Who Would Have Believed It

I just had to share what Daddy is doing tomorrow.  He is taking Peyton on a field trip...just like he did when we were little.  Who would've thought that he would have been able to do this when just a year ago he was just beginning to recover from the transplant.  God has been so very, very good to us!  Daniel has to work and we are PASS testing (you know it would be a cardinal sin to be absent during that) so Daddy offered to go with him.  Peyton is so excited and I know they will have fun.  Daddy may never be the same.  After all, he is a little older than when he use to take us on all of our field trips.  Anyway, I had to share this blessing because it is just another reminder of how far God has brought him.  As I read last night about someone not being able to tolerate Revlimid (the chemo Daddy is on), I was reminded how blessed we are that Daddy has tolerated all of his treatments so well.  No, it isn't a fun ride or one we would choose for him.  But, thankfully, we have the best driver and He is with us all the way.

~much love to you all

Update

Thought I would let everybody know what is going on these days...We went back to MUSC in April and they are very pleased with how well Daddy is doing.  The doctor actually said that it is debatable whether or not he really came out of remission.  He said Daddy has no other signs besides the blood work.  He is thrilled with how well he is responding to the new chemo.  He recommended backing off the steroid and possibly lowering the dose of chemo.  So, Daddy took that information back to the oncologist in Georgetown and he agreed.  So...NO MORE STEROIDS!! This is big news.  They really do a number on Daddy so we are going to give it a go without them for a while.  Once he gets the cancer count down to zero (remember it is 0.4 now), they will back off of the chemo and use it more like a maintenance drug.  Daddy was thrilled because another transplant is not being mentioned right now.  We know that God touched Daddy in church about a month ago.  We don't give chemo the credit.  It is God who continues to work miracles in Daddy's life and we are forever grateful.  

In other news, the Relay committee has asked Daddy to lead the first lap at our local Relay and carry the torch.  They also asked him to speak but he volunteered Moma for that.  I can't imagine why :)  Daddy is not one that likes the spotlight so this is hard for him.  But, he realizes how much God has blessed him and is willing to witness for Him however he can.  So, I hope you all can plan to attend on May 20th.  It is a lot of fun and I am so thankful that Daddy is doing so well and is able to be a part of Relay.  What a difference a year makes!

~much love to you all

WOW!

     Well...who would've thought I would be updating so soon.  Daddy got the call with his blood results this afternoon...and...THE RESULTS WERE WONDERFUL!  He is responding very well to the chemo.  Praise God!

     Now, for my MM friends who want to get a little more technical, he is currently on the chemo Revlimid, along with the steroid Dex.  His M-spike was 0.8 after the transplant (remember 0 is the goal).  It had recently risen to 1.1.  After this first round of chemo, it is down to 0.4!  WOW!  God is SO good!  This is even lower than what he got with the transplant.  Just as the verse I mentioned yesterday says, "little by little."

     I will admit that we don't always understand why Daddy has to face this battle.  And, I will confess we question and ask why from time to time.  But, God reminds us always that He is in control.  He continues to encourage us and give us confirmation at just the right time.  The devil tries so hard to get in our mind and make us doubt what God is doing.  I had to ask for forgiveness just today for that.  I went running this afternoon and I couldn't do anything but tell God how thankful we are and how undeserving we are of His grace and mercy.  

     As I was running, I was thinking about how much harder it is to run on a hill (or at least the 2 we have on our dirt road).  I know my "upstate" friends are laughing at this because our "hills" really don't equate to much at all.  Anyway, back to the analogy...I was thinking that yes, it is harder to run up a hill but it is so fulfilling when you get to the top and oh so much easier on the way down.  That is how life is.  Battles aren't fun and they test every bit of our being.  But, when we get to the top, we are so much more grateful for our blessings and appreciate what we have in ways we wouldn't if we didn't face them.  For that, I am grateful.  My prayer everyday is that God will use Daddy's "hill" for his glory.

     Please keep the prayers coming.  If you know Daddy, you know he doesn't say a whole lot and NEVER complains.  But, if you could have heard the relief in his voice today, it was very evident how heavy this must weigh on his mind.  He will continue for 3 or 4 more rounds of chemo which should take us into June I believe.  Just in time for Joey and DeAnne's big day :)  As I mentioned, we will meet with the transplant team next week and our prayer is that the right decisions are made.  Please, please know that your prayers and sweet words mean so, so much to us.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

~much love to you all

Update

     I am so, so sorry that I have taken so long to update the blog.  Several people, that I had no idea even knew I had a blog, have asked me about it and I feel just terrible that I haven't updated.  We really don't have a lot of news right now.  Daddy has finished his first round of the chemo Revlimid.  He has done pretty well.  The steroid he has to take on Wednesdays is hard and makes for a rough couple of days, but it could be SO much worse.  We are very thankful!

