The term CINV (it stands for Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting) is not allowed in Scrabble because it is an acronym. Lynn still feels tired from the Chemo treatments, but like CINV is to Scrabble, she has not had any nausea, which is a real blessing. Tired is much easier to deal with.
One word that you can use in Scrabble is Alopecia. It means hair loss.
Lynn’s hair was thinning quite a bit by the end of last week. On Saturday, Shelby and I were brushing Lynn’s hair to remove the loose hairs that were hanging on. After a few minutes, we noticed that there was a LOT of hair coming out, so Lynn asked us to just get the scissors and the razor and cut it all. We did.
Lynn now sports a sort of G.I. Jane look, and she will be wearing hats for a while.
Overall, Lynn is taking her hair loss quite well, a testimony to her courage and perseverance.
Despite Lynn’s tenacity, I have to imagine this hair loss is traumatic, particularly for a woman, and most particularly for a woman with hair as beautiful as Lynn’s was.
Lynn’s next Chemo treatment will be next year – Monday, January 5th. I will try to post late afternoon or early evening that day.
Until then, we want to wish everyone a Happy New Year – may all your tiles be usable and may you bingo many of your turns.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
“Two down, six to go” – Lynn, after completing Chemo treatment #2 yesterday.
Lynn began feeling “normal” at the end of last week, so much so that we escaped from Elk Grove for a couple of days and visited a city near O.J. Simpson’s new residence. Our view of the mountains was probably better. Despite driving through two snowstorms (alongside drivers who don’t know how to drive through snowstorms), it was good to get away.
Yesterday’s treatment went much like the first one; it went very well, all things considered. Lynn’s cancer is (clinically) stage 3, T3, N1. The Oncologist said he thought the tumor was smaller than two weeks ago – which is terrific news. This means the Chemo seems to be doing the job so far. We remain optimistic that this trend will continue over the next 14 weeks, and that when it comes time for surgery the tumor will have shrunken like the U.S. equities markets over the last year.
One side effect of the Chemo doing its job is that Lynn should be losing her hair this week. I have been randomly pulling on bits of it for a week now (strictly in the interests of checking medical progress), but the only result has been Lynn saying “Ouch! Stop it! That hurts!”
I suggested to Lynn that we start a pool on when she will lose her hair. We could set it up like a football pool. We could post a calendar online with 4-hour time slots, and we could sell the time slots for $1 apiece, pooling the proceeds to offer as prizes for the correct or closest-to-correct guesses. After giving this some thought, I realized that this might be just short of legal in California. Thus, please feel free to post your guesses on the post blog, but there will be no remuneration for a correct guess.
In any event, we hope everyone has a "good hair" Christmas. We have much to be thankful for, your prayers and support being at the top of the list.
Lynn began feeling “normal” at the end of last week, so much so that we escaped from Elk Grove for a couple of days and visited a city near O.J. Simpson’s new residence. Our view of the mountains was probably better. Despite driving through two snowstorms (alongside drivers who don’t know how to drive through snowstorms), it was good to get away.
Yesterday’s treatment went much like the first one; it went very well, all things considered. Lynn’s cancer is (clinically) stage 3, T3, N1. The Oncologist said he thought the tumor was smaller than two weeks ago – which is terrific news. This means the Chemo seems to be doing the job so far. We remain optimistic that this trend will continue over the next 14 weeks, and that when it comes time for surgery the tumor will have shrunken like the U.S. equities markets over the last year.
One side effect of the Chemo doing its job is that Lynn should be losing her hair this week. I have been randomly pulling on bits of it for a week now (strictly in the interests of checking medical progress), but the only result has been Lynn saying “Ouch! Stop it! That hurts!”
I suggested to Lynn that we start a pool on when she will lose her hair. We could set it up like a football pool. We could post a calendar online with 4-hour time slots, and we could sell the time slots for $1 apiece, pooling the proceeds to offer as prizes for the correct or closest-to-correct guesses. After giving this some thought, I realized that this might be just short of legal in California. Thus, please feel free to post your guesses on the post blog, but there will be no remuneration for a correct guess.
