The Investigation Continues

The pain in the abdomen decreased for a while in December.  After the first of the year the pain continued to increase in intensity, but would still come and go, although never going away completely.  Several weeks ago, it became much more severe. What is causing it?!  Last Tuesday Mark had an ultrasound to determine if there was a hernia but nothing was revealed that was out of the ordinary.  After consultation with our doctor and oncologist, we believe it may be an adhesion possibly caused by scar tissue from the surgery in September 2016 to remove the tumor in the adrenal gland.  That was a 7-hour surgery so certainly could have caused some drying out of organs, as well as creating scar tissue.  Dr. Urba has ordered another CT Scan and this week we will contact a gastrointestinal specialist who has been recommended to us.  The pain has been enough to keep him from sleeping well even with over the counter pain killers.  It sometimes causes nausea and today he noticed that he had pain after eating.  Certain positions hurt more than others.  So...on we go with more possible complications from the cancer, BUT as far as we know, there are still NO active cancer tumors!  We'll take it!! 

Our Early Christmas Gift

About two weeks ago Mark reluctantly shared with me that he has been having some mild pain and pressure in the same area of his abdomen where the large tumor was removed in 2016.  It had been increasing in intensity for several weeks before he told me, so he was concerned that it was likely a tumor growing there again.  This was a blow as we had hopes that the cancer was gone!  After tears and tender moments, we reviewed the blessings that we have been recipients of.  There have been so many! With that perspective, we braced ourselves to face whatever challenges came our way.  The medicine worked so well before that we had high hopes it would do the job again.

 

Mark communicated our concerns with Dr. Urba.  An MRI and CT scan had previously been scheduled for December 15^th so timing for that was good.  Last Friday Mark had the tests done and we thought that we may not hear from Dr. Urba since we had an appointment with him on Monday, the 17^th.  Later in the day an e-mail came through which read, “See you Monday. Scans look good. Want to hear more about your discomfort.”  We were actually shocked!  Of course, we were thrilled, but it certainly was not what we had expected.  Today he confirmed that there was absolutely no indication of cancer anywhere in Mark’s body.  The mild pain is still a mystery so we will have a follow-up appointment in 6-8 weeks.  Hopefully, the pain just goes away.  If not, Mark will have a full PET scan. 

We are celebrating an early Christmas present – Mark is still tumor free!  Going through this scare has made us even more appreciative for the extended time we have together.

We wish you all a beautiful and joyous Christmas season.

We Celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary!

How well we remember wondering if we'd make it to our 35th, and here we are at 40!  Yahoo!!!  July 5th was the big day and we were surrounded by our 5  children, their  spouses, and 16 adorable grandchildren.  A surprise  video presentation with sweet and funny comments by each of our grandchildren was a highlight!

On Monday, the 9th, we meet with Dr. Walter Urba.  It's been four months since the last visit, and will be 5 months until the next.  He doesn't feel that a CT or MRI is necessary until right before the next appointment in mid-December.  Mark feels fantastic!  There is nothing to indicate that there is anything amiss.

Life for us is sweet and we count our blessings for the additional time that we have together.  Thank you for your love and support.  We love and appreciate you!

Amazing and Wonderful Blessings!!!

Last Friday, Mark had another PET scan, and today we met with Dr. Urba.  As we expected, there continues to be NO evidence of active cancer anywhere in his body!  Mark started Keytruda one year ago, with infusions every three weeks.  His side effects have been minimal so he could stay on it longer, but after collaborating with experts in the field, Dr. Urba believes that one year is long enough.  Today was Mark's LAST treatment!  YAHOO!!!  As Mark mentioned in the last post, his odds for complete remission are much better than ever before.  If tumors reoccur, there is a good chance that he will respond positively to the medications he has already taken.  Also, with continual research, new and improved treatments are possible. 

Of course, routine monitoring will continue with regular doctor visits as well as CT scans every 3 months for a while, moving to every 6 months, and then to once a year.  Dr. Urba also trusts that Mark knows his body well enough to detect if anything is amiss.

It will be 6 years this coming February since the first diagnosis, and initially his odds of cure were very small.  How we appreciate all of your support, faith and prayers during our journey!  You have blessed our lives, and we thank you!  We want to give back to those who are going through difficult challenges, and hope that we will be sensitive and aware.  Life is filled with trials of every kind, and our opportunity is to support one another along the path.

We wish you all a very Happy 2018 filled with peace, joy and love!