     He went back to the doctor last Thursday and had blood work.  We should be getting the results any day now.  Please take a minute and praise God for those results.  We are praying, believing, and already praising God for what we know He has done and continues to do.  While we don't always understand God's plan, we choose to continue to believe that His plan is so much greater than ours and we stand firm in our faith that God has it all under control. 
     In all of my blog reading, I have come across a blog that has given me so much encouragement.  It is the blog of a young mother who faces a very serious cancer but continues to praise God each and every day.  Today, she put something on her blog that her father recently came across in Deuteronomy and I thought I would share it also. 

Deuteronomy 7:17 and following:
"You may say to yourselves, "These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?" But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharoah and all of Egypt....The Lord your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear....The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you..."

     We are anxious and selfish and just want this nightmare to end now!  But, God says little by little.  As He uses this time to shape our faith and use this situation for His glory, we will continue to praise Him and believe that "little by little" Daddy's cancer is washing away!

     I promise to update just as soon as we get the news on Daddy's response to this chemo.  He still has 3 or 4 rounds of this to go.  We go back to MUSC next week to meet with the transplant team.  They will recommend whether or not to go ahead with another transplant or continue with this chemo. If he has a good response to the first 4 or 5 rounds, they could use it in a lower dose as a maintenance chemo. Please be in prayer that the right decisions would be made. Of course, it would be wonderful for that doctor to call this week and say IT IS GONE...but we know "little by little" and we won't be dismayed.  The devil will not win!

Thanks for all of your prayers and support.  They mean more than you can ever imagine.  

~much love to you all

The Plan

     We went back to the doctor in Georgetown today for the results of the bone marrow test.  He showed us a picture of Daddy's marrow and pointed out the myeloma cells which are at 20% now.  Just for a comparison, they were 70% when he was diagnosed.  So, praise God we are better off than we were.  This confirmed a relapse.  He is still waiting on results from the chromosome study.  When Daddy was initially diagnosed, he had the "good" gene mutation.  Please pray that this is still the case.  He said if the results come back and it is the "bad" gene mutation, we may have to change the course of treatment a little.   

     So, the plan is for Daddy to start Revlimid, which is a chemo pill, sometime the middle of next week.  A special drug company has to ship it to him. But, apparently he is still child-bearing age (isn't that funny :), so he had to be counseled today and will have to be counseled again by the drug company about how he cannot have children while on this drug.  Good thing we don't have to worry about that:)  He will take this in combination with Dexamethasone, which is a powerful dose of steroids.  Daddy has been on these steroids before and it is not a whole lot of fun!  He loses a couple nights sleep and then crashes.  But, he is ready, and we are ready to support him.  Hopefully, he will respond well to this treatment and we will go from there.  In April, he will meet with his doctors at MUSC and decide if another transplant is the best option or if we should wait.  It will depend on the chromosome study and how he is responding to the Rev/Dex combo.  

     Overall, I feel very relieved after going today.  I was really praying and believing for complete healing but that is not God's plan yet.  I have a couple of specific prayer requests.  First, that Daddy will respond to treatment and it will knock this myeloma out!  Second, that his chromosome study will come back that he still has the "good" gene.  Lastly, please pray for strength and minimal side effects for Daddy.  As I read other myeloma stories, and believe me I have scoured the internet :), I am amazed at how well Daddy has done.  God was so good in allowing us to find Daddy's cancer before it affected his spine or his kidneys like so many.  We have many, many things to be thankful for!  

    One more thing just to show you how good God is.  We are reading through a little bible story book the boys have each night.  You won't believe what the story was on tonight-faith...the story of the mustard seed.  How fitting!  God's is truly allowing my family's faith to grow through this.  I was amazed at the timing and I think it was more for me than them tonight.  

Anyway, one of my favorite verses that means so much right now...

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass ... Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. (Psalm 37:4,7)

    Thanks for your prayers.  Please keep them coming!

~much love to you all

Hands

     This has been one long week!  It seems like tomorrow will never get here and like the devil is fighting harder than ever to make me doubt God and His healing power.  But, he won't win!  We don't know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds our hands and we are going tomorrow believing that we are going to receive great news!!  

     As we have faced this news, I've thought a lot about the future and then God directed me to a story about a young mother who is facing cancer.  She talked about how she is totally at peace with whatever happens and that really we should none live any different than she is because we never know when our last day will be.  Just because someone is facing cancer, we tend to react and treat them as though their days are numbered.  When, in reality, all of our days are numbered.  She quoted the following verses:

Psalm 39:4  "Show me, Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is."
Psalm 90:12 "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

    I am challenging myself to treat each day like it is my last.  Yes, Daddy is facing serious stuff.  But, hey, today could very well be the last day for any of us.  Therefore, I am going to savor every moment with my loved ones and make sure they know just how much they mean to me.  Will you please do the same?