In any event, we hope everyone has a "good hair" Christmas. We have much to be thankful for, your prayers and support being at the top of the list.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Round 1 of Chemo went well today. 1 down, 7 more to go. Lynn will receive Chemo every other Monday, and an injection of Neulasta the following day. Everything took about 4 hours today, but subsequent visits should take a bit less ( 2 1/2 hours or so).
Lynn feels a bit tired this afternoon, but this is probably more from the ordeal of it all than anything else. It's a bit unnerving that some of the patients in the infusion center (where the Chemo is administered) look like the camp prisoners in Schindler's List. It's really hard to watch others go through difficulties.
We talked today about Christmas movies. Actually, I brought up the subject and irritated Lynn about it until she named one she liked. One of Lynn's favorites is Miracle on 34th Street (1947 version). Although not strictly a Christmas movie, I like Ordinary People. Both are about hope, though their approach is markedly different.
The one Christmas movie we all (Lynn, Shelby and I) like is The Nativity Story. We are going to watch it this week - maybe tonight.
Lynn has a doctor appointment the morning before her next dose of Chemo, on Monday, December 22. I will post an update to the blog after that treatment. I will post sooner if anything changes, though I suspect that for the next 16 weeks there will be little to report other than getting through the treatments. This being the case the posts will be either weekly or every other week.
We both want to thank everyone for their kindness and support. I cannot imagine how hard this would be without you.
Lynn feels a bit tired this afternoon, but this is probably more from the ordeal of it all than anything else. It's a bit unnerving that some of the patients in the infusion center (where the Chemo is administered) look like the camp prisoners in Schindler's List. It's really hard to watch others go through difficulties.
We talked today about Christmas movies. Actually, I brought up the subject and irritated Lynn about it until she named one she liked. One of Lynn's favorites is Miracle on 34th Street (1947 version). Although not strictly a Christmas movie, I like Ordinary People. Both are about hope, though their approach is markedly different.
The one Christmas movie we all (Lynn, Shelby and I) like is The Nativity Story. We are going to watch it this week - maybe tonight.
Lynn has a doctor appointment the morning before her next dose of Chemo, on Monday, December 22. I will post an update to the blog after that treatment. I will post sooner if anything changes, though I suspect that for the next 16 weeks there will be little to report other than getting through the treatments. This being the case the posts will be either weekly or every other week.
We both want to thank everyone for their kindness and support. I cannot imagine how hard this would be without you.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
*** NEWS UPDATE ***
9:25 am this morning (Thursday) the doctor's office called with the PET/CT scan results. Everything came back clear - no additioal tumors detected. Yea!!!
And now back to our regular program:
Lots of good news today:
Lynn’s heart scan came back all good – her heart is healthy and strong. It is also loving, kind, compassionate, caring, generous and giving, but they didn’t test for that – life did. ☺
The MRI results are in as well. They found nothing additional in her chest area besides what we already knew about – the main tumor and two involved lymph nodes. This is very good news.
The PET/CT scan went well, though sitting still for so long is tedious. It was probably hard on Lynn too. We should have the PET/CT scan results within a week.
The portacath implant went well also, though Lynn is quite sore (it was implanted just under her right collarbone) and the sedatives have left her feeling tired.
Chemo starts Monday, December 8th. We have no idea how Lynn will react to the chemo treatments, though we are optimistic that she will experience minimal side effects. Many women report nothing more than intermittent to chronic fatigue, and we are hoping Lynn’s reaction is mild as well.
Several people have asked us what we need – what they can do to help us. Your kindness and generosity is overwhelming. First and foremost - keep us in your prayers. Other than that, our best answer for now is “we don’t know – it depends”. It will all depend on how the treatments go (how well Lynn responds to them) and the results of any additional tests. Lynn does need a walking partner – or several. The doctors said walking briskly 30-60 minutes a day would be good for her, though this will depend upon her level of strength. Other than someone to walk with it is difficult to forecast future needs.
