Healing a Broken Heart - by Ane

Today Mark had an appointment with Dr. Zemsky, an electro physiologist, who specializes in electrical heart function.  After reviewing all of Mark’s past ECG’s he told us that Mark has been in A-Flutter, not A-Fib.  The medications have slowed the rate down, and although it’s not completely regular, it is different from A-Fib. 

The good news is that there is a procedure that can potentially cure the problem.  Catheter Ablation has a success rate of better than 90% and is a low-risk procedure.  If it works no further heart medications will be required.  YEA! A blood thinner may be required for about a month afterwards.  For that reason our oncologist has requested that Mark have more tests done before we proceed. He doesn't want any bleeding tumors - neither do we!  Next Tuesday, September 4^th, Mark will have a PET scan and a brain MRI so we’ll know what is happening with the other tumors that were previously detected.  If all looks good the oncologist will give the okay to move forward with the procedure.  This is very hopeful news! 

Our Request - by Ane

It has been almost two weeks since our visit to Dr. Urba, the oncologist.  He told us that he would call our cardiologist and let him know that he felt good about moving forward with shocking the heart since there was no evidence of a tumor there.  He did so, and we called the cardiologist’s office to see how soon we could get in to see him.  The earliest appointment available was August 30^th which was still three weeks out.  This past Friday Mark & I were feeling an urgent need to get in sooner, but didn’t know what we could do.  A few hours later, Mark got a call from the office telling us that Dr. Schroeder had taken a new assignment and couldn’t meet with us on the 30^th.  There were no other appointments with any cardiologists until October or November!  That was NOT good news.  Then the receptionists said that there was an older doctor who had some time available that very afternoon in the Gresham office.  Mark told them we would come!  At 3:15 we were talking to this doctor – yes older, but nice guy.  He had looked at all the reports and he saw no reason not to move forward.  He said that even though Mark has been in A-Fib for several months that his heart did not seem to be enlarged and there were no visible signs of any clots in his heart.  He did say that the longer the heart has been in A-Fib the more difficult it is for it to go back to regular rhythm so the sooner, the better.  With his approval we were able to make an appointment with an electro-physiologist who would review the case, and he would be the one to do the actual procedure.  We have an appointment on August 29^th at 8:45 a.m.  If all goes well with that appointment it should be less than a week before the procedure is done.  So…with all that said…our request to you is that you pray with us that Mark will be able to have the procedure done and that it will work – that his heart will return to its normal rhythm and that in time he will be able to discontinue the heart medicines. 

We felt that our prayers were answered in being able to see a cardiologist this past Friday and get the ball rolling for this procedure to be done.  There is absolutely no doubt in our minds that your prayers have been a tremendous blessing in our lives.  We are also mindful that some of you are enduring trials of your own – some public and some private.  It is sometimes those private ones that are the hardest because you don’t have the support of others.  Our hearts go out to you and you will be remembered in our prayers. We pray for all of you that have prayed for us. 

With deepest gratitude, 

Ane

Where did it go? We can't find it!! - by Mark

Our Oncologist confirmed what we thought we saw on the Echocardiogram last Thursday.  The large tumor in the heart is gone!  They can’t see it.  Which means likely every other tumor is gone as well!!  Now he did warn us that echocardiograms are not perfect at seeing things but it can’t be much because it all looked clean to all of us and it was real easy to see before.  The doctor also reminded us that this drug is just a stall and that the cancer will figure out a way around it.  But, this is the best he has ever seen.  He said you are now in the single digits of likely responses to this medication.  He will be showing pictures of my heart before and after at one of his global medical meetings, he was way excited, as were we.

He also reduced the dosage of the Zelboraff 25% to see if he can reduce some of the side effects, which should not hurt the success at all.

Now we are on to schedule an appointment with our cardiologist to see if we can shock the heart back into regular rhythm, as there now is nothing in the heart to break loose and clog the lungs.

Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers and love.  I believe it has made all the difference.

Love,

Mark

Challenges, but Life is Good - by Mark

More hair loss and skin cancer removals, limited energy but lots of gratitude as we pass the four-month mark since diagnosis.  We have had some wonderful times with our children (a Caribbean cruise), a fun 4^th of July, and yesterday Ane and I celebrated 34 years together.  Life is good and we are happy!!!

The monthly checkup on July 2^nd with Dr. Urba, our Oncologist, was educational but not as encouraging.  His patient that has been on Zelboraf, the medication we are on, for 16 months has just relapsed with lots of cancer of a more aggressive type.  We mentioned that we thought he said there was a potential cure of about 2-3 %.  He looked puzzled and indicated that this drug was just a stall, not a cure.  He also was concerned that if the cancer comes back more aggressively there may not be enough time to do the next treatments, Interleukin II and Yervoy.  He also discussed the clinical trials that were in process with the combined Interleukin II and radiation and said they were not going as well as the pre-trials had indicated.  Additionally, we asked about the new drug that just came out last month and he indicated that it was not a cure either and did not have as good of a response as the Zelboraf, so he wouldn’t recommend it.  All in all, the doctor was upbeat, but clearly not expecting a cure just a bit more time.  That was not as encouraging as the last visit. 

My heart has been in A-Fib or A-Flutter for over 2 months now.  The medications have slowed the pace and helped it be a bit more regular, but have also caused unpleasant side effects and can cause other long-term issues. Dr. Urba would like to shock the heart back into regular rhythm, but that can’t be done unless the tumor is gone.  Next month’s visit will follow another echocardiogram so we can see what has happened inside my heart. 

Good news – I’ve lost the weight that I’ve wanted to lose for a long time!  We’re still following a mostly plant based diet, juicing, and doing whatever we can to be healthy.

We are still hopeful and are pursuing a path of: prepare for the worse and plan and pray for a cure.  We are so grateful for the many prayers and good thoughts that have been offered by you and others.  We believe it has and will make the difference.

Warmly,

Mark