    Now, onto some lighter stuff.  I realized the other day that I hadn't posted a recent picture of Daddy since he recovered from the transplant.  If you haven't seen him, you can't imagine how good he looks.  His hair has come back curly (not black and curly like he ordered, just curly :) and he keeps it very short.  But, he has gained all his weight back and hasn't been hospitalized or even to the doctor but once and that was last week with a sinus infection.  Praise God!  They told us they were sure he would be hospitalized for infection at least once after the transplant.  God is good!  So, I thought I would leave you with a few pictures tonight. 

Poppie came over to see Peyton on his first morning of 1st grade!

 The family got together in August to celebrate Daddy's 58th birthday!  You see the children took care of the candles :)

 Please, if you read this before 2:30 tomorrow, Praise God and thank Him for great results.  We are going expecting and believing.  Thanks for lifting Daddy up.  Your prayers mean more than you can ever imagine.

~much love to you all

Updating...

I shouldn't have waited so long to update this blog.  Updating all along would sure make this post a lot easier.  However, after Daddy's transplant, I think I subconsciously thought that if I put myeloma out of my mind...it would go away.  Well, that was not the smartest thinking.  

     Let me just dive right into what is going on...Daddy goes for bone strengthening injections once a month.  Each month they do blood work.  This is a simple way to look at one cancer marker-the M-spike.  His m-spike has been 0.8 since the transplant (0 is where it should be).  As long as it remained stable, all was good.  In December, it crept up to 0.9 and in January it was again 0.9.  At that visit, the doctor said if it moved up again, we would have to do some other tests.  Well...it was 1.1 after that visit.  This rise is indicative of a relapse.  I can tell you we were not at all prepared for this. Like I said, we tend to block things from our minds and relapse was one of them.

    I do want to stop here and explain a little to help everyone understand.  I know this is a relatively rare kind of cancer and it is a little hard to understand.  It is a blood disease (think in the family of lymphoma or leukemia).  The difference is myeloma cells get into your bone marrow and actually start to "attack" the bone so to speak.  I won't get real technical but basically lesions form which eat away at the bone.  It can also cause kidney problems due to the calcium and protein from the bones breaking down.  Lastly, it weakens the immune system.  Thankfully, Daddy has done very well with his kidneys and his immune system.  He did have a couple of broken ribs when he was diagnosed but praise God it wasn't his back or something worse.

   Anyway, now that I have told you more than you wanted to know, Daddy did have bone scans last week to check for lesions.  They are present on the larger bones of the body and his skull and this is indicative of active myeloma.   He also had a bone marrow biopsy done as well.  The doctor explained once again that this is a chronic disease and he considers these recent findings a bump in the road and not a roadblock.  That is reassuring to us.  From my research (I like to be in the know and can get a bit obsessed :), I feel very blessed that there are many, many treatment options available and many more in the pipeline.  This wasn't the case ten years ago.  So, all of you that support Relay and the American Cancer Society...thank you!!

     We go back to the doctor Thursday for the results from the bone marrow biopsy and the 24 hour urine test.  The doctor in Georgetown is going to consult with the doctors in Charleston and they will recommend a treatment plan.  We don't know what the future holds but praise God we know who holds the future.  I know Daddy is not too thrilled about the possibility of another transplant (which is one of the options).  Please pray for the doctors as they make treatment decisions and please pray for Momma and Daddy as they do also. 

    I know most that read this blog are friends and family.  But...in my "research" I have come across many personal blogs from people that had/have loved ones suffering from Multiple Myeloma.  I can't even begin to tell you how much these have helped me understand this disease and how much hope they give us.  So, I may tend to go into details that you might just want to skip over.  But, I thought this blog might help people who are like me looking for details, treatment options, and just plain hope.  God has allowed our family to face this trial for a reason.  I'm not sure what that reason is but we choose to trust God and know that no matter what He is in control.

    Last thing and I promise I will quit.  We had prayer at church today and it was awesome.  It was a spirit I can't explain and I am choosing to believe a healing that can only come from God took place this morning.  I am so thankful for our church family and all our wonderful friends and family that continually lifts Daddy up and holds our hands as we walk through this battle.  I promise the next post will not be this long...thanks for reading if you have made it this far.  Please keep praying AND praising on Daddy's behalf.  

~much love to you all

A sweet friend sent me this on facebook at just the right time so I thought I would share:

  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7