Our next post will be Monday afternoon, after chemo treatment number 1 of 8. We will post after each treatment, or whenever something changes.
9:25 am this morning (Thursday) the doctor's office called with the PET/CT scan results. Everything came back clear - no additioal tumors detected. Yea!!!
And now back to our regular program:
Lots of good news today:
Lynn’s heart scan came back all good – her heart is healthy and strong. It is also loving, kind, compassionate, caring, generous and giving, but they didn’t test for that – life did. ☺
The MRI results are in as well. They found nothing additional in her chest area besides what we already knew about – the main tumor and two involved lymph nodes. This is very good news.
The PET/CT scan went well, though sitting still for so long is tedious. It was probably hard on Lynn too. We should have the PET/CT scan results within a week.
The portacath implant went well also, though Lynn is quite sore (it was implanted just under her right collarbone) and the sedatives have left her feeling tired.
Chemo starts Monday, December 8th. We have no idea how Lynn will react to the chemo treatments, though we are optimistic that she will experience minimal side effects. Many women report nothing more than intermittent to chronic fatigue, and we are hoping Lynn’s reaction is mild as well.
Several people have asked us what we need – what they can do to help us. Your kindness and generosity is overwhelming. First and foremost - keep us in your prayers. Other than that, our best answer for now is “we don’t know – it depends”. It will all depend on how the treatments go (how well Lynn responds to them) and the results of any additional tests. Lynn does need a walking partner – or several. The doctors said walking briskly 30-60 minutes a day would be good for her, though this will depend upon her level of strength. Other than someone to walk with it is difficult to forecast future needs.
Our next post will be Monday afternoon, after chemo treatment number 1 of 8. We will post after each treatment, or whenever something changes.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The MRI and Heart Scan went well today, both being non-invasive procedures. We should have results on Monday.
Wednesday, December 3rd will be another long day. Lynn is scheduled to have a full body PET scan in the morning, and in the afternoon she is going to have a portacath installed to make it easier for the chemotherapy to be administered. Google the term “portacath” if you want the details.
Everyone who calls and e-mails asks how we are doing, and thus far these posts have not directly answered this question. Here is the short answer: we are a bit stressed – nothing we have learned so far could be called “good news” - but we have many valid reasons to be optimistic and we are not as stressed about this as you might think. It is a lot to take in, in such a short period of time but we are actually coping pretty well.
Lynn and I have had our faith tested before, and the difficulties we have faced have left us with a greater sense of being dependant upon God’s plans for our future.
Still, when an oncologist, holding the results of medical tests, says, “this is not good news”, you realize at a visceral level what David was getting at in Psalm 23:4 when he wrote,
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.”
Having visited the valley before makes subsequent trips more difficult, but keeping passages like John 10:7-18, and John 10:27-30 in mind makes the journey doable.
Lynn and I understand that this is God’s universe. He is sovereign over all things great and small, and nothing that happens takes him by surprise or remains outside of his sphere of power, authority, or control. This includes all of the wonderful blessing granted to our family, all the dear friends we have, our jobs, and this great country in which we enjoy many freedoms, including access to the world’s best medical care. It also includes Andrea’s death, Lynn’s cancer, and all of the things the future holds that we do not yet know about.
The Bible doesn’t say that we are going to be free from worry, sorrow, or pain; in fact it says quite the opposite. The Bible tells us that we live in a fallen world where we will suffer trials, afflictions, and sorrows (John 16:33). I understand that not everybody sees things the way we do, and that’s OK with us. The Bible makes clear in passages like Joshua 24:1-24 that we choose who we serve.
Over the past year and a half, Lynn and I have had many talks about the sorrows and pain that life can bring and the questions of why things happen the way they do. From our perspective, what it comes down to is this: knowing that God is completely sovereign over the entire universe makes us see our personal difficulties as being too small a thing for us to live for. I don’t mean by this that our struggles are less difficult – not at all - but it does allow us to reframe them so that we can see them as events that are part of a bigger picture, one that is unfolding even today. Choosing to see life this way doesn’t alleviate pain or sorrows, it transcends pain and sorrows.
