A Tribute to Marge

Molly, Marge's niece, has a great tribute to Marge titled "Flashback Friday -Marge".

at

http://mollyfamilia.blogspot.com/2010/08/flashback-friday-marge.html

We are home, and exhausted... I'll give you more on the last two days tomorrow..
Jim

Service Times for Marge

We'll have a couple of services. Please feel free to attend your choice..

Springfield - Friday
Friday 12:00 Travelers/ Family Lunch @ River Bluff Fellowship 2655 East Farm Road 188, Ozark, MO
Friday 2:00 pm Service - Gorman& Scharpf Funeral Home - Chapel 1947 E Seminole St, Springfield, MO 65804


Wichita -Saturday
Saturday 3:00 Resthaven Cemetery- Chapel - 11800 W. Kellogg St, Wichita, KS

Marge Passed Last Night

At 2:45am after a day of sedation. Yesterday morning at 9:45 AM because of the pain, and she was put on a pain pump so she could self-administer as needed. Each day since her Sunday hospital admittance there was noticeable swelling from the cancer. The pressure finally made it too hard to breathe.

I am so grateful that she only had to endure this for a day, and that she is now with our Lord. To the very last she was a gracious, sweet spirit. We are going to miss her a lot, but will see her again with our Savior.

God provided answers to your prayers throughout this struggle. Even last night we could see those answers, when Teresa (Marge’s sister) unexpectedly arrived at the hospital just when I needed someone most. (We were both with Marge through the night.) As well as answered by a special angel in the form of Kathy a nurse’s aide who has helped Marge several times before, a dear Christian who cared for Marge as a sister would, not just a patient. A blessing in the form of our pastor, Scott, and friend Jim, who showed up at separate times around 11:00pm to pray for Marge.

Thanks so much for your prayers. The girl I sold my Bach trumpet for in 1969 to buy an engagement ring is no longer in the house. She’s graduated.

Jim
(We will plan the services today. I will let you know our plans as soon as we can sort them out.)

Tuesday AM Status

We are now in the hospital for a while...

The CT-scan showed the tumors have grown considerably in less than a week. The current round of chemo, which takes 4 weeks to complete, has limited any further treatment for 2 more weeks. Our current plan is to start a major round of chemo in 2 weeks that would be a combination of two or three drugs. The drugs create risk to her kidney, but it is a risk we need to take.

My worry is that the tumors continue to grow daily. Two weeks seems like an eternity on this cancer's time clock....

Please pray for Marge as she struggles with the pain, and for the Dr and his assistant as they work to manage the pain.
Jim

(Please limit any hospital visits right now if you would. Thanks)

Marge -Back in Hospital

Yesterday and today have been hard days for Marge. She's not been able to eat or drink well for the last several days. She has little strength, and is in a lot of pain. We are not sure, but she may have an obstructed bowel as well.

After coordinating with our Nurse Practitioner we checked-in to the hospital for tests and blood work. Marge had a CT-scan around 7:00pm, and blood work earlier. The blood labs showed low hemoglobin count and high white count. As I left tonight at 8:00 their were giving her the first of two units of blood. We'll know the results of the CT-scan, when we see the Dr early in the morning.

Please pray for Marge to have comfort tonight, and for the Doctor to have wisdom as we deal with the decision on more surgery.
Jim

(We are scrubbing the trip to Northwestern....)

Day 3 - Going to Chicago Next Week

I scheduled the doctor consult for Marge. We are going to Northwestern University in Chicago. Our appointment is on Wed at 11:00. I spend most of the afternoon requesting copies of reports and scans from our hospital for the consulting physician. Hopefully I can get all the data by Monday, and fax it to the Doctor Monday night.

We will drive up on Tuesday. If Marge is feeling worse we'll fly. Northwestern is one of two Cancer Centers of Excellence in our insurance network that have specialty experience in carsinosarcoma. The other center is M.D. Anderson in Huston, but they didn't have appointments available till the end of August (too long).

The hospital is 4 blocks from our favorite Homewood Suites in downtown Chicago. (We have stayed there many times when visiting Phil. We know the area around it well.) The room has a small kitchen, which will give us more options for Marge's care.

Marge continues to feel poorly, sleeping most of the day. She is in quite a bit of pain as the two tumors push on everything. Thanks for prayers for her, as we take on this additional quest..

Jim

More Research and Day 2

Today was day 2 of the regime... Lots of nausea with this new drug. The side effects are supposed to be better by day 5 (Sunday), at least that is my prayer.

We did a little research today on a consult. I think we narrowed it down to Northwestern in Chicago. (MD Anderson didn't have appointments available until the end of August.) I'll call tomorrow and see what we can do....

Thanks for continued prayers for M's response to this drug, and for prayers on the right consult.
Jim

Another Day of Chemo

We started a new chemo drug today. They administered Doxil, an antitumor antibiotic derived from a species of soil fungus. It's big side effect is to make the skin very sensitive to pressure, especially the palms of the hand, and soles of the feet. The drug has a whole new set of side-effects to counteract.

Yesterday and last night were rough for Marge. Lots of pain at both sites of the tumors. Today we ordered up some meds to help, but will try to go slow on using them. After the Chemo treatment today Marge felt much better, probably the side-effect of the drugs they administer to offset the chemo. For whatever reason we were glad for the respite.

