Today I got the results from my PET Scan that I had on Tuesday. It surely wasn't as good as I would have liked, however, it absolutely could have been much worse.
In July 2004 I was diagnosed with Colon Cancer. It was a shock to say the least. I had surgery in August. They restructured my colon, said it was enclosed nothing had leaked out and I should have no more trouble but the Oncologist wanted me to take Zeloda, which is an oral pill. I took that for 6 months. The doctor prescribed 6 - 500 mg. pills per day or 3,000 mgs. Lots of medicine for someone who doesn't take aspirins very often. The pills eventually began to take their toll on me. Little did I know it is one of the nastiest drugs on the market. Apparently, it is what this particular health provider offers to most everyone because of the inexpensiveness of it. Not that it's not expensive, but much less than others. When I was finished with this particular chemo, the doctor did not say anything to me about coming back or any blood tests. Now, I am old enough, I should have known something wasn't right, but the doctor had NO bedside manner and it was difficult just to go every two weeks to have to see him. Anyway, they NEVER called, sent a letter or anything else. I assumed everything was fine. Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!
It was...for a while. I began going to an Osteopathic doctor and liked him very well. I explained what I had been through with the previous doctor and he told me it would not be a problem to blood test me every time I needed it. However, he wasn't watching his front desk girls. They would not let me come in for blood tests. They said my insurance would not cover it, which was not true. I still felt fine, but something just didn't seem right, so I finally called and insisted that I get a blood test. That was a year ago. On Thursday, May 18, 2006, this doctor's office called and said my blood levels were way too high. I was upset, as you can imagine.
We decided to change insurance companies so I could be treated by someone from Oakwood Hospital. I decided on a doctor and when I got to this office, it was a female doctor who told us that she was new to the practice and that she had never seen anyone with my condition live longer that 3 years and that was only 2 patients, most live between 12 - 20 months. What an encouragement! She was very "cold" and we didn't like her at all. We were so discouraged.
In the meantime, my girlfriend's brother was diagnosed with Leukemia. He was given a doctor that gave him 2 weeks to live and while he was in the hospital, the nurses told him that he needed to change doctors and told him who to go to. One of the most respected doctors in the hospital. Ronnie started seeing him and he did a bone marrow transplant. My girlfriend was a perfect match. I called my friend after the "cold" doctor and told her what she said. She told her brother and her brother told his doctor. His doctor told him to tell me that he would see me immediately. Amazing, a doctor that is actually interested in someone. Where you aren't a number. You bet we went to see him.
We not only went to see him, we absolutely fell in love with him. He told us that he doesn't believe in giving a "time line" for people's lives. He said that is up to God. No man can say how long a person will live. What a different perspective than the other doctors had given us. So many just don't seem to care. What he found was that the colon cancer had spread to the liver and lungs. It is always called colon cancer though because that is where it started. Just a few years ago, liver cancer ALWAYS was a death sentence. No necessarily so now. Thank God for new drugs.
My new doctor gave me three different kinds of chemo in triple doses--one of which was new. It was tough! I had to be hospitalized about 5 out of the 8 times. The chemo was so strong that it would make me throw up. There was something in the chemo that I could not drink, eat or touch anything that was cold! It was the such a weird feeling. It would feel like my throat was closing up. I can remember telling Barry a few times that I would give $1,000 for a drink of cold water. I had 8 rounds of that. Each round last 72 hours. It would take about 2 weeks for me to be able to even think about cold water or touch anything cold and then boom...it was time again for the next round. Thank God that is over. I can never take that again. We believe it also did borderline nerve damage to my eyes. I had to go to an Ophthalmologist 2 weeks ago and that is what he said. There is no hard evidence that it was from the chemo, however, I lost 7 lines of vision in just a couple of months.
After the 8 rounds of chemo, the doctor put me on this anti-body called Avastan. It is a "blaster" of tumors. It targets them directly after chemo. Every time I went to him, the tumors were shrinking...until today.
Today he told us that there was a slight growth in the nodules on the lungs and there also was a slight growth of the liver. He was very disappointed. He felt that what he had done would take care of it. However, he also told us that the "cheap" medicine that I took in the beginning counteracted what he had given me. Some people it does and some it doesn't apparently.
