An upper GI a week ago showed no ulcer - which is what we were hoping for. This past Monday, March 18, Mark had a CT scan and met with Dr. Urba immediately afterwards. He had been in his office watching it live. After visiting for a bit, he indicated that the scan did not look good. He showed us multiple spots in both sides of Mark's liver, some as large as 1 inch in diameter. Another tumor was found on the pancreas which is likely what is causing the pain. Each time Mark eats he has intense pain about an hour afterwards when the food reaches his stomach. The enlarged stomach evidently puts pressure on the tumor.
Dr. Urba went back to the CT scan in December to see if they missed something, but again found no evidence of tumors. They must have been too small to see on a CT, but Mark felt it.
Wednesday we flew to CA to visit Mark's family. The pain continued to increase with no relief using extra-strength Tylenol. Wednesday night he slept no more than 2 hours. By morning he was exhausted, in intense pain, and feeling trapped. He texted Dr. Urba who encouraged Mark to try the Vicodin again. He had a negative reaction to it a few nights ago so he was apprehensive. This time he responded well and had some needed relief. Because of the intense pain, Dr. Urba felt it best to shrink the tumors as fast as possible. He prescribed Mekinist and Tafinlar, the targeted medicine that shrunk the tumors so well early on. They will be delivered tomorrow. Once the tumors are smaller we can determine which course of action to take next. Keytruda worked well in getting rid of all the tumors and keeping them away for several years, but we now know that it will not be a long-term cure. There are other options, though, which we will learn more about.
Obviously, this is not the news we wanted, and it has been tough! But we are accepting our new reality with hope. Ultimately, we trust in our loving Father in Heaven who knows what is best for us and our family.
With appreciation for all of your love and support!
No comments:
Post a Comment