Tuesday, July 31, 2007

We've never really been CAT people...

My whole family has always been more partial to dogs than cats, but today we realized how much we hate cats... CAT Scans, that is.

Mom's dr. decided he wanted another look at the bones in her chest and back so she got to go for x-rays and a CAT scan today.

My mom is one of the strongest women I know. She had her hip replaced and didn't take anything stronger than a Tylenol to deal with the pain. In fact, when she broke her hip, after slipping on the kitchen floor, she simply pulled herself into the living room, called my dad and asked if he might be able to come home early. Then she waited patiently until he got home to call 911. She a toughie!

But THIS pain... the cancer in the bone pain... is a pain I can't even begin to imagine. To raise her arm is excruciating. To raise her head is impossible. And yet, she had to go lay on a hard table today, twice. I don't think there was enough pain medicine in the hospital.

Please remember her in your prayers. Pray not only for the myeloma to go far far away, but also for her pain to be lessened and her bones to be strengthened.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and
healing to the bones.
Proverbs 16:24

Monday, July 30, 2007

In Good Hands

You know, it's funny.

When people find out you are pregnant they proceed to torture you with stories of the hardest labor and most difficult births ever experienced.

But when people find out you have cancer, they shower you with Victory Stories. My mom and dad have met many people who have gone through much the same stuff mom is going through now. They are the best encouragement. They have literally LIVED through it. One of the key players in these Victory Stories is the Oncologist. There are many singing the praises of a certain doctor, who also happens to be Mom's Oncologist as well.

When my dad told him he had heard quite a few success stories, this doctor pointed to Heaven and said humbly, "I'm just the instrument."

I can't tell you how much peace and confidence it gives me to know that Mom is in the hands of a physician who knows who the Great Physician really is.

Dose Deux

Mom had her second dose of Chemo today, and once again came through with flying colors. I was able to visit for a while this afternoon and even got a chance to see her smile. In truth, her pain meds were helping her with that smile.. but I'll take what I can get.

I can tell she is getting better, little by little. I'm not sure she feels it yet, but I can see it. I thank God for even the tiniest bit of improvement, whether it be more color in her cheeks, or a stronger voice, or even a little smile. The tiniest things will add up to a big miracle.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

MM

MM. It stands for Multiple Myeloma. It also stands for My Mother... who has recently been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma.

Mom first noticed it this winter. We had joined Curves to try to win back our girlish figures, but after just four or five visits, her chest began to hurt. She thought perhaps she had pulled a muscle so we took a break from our workouts.

She didn't get better. Her chest pain worsened, and at one point she ended up in the ER, fearing a heart problem. Fortunately, her heart was healthy and all her symptoms pointed to costochondritis, an inflammation of the cartilage and bones in the chest wall.

Her pain continued to worsen, and her doctor ran a blood test which came back suggestive of Multiple Myeloma. A CAT Scan seemed to confirm the suggestion of the blood test, and a bone marrow biopsy cinched the deal. My mom has Multiple Myeloma.

She immediately started her initial treatment... Thalidomide (yes, THAT thalidomide) along with dexamethasone. We were all very hopeful, and yet she appeared to be getting worse. A little over a week later, Mom was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and tests revealed her myeloma was more aggressive than originally thought. Getting the pneumonia under control was crucial.. but so was finding an effective treatment for the Myeloma. It was decided she would begin a new chemotherapy called Velcade. Her first dose was just a couple of days ago.

Two days later, we are so blessed that her pneumonia is cleared up and she is tolerating the new chemo very well.

My brother, Mike, and I were talking today, and we both have such a strong confidence that Mom will win this battle. Prayers are lifting all over the world for my mom and I know they are being heard.

It only takes a mustard seed of Faith... and I know that Mountain is being Moved. Can you hear the rumbling?