So it is in this knowledge and from this perspective that we continue to pray that God, in His grace and sovereignty, will heal Lynn of this disease.
Martin Luther once said that the baker is God’s mask delivering to us our daily bread. We believe that the doctors and nurses are likewise God’s mask that He can use to deliver healing to Lynn.
You are God’s mask as well, delivering to us grace through your prayers, love, and support – and we appreciate you very much.
Wednesday, December 3rd will be another long day. Lynn is scheduled to have a full body PET scan in the morning, and in the afternoon she is going to have a portacath installed to make it easier for the chemotherapy to be administered. Google the term “portacath” if you want the details.
Everyone who calls and e-mails asks how we are doing, and thus far these posts have not directly answered this question. Here is the short answer: we are a bit stressed – nothing we have learned so far could be called “good news” - but we have many valid reasons to be optimistic and we are not as stressed about this as you might think. It is a lot to take in, in such a short period of time but we are actually coping pretty well.
Lynn and I have had our faith tested before, and the difficulties we have faced have left us with a greater sense of being dependant upon God’s plans for our future.
Still, when an oncologist, holding the results of medical tests, says, “this is not good news”, you realize at a visceral level what David was getting at in Psalm 23:4 when he wrote,
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.”
Having visited the valley before makes subsequent trips more difficult, but keeping passages like John 10:7-18, and John 10:27-30 in mind makes the journey doable.
Lynn and I understand that this is God’s universe. He is sovereign over all things great and small, and nothing that happens takes him by surprise or remains outside of his sphere of power, authority, or control. This includes all of the wonderful blessing granted to our family, all the dear friends we have, our jobs, and this great country in which we enjoy many freedoms, including access to the world’s best medical care. It also includes Andrea’s death, Lynn’s cancer, and all of the things the future holds that we do not yet know about.
The Bible doesn’t say that we are going to be free from worry, sorrow, or pain; in fact it says quite the opposite. The Bible tells us that we live in a fallen world where we will suffer trials, afflictions, and sorrows (John 16:33). I understand that not everybody sees things the way we do, and that’s OK with us. The Bible makes clear in passages like Joshua 24:1-24 that we choose who we serve.
Over the past year and a half, Lynn and I have had many talks about the sorrows and pain that life can bring and the questions of why things happen the way they do. From our perspective, what it comes down to is this: knowing that God is completely sovereign over the entire universe makes us see our personal difficulties as being too small a thing for us to live for. I don’t mean by this that our struggles are less difficult – not at all - but it does allow us to reframe them so that we can see them as events that are part of a bigger picture, one that is unfolding even today. Choosing to see life this way doesn’t alleviate pain or sorrows, it transcends pain and sorrows.
So it is in this knowledge and from this perspective that we continue to pray that God, in His grace and sovereignty, will heal Lynn of this disease.
Martin Luther once said that the baker is God’s mask delivering to us our daily bread. We believe that the doctors and nurses are likewise God’s mask that He can use to deliver healing to Lynn.
You are God’s mask as well, delivering to us grace through your prayers, love, and support – and we appreciate you very much.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Thank you all for the prayers and the calls of support.
Lynn’s tumor is Triple-Negative, meaning that it does not respond to targeted treatment the way most other forms of breast cancers do. About 15% of all breast cancers are Triple-Negative. This is an aggressive, fast-growing type of cancer with a high rate of metastasis.
Lynn will undergo a few more tests to determine if there are other tumors outside the breast area. Lynn will have an MRI tomorrow and a full-body PET scan on Wednesday, December 3rd. We should have test results by Dec 5th.
Lynn will also undergo a heart scan tomorrow because the chemotherapy regime she needs is hard on the heart, and the doctors need to be sure her heart is healthy before they begin. She has never had any cardiac issues so we expect this to come back just fine.
Lynn’s treatment will begin with “Dose Dense” chemotherapy administered once every other week for 16 weeks. Her first treatment is scheduled for the morning of Monday December 8th. Her hair will fall out, likely between weeks 2 and 4.