I will begin chemo again on Tuesday at 8:00 am. The most concern with the drugs I will be taking is the blood levels drop, which means you could have to stay in isolation. The nurse told us that it doesn't affect many people at all. Please pray that it won't. It will be another new drug and I didn't get the name of it, along with something else. I try to ask as few questions as I have to so that it doesn't work on my mind.
He still feels like this will work and I told him we will continue to work on it until it's gone! I think this will be another 8 round ordeal, but I will know more on Tuesday. I will try to post Tuesday evening to let you know more.
With all of my heart, I believe that I am going through this so that I can be an encouragement to others. I don't like it, but, hey, what can I say? If I am here to help others, that's a good thing!
It is midnight now, so I need to close this and get in bed. Thank you all so much for your prayers and concern. Please pray for my husband in this too because it has to be very hard on him. He is ok but it is difficult for him. The man is supposed to be the protector and he can't do anything about this.
We are both standing strong in the Lord on this! We will continue to be in prayer and stay with a heart of thanksgiving that I am doing so well. I am not discouraged -- just anxious to see where God will take us. I still don't believe it is my time to go. I have so much work to do for Him.
In July 2004 I was diagnosed with Colon Cancer. It was a shock to say the least. I had surgery in August. They restructured my colon, said it was enclosed nothing had leaked out and I should have no more trouble but the Oncologist wanted me to take Zeloda, which is an oral pill. I took that for 6 months. The doctor prescribed 6 - 500 mg. pills per day or 3,000 mgs. Lots of medicine for someone who doesn't take aspirins very often. The pills eventually began to take their toll on me. Little did I know it is one of the nastiest drugs on the market. Apparently, it is what this particular health provider offers to most everyone because of the inexpensiveness of it. Not that it's not expensive, but much less than others. When I was finished with this particular chemo, the doctor did not say anything to me about coming back or any blood tests. Now, I am old enough, I should have known something wasn't right, but the doctor had NO bedside manner and it was difficult just to go every two weeks to have to see him. Anyway, they NEVER called, sent a letter or anything else. I assumed everything was fine. Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!
It was...for a while. I began going to an Osteopathic doctor and liked him very well. I explained what I had been through with the previous doctor and he told me it would not be a problem to blood test me every time I needed it. However, he wasn't watching his front desk girls. They would not let me come in for blood tests. They said my insurance would not cover it, which was not true. I still felt fine, but something just didn't seem right, so I finally called and insisted that I get a blood test. That was a year ago. On Thursday, May 18, 2006, this doctor's office called and said my blood levels were way too high. I was upset, as you can imagine.
We decided to change insurance companies so I could be treated by someone from Oakwood Hospital. I decided on a doctor and when I got to this office, it was a female doctor who told us that she was new to the practice and that she had never seen anyone with my condition live longer that 3 years and that was only 2 patients, most live between 12 - 20 months. What an encouragement! She was very "cold" and we didn't like her at all. We were so discouraged.
In the meantime, my girlfriend's brother was diagnosed with Leukemia. He was given a doctor that gave him 2 weeks to live and while he was in the hospital, the nurses told him that he needed to change doctors and told him who to go to. One of the most respected doctors in the hospital. Ronnie started seeing him and he did a bone marrow transplant. My girlfriend was a perfect match. I called my friend after the "cold" doctor and told her what she said. She told her brother and her brother told his doctor. His doctor told him to tell me that he would see me immediately. Amazing, a doctor that is actually interested in someone. Where you aren't a number. You bet we went to see him.
We not only went to see him, we absolutely fell in love with him. He told us that he doesn't believe in giving a "time line" for people's lives. He said that is up to God. No man can say how long a person will live. What a different perspective than the other doctors had given us. So many just don't seem to care. What he found was that the colon cancer had spread to the liver and lungs. It is always called colon cancer though because that is where it started. Just a few years ago, liver cancer ALWAYS was a death sentence. No necessarily so now. Thank God for new drugs.
