Joyce and I got the medical report from my PET scan results a few days early. I had been at my brother’s place visiting for the last few days and was having a lot of pain in my back. So Joyce called the doctor at Stanford to see if it was possible that there was something they had seen on the PET Scan that would explain the pain in my back. The doctor called us back and said the results of the PET Scan would explain that. He said he hated to deliver bad news on the phone, but the urgent nature of my situation demanded it. The bottom line is that the lymphoma lesions are back, especially on the left side of my abdomen. This was not the news we wanted to hear, but we knew that this was a distinct possibility from the beginning. So, what this means is that I will be doing another round of chemotherapy very soon, only this time it will be antibody therapy (antibodies deliver the chemo straight to the lymphoma cells). The doctor said that the side effects of this type are not quite as bad as what we did before. The purpose of it would be to quickly clear out the lymphoma again so that stem cells could be harvested for a longer-term solution. The longer-term solution would be a transplant of my own stem cells back into my body. This solution has a good likelihood of success, but it does mean that our treatment is going to go on for quite a bit longer.The other related piece of bad news is that this also puts my kidneys in danger again. This time it could be both kidneys. We will go in to see the urologist on Tuesday and he will determine whether I may need a stint in one or both of my kidneys, or perhaps another nephrostomy bag will have to be attached. None of this is what we wanted or exactly what we prayed for, but we know that God is working in the midst of all this. He hasn't gone anywhere. He still loves us and He is good.
Please pray for us as we go through this weekend with some uncertainties. Pray that we'll be able to get the new chemotherapy set up as soon as possible. Pray that it will be successful and will be able to harvest good stem cells in the near future. Please also pray for my appointment with the urologist that they will make the right decisions and things will go well in whatever surgery I will need to protect my kidneys. We value your prayers, especially in times like this. Thank you for praying for us. God is good all the time.
1 comment:
Jim and I are praying for you, especially that God would guard your kidneys through this process and mostly that it be successful. May He cheer you all and give you His Shalom. Much love from the Fox's
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