Once the chemotherapy is completed, she will undergo surgery to remove the existing tumors, followed by radiation in her chest to remove any remaining cancer cells. We do not yet know whether the surgery will be a mastectomy or quadrant lumpectomy.
We are also taking care of issues with leave from work, disability, etc that need to be wrapped up by the second week of December. We should have all this finalized by the middle of next week.
Lynn’s tumor is Triple-Negative, meaning that it does not respond to targeted treatment the way most other forms of breast cancers do. About 15% of all breast cancers are Triple-Negative. This is an aggressive, fast-growing type of cancer with a high rate of metastasis.
Lynn will undergo a few more tests to determine if there are other tumors outside the breast area. Lynn will have an MRI tomorrow and a full-body PET scan on Wednesday, December 3rd. We should have test results by Dec 5th.
Lynn will also undergo a heart scan tomorrow because the chemotherapy regime she needs is hard on the heart, and the doctors need to be sure her heart is healthy before they begin. She has never had any cardiac issues so we expect this to come back just fine.
Lynn’s treatment will begin with “Dose Dense” chemotherapy administered once every other week for 16 weeks. Her first treatment is scheduled for the morning of Monday December 8th. Her hair will fall out, likely between weeks 2 and 4.
Once the chemotherapy is completed, she will undergo surgery to remove the existing tumors, followed by radiation in her chest to remove any remaining cancer cells. We do not yet know whether the surgery will be a mastectomy or quadrant lumpectomy.
We are also taking care of issues with leave from work, disability, etc that need to be wrapped up by the second week of December. We should have all this finalized by the middle of next week.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Today we talked to an Oncological Surgeon about treament options, including the possibility of beginning chemotherapy before surgery. Nothing has been decided on that.
Tomorrow we talk to the Oncologist.
Also - the investigation continues as more tests have been ordered.
Wednesday Lynn will undergo an MRI to check for additional tumor sites (pray there are none, and that they find none).
By the end of the week we should have the results back from the ER/PR HER-2 status of the tumor cells. You'll have to Google this one if you want more information.
After all the results are in - the MRI, the ER/PR HER-2 status, (and possibly a full-body PET scan) - we should have a game plan mapped out for treatment.
I will try to post earlier tomorrow. It's been a hectic day.
Tomorrow we talk to the Oncologist.
Also - the investigation continues as more tests have been ordered.
Wednesday Lynn will undergo an MRI to check for additional tumor sites (pray there are none, and that they find none).
By the end of the week we should have the results back from the ER/PR HER-2 status of the tumor cells. You'll have to Google this one if you want more information.
After all the results are in - the MRI, the ER/PR HER-2 status, (and possibly a full-body PET scan) - we should have a game plan mapped out for treatment.
I will try to post earlier tomorrow. It's been a hectic day.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
God is sovereign in all things – nothing is too big or beyond His reach.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 the test results came back: breast cancer, with cancer cells found in the lymph nodes.
We know nothing else now, but we should know more after a couple of doctor appointments Monday (Nov 24) and Tuesday (Nov 25), and we will post updates as things develop.
Our prayer is that God guides the doctor’s minds and hands in a way that leads to complete healing. We are, and have every reason to remain, optimistic that Lynn will achieve a full recovery.
Between now and Lynn's recovery we - all of us - remain very much “in the race”, as described in Hebrews 12.
God has led us through times more difficult than this, and He will lead us through this as well.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 the test results came back: breast cancer, with cancer cells found in the lymph nodes.
We know nothing else now, but we should know more after a couple of doctor appointments Monday (Nov 24) and Tuesday (Nov 25), and we will post updates as things develop.
Our prayer is that God guides the doctor’s minds and hands in a way that leads to complete healing. We are, and have every reason to remain, optimistic that Lynn will achieve a full recovery.
Between now and Lynn's recovery we - all of us - remain very much “in the race”, as described in Hebrews 12.
God has led us through times more difficult than this, and He will lead us through this as well.
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