 4th round. In late January, early February they will complete a PET scan of his entire body and if the tumor is gone or showing as dead mass/tissue, Rob will be finished with treatment and monitored closely to be sure that it does not return. If there is any amount of the tumor left, he will have to undergo 2 additional rounds of chemo and possibly radiation. Dr. Braden did tell us that this is a possibility because the tumor was so large and that we will cross this bridge when we get there.
They lowered the dose of the vincristine drug today because Rob is experiencing tingling/numbness in his fingertips. This is an irreversible side effect and the Dr. did not want this to get any worse for Rob as it can have a big effect on his quality of life should it get worse and move into his arms, legs and feet. Dr. Braden assured us that lowering the dose would not change the outcome of the chemo treatments.
Today went well, however Rob is exhausted from the chemo. He came home and went straight to bed. We were told that this chemo treatment and the next 2 would probably be the hardest for him since the drugs are accumulating in his body. The Dr. also advised us to watch Rob closely for illness and fevers and to contact them right away if one should develop. This time of year with so much flu, he especially needs to be careful.
Overall, Dr. Braden is extremely pleased with how Rob is handling everything mentally and physically. He said he was amazed at how tolerant Rob's body is of the chemo and glad to see he is still gaining weight.
Please continue to lift Rob up in prayer as we move forward on this journey and road to complete healing.
I trust in your faithfulness. Grant my heart joy in your help, that I may sing of the Lord, "How good our God has been to me!" Psalm 13:6
With love to all of you for your prayers and support.
Susie
So, what is the next step?? Rob will continue the scheduled 6 rounds of chemo, today was the 4th round. In late January, early February they will complete a PET scan of his entire body and if the tumor is gone or showing as dead mass/tissue, Rob will be finished with treatment and monitored closely to be sure that it does not return. If there is any amount of the tumor left, he will have to undergo 2 additional rounds of chemo and possibly radiation. Dr. Braden did tell us that this is a possibility because the tumor was so large and that we will cross this bridge when we get there.
They lowered the dose of the vincristine drug today because Rob is experiencing tingling/numbness in his fingertips. This is an irreversible side effect and the Dr. did not want this to get any worse for Rob as it can have a big effect on his quality of life should it get worse and move into his arms, legs and feet. Dr. Braden assured us that lowering the dose would not change the outcome of the chemo treatments.
Today went well, however Rob is exhausted from the chemo. He came home and went straight to bed. We were told that this chemo treatment and the next 2 would probably be the hardest for him since the drugs are accumulating in his body. The Dr. also advised us to watch Rob closely for illness and fevers and to contact them right away if one should develop. This time of year with so much flu, he especially needs to be careful.
Overall, Dr. Braden is extremely pleased with how Rob is handling everything mentally and physically. He said he was amazed at how tolerant Rob's body is of the chemo and glad to see he is still gaining weight.
Please continue to lift Rob up in prayer as we move forward on this journey and road to complete healing.
I trust in your faithfulness. Grant my heart joy in your help, that I may sing of the Lord, "How good our God has been to me!" Psalm 13:6
With love to all of you for your prayers and support.
Susie
It's on the run
Results of Rob's latest scans indicate the tumor has shrunk significantly, 17.2 cm to 7.7 cm, and there is no sign of any spread of the cancer to anywhere else. More to come, this is news hot off the chart.
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