My new doctor gave me three different kinds of chemo in triple doses--one of which was new. It was tough! I had to be hospitalized about 5 out of the 8 times. The chemo was so strong that it would make me throw up. There was something in the chemo that I could not drink, eat or touch anything that was cold! It was the such a weird feeling. It would feel like my throat was closing up. I can remember telling Barry a few times that I would give $1,000 for a drink of cold water. I had 8 rounds of that. Each round last 72 hours. It would take about 2 weeks for me to be able to even think about cold water or touch anything cold and then boom...it was time again for the next round. Thank God that is over. I can never take that again. We believe it also did borderline nerve damage to my eyes. I had to go to an Ophthalmologist 2 weeks ago and that is what he said. There is no hard evidence that it was from the chemo, however, I lost 7 lines of vision in just a couple of months.
After the 8 rounds of chemo, the doctor put me on this anti-body called Avastan. It is a "blaster" of tumors. It targets them directly after chemo. Every time I went to him, the tumors were shrinking...until today.
Today he told us that there was a slight growth in the nodules on the lungs and there also was a slight growth of the liver. He was very disappointed. He felt that what he had done would take care of it. However, he also told us that the "cheap" medicine that I took in the beginning counteracted what he had given me. Some people it does and some it doesn't apparently.
I will begin chemo again on Tuesday at 8:00 am. The most concern with the drugs I will be taking is the blood levels drop, which means you could have to stay in isolation. The nurse told us that it doesn't affect many people at all. Please pray that it won't. It will be another new drug and I didn't get the name of it, along with something else. I try to ask as few questions as I have to so that it doesn't work on my mind.
He still feels like this will work and I told him we will continue to work on it until it's gone! I think this will be another 8 round ordeal, but I will know more on Tuesday. I will try to post Tuesday evening to let you know more.
With all of my heart, I believe that I am going through this so that I can be an encouragement to others. I don't like it, but, hey, what can I say? If I am here to help others, that's a good thing!
It is midnight now, so I need to close this and get in bed. Thank you all so much for your prayers and concern. Please pray for my husband in this too because it has to be very hard on him. He is ok but it is difficult for him. The man is supposed to be the protector and he can't do anything about this.
We are both standing strong in the Lord on this! We will continue to be in prayer and stay with a heart of thanksgiving that I am doing so well. I am not discouraged -- just anxious to see where God will take us. I still don't believe it is my time to go. I have so much work to do for Him.
God has sent several healing "words" to me and that is why I have so much confidence that his healing will be manifest in me in this life! I believe what He said! I am so thankful for the people that came forth to me and gave me the "Words" that God gave them for me! I have many healing scriptures also that I stand on each day! I have so much to be thankful for!
I am very careful to watch my words. You will never hear me say that I have cancer. I am being healed! I believe that there is power in our words. The Bible tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. I have chosen life!
God bless!
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. He knows the plans He has for me!
26 comments:
You will be in my thoughts and prayers in the coming days...what a journey you have had with this.
Thanks, Rebecca! I so appreciate it!
Dear Arlene
I was so disappointed and my heart tbreaks for you as I read this post.
You remind me of Roger Bennett.
He was the sick one and yet he comforted and encouraged the rest of us. Always!
I'm sorry Arlene...I am usually long winded but this is all I can say...Love Terry
This was my scripture today on my blog.
Psalm 31:24 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.
Lord, I know that You are healing Arlene at this very moment. Lord, I know You are going to use her in amazing ways for Your glory. We stand on and by Your word, You are a loving, healing God, and I know that YOU and You alone are going to bring Arlene through this. Lord, if there is anything she needs, Lord, send Your heavenly (and use the earthly ones too)angels down so they can provide that for her. Lord, I ask for wisdom for the doctors, I ask for patience and strength to Arlene and Barry. Lord, we know she's healed in Your precious Son's name. Amen.
why is it every time we get this news that should disappoint us regarding your health; my heart always rises up with worship and praise? i haven't had a moment of worry and i am not starting now. aggravated? yes. but not afraid. we have worshiped side by side for a lot of years; why change now? i am praising on your behalf. we love you so much.
I agree with positive confession...I don't even have to stretch my faith to start praising for your healing. These reports don't bring tears to my eyes, they make me give God glory for all he's done and all he will do! Like you said, when I retire soon, we can have more time for lunch's out!! I can't wait!
By the way, you DO look so good!
Dear Pat...You are a faithful person too.
As is Sara, and what prayers Margie and Rebecca are sending up to the Lord!
Me, I am so weak in faith sometimes!
But I AM praying.
I have great respect for you all and Arlene!
You are all such great examples to me!...Love Terry
PS.. I just can't help having the tears in my eyes!
I hope you have a great weekend Arlene..
Terry,
Thank you so much for your concern. I am disappointed, but still strongly believe that God is my healer. I have always believed that from an early age. I definitely believe in miracles and am actually expecting one. I'm like Sara, looking for miracles, on a miracle hunt or whatever else you may want to call it, but I am certainly not ready to give up and not ready to quit. Thank you so much for your love and compassion. I am so glad to have you for my blog sister.
Margie, what an encourager you are to me. Thank you. I know God hears and answers your prayers.
Sara, you are such an amazing woman of faith and power and I thank you for your attitude to be able to praise and worship our God through this with and on our behalf. I love you!
Pat, what a friend you have been throughout the years and I thank you so much for that. You are a rock for Him and that gives me courage and encouragement! I love you more than you could possibly know!
I 'll be praying for you. You 've had such a difficult time but you are so brave and full of faith. The Lord is with you, he is holding on to your hand.
You know that I am, and so many others are, standing with you in prayer. By the way, a side affect of all that prayer is your ears may start ringing. Hopefully that won't drive you crazy! Also, I have a confession to make. While adding some pictures to my blog, I copied one of you and Barry from your blog. Check it out!
You will be in my prayers as well, God bless you, He is the God that healeth thee!! Jehovah Rapha!
This night I shall take you up as my prayer assignment and pray for life, annointing you with oil, and praising God for his GREAT LOVE and the gift of life.
A wise doctor, one committed to the Lord, will not give odds on one's life span. The Lord has directed you to a good doctor. Cling to the blessed hope that is in Jesus. Claim that hope. Live that hope.
Amrita, Thank you so much for your prayers! I am praying for you and your country and the problems you are having!
Mike, thanks for all of your prayers and all the rest of your caring for us. We so appreciate it. If you get a chance, we heard through the grapevine that many people at PF were praying last weekend at the leadership conference, tell them thank you too! Checked out your blog, thanks.
Live, Love, Laugh, thanks for your prayers and reminding me about Jehovah Rapha! Keep praying! I know God is hearing!
Mrs. Mac, your words are so encouraging to me. I appreciate them so much. I will do just as you said. Thanks for taking me up the our Heavenly Father in prayer, without a doubt, I couldn't pay for what you are doing.
Arlene, I am SO in agreement with you that there is power in our speech. God's Word says that we have the power of life and death in our tongues. Jesus also "sent His Word and healed them."
I will be sending the Word via praying healing scriptures for you - all the while BELIEVING that God will be faithful to His promise and heal your body.
I look forward to REJOICING with you at the good report!
Also --Olivia is praying too. She's our little "prayer warrior" --and has that perfect, childlike faith. She believes that there's NO way God would choose not to answer her prayers!
God is in control....without thinking twice, I clicked on the comment you left at another blog...so here I am, a servant of the Lord's, here to offer up prayers for you and to praise and worship Jesus, the Healer of all...as we live and breathe for His glory.
donna
Thank you so much Deb. Tell Olivia to pray on. I need her prayer for sure! God really does honor the children.
Donna,
I just read your current blog and I promise that I will pray for you too! I have never had a problem with depression and am very thankful for that. God bless you and yes, you are right, God is the healer of all! Thank you for stopping by!
Will be keeping you and your hubby and family close in prayer. You are amazing...seeing you encourage and love on others in the midst of their loving on and encouraging you!
Kay Mac, Thank you so much! You will never know how much it means to us. I will post tomorrow after I find out more about the chemo. I take the first treatment at 8:00 am; however, sometimes these things can take all day.
Good Morning Arlene..I am hoping that the chemo that you took is doing good and that the side affects will be minimal for you.
You and your husband are both in my prayers..Love Terry
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