Marge has had a great nurse adviser as part of our insurance plan. She suggested Marge make an appointment with one of the cancer centers of excellence. Our insurance covers the visit. The nurse also did some research on those Centers who are doing work on Mixed Mullerian Cancer, and found that there is a center at Northwestern University in Chicago. Tomorrow we will research getting an appointment.

Please prayer for wisdom as we look at getting outside consultation...
Jim

Monday - Dr Appointment More Chemo

We saw the Dr today to review the PETscan. The news was disheartening. The cancer continues, seemingly unabated. Marge has two masses: one in the pelvic area, and the other around where her right kidney was. Both are in locations of her past tumors.

The chemo regime of the last 6 weeks has had no effect on the disease. Surgery is not an option based on the size and rapidity of the disease. After a long discussion about next steps we decided to try another drug that is administered on a 4 week cycle. We will keep to our original schedule, and have the treatment this Wed Morning at 10. Marge will continue to have blood tests weekly, but the real instant indicator will be how she feels. This drug has smaller curative success than the past ones we have used, but it is Marge's best option, with just one kidney. We pray that it will be effective in halting the tumors growth.

Our challenge now is to stay positive, and to live day to day (Matt 6:33).

Thanks for your prayers as we continue this saga,
Jim

("..and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.." NLT)

Company for the Weekend

We had a great visit from Teresa, Molly and Elena (Marge's sister, niece and daughter). We mostly hung out a home, though the ladies did do a few hours of shopping at the Mall on Saturday.

Elena is character and a true delight. Our house was invaded with Dora, but she did have room in her heart (and stomach) for Mickey Mouse. Mickey was Chris' breakfast treat for Elena.

Tomorrow is Marge's big day with the Doctor. We find out the results of the PETscan, and talk about next steps for treatment. Please pray that all will go well, that the Doctor will have wisdom, and the next steps are clear.
Jim

Another Birthday

In the middle of this round of chemo, we stopped for a small celebration. One of us had to have a birthday, so I guess it was my turn. (Had some great emails, cards, and songs sung.)
Thanks,
Jim

Chris cooked fillets for us.
I had a lesson on Chris' new Google phone.... I now have more phone envy.
Had a candle in my Ben and Jerry's New York Fudge Chunk.. Yes I ate the whole thing.

Saturyday - Day 11 Turning the Corner

Today is Saturday, day 11 of Marge's treatment. She is feeling much better. She still has some nausea, but now only at night.

We were able to get out after lunch for a walk at the exercise center. The 95degree heat kept us from walking in our neighborhood.

Big Deals. Next Tuesday Marge has a PETscan to see how the treatment is progressing. And then the following Monday 7/27 we meet with the Doctor to evaluate the effectiveness of this course of treatment based on the PETscan. Since this set of drugs has the biggest possibility of success, we approach these meetings with trepidation.

Thanks for all your prayers as we face these important events.
Jim
(Thought I would share the hats from Teresa & Molly.)

Monday-Second Cycle

Today we ventured out to get the bone marrow shot and the blood count tests. The rest of the time Marge has spent in Recovery Mode (resting in the brown overstuffed chair). Yesterday and today have been rough. Her stomach has been bothering her.

This will be our week of recovery. Next week Marge should be feeling much better.

It is now official... The hair is pretty well gone. I suggested we take a picture for the Blog. (Oh well, husbands aren't as in tune with their wives as they should be....) Instead I have included are card from Dave Horsley, which describes our current state well. And, just-in-time, today we received a box of hats from Marge's sister and niece, so we got that issue covered.

Thanks for the prayers,
Jim

Sunday -- Marge is Home

We are home. Marge finished her treatment Saturday Morning. We arrived at home by 10:30am, and she slept much of the rest of the day.

We have a bit of a scare on Saturday morning. She had developed the shakes and experienced hallucinations... much like the end of the last treatment. It happened a day earlier in the cycle. It was so distressing that Marge want to forego the third day of treatment and go home. The Doctor thought it was probably a withdrawal symptom and added benadryl and an anti-nausea drug to the last cycle. It worked. Marge didn't have the side effects, and slept through the 3rd day, from 1:30pm to 7:00 the next morning. A truly great answer to prayer.

Yesterday and today have been sleep catch-up days for both of us. This next week will be the hard one for Marge with the cancer fatigue. (We have the bone marrow shot and a blood test on Monday. Otherwise Marge will be close to the overstuffed chair.)

Thanks for the prayers. They were truly answered as we seemed to have found a way to endure the three day treatments.

Jim
(The gourds and pumpkins are from Marge's garden. Picked while she was in the hospital.)

Thursday - Second Day

Today was a good day. Much better than the last cycle. Marge was up and about a lot of the day, and the pain was bearable. (Three weeks ago on Day 2 she slept most of the time, and was in a lot of pain.)

Today her treatment didn't start till 1:30pm, so she was untethered from the IV in the morning. We walked across the street (via sky bridge) to the Cancer Center and looked at hats and scarves. (Her hair has pretty well departed...)

We are looking forward to getting through tomorrow, and being home. I think we'll ask the Doctor if we can't just check out at 1:30am Sat and come home. We'll see how we feel as we get closer.

Your prayers for a less stressful treatment this time are being answered.
Thanks,
Jim

Wed - First Day of Second Round

Marge had a good day today. They switched the anti-nausea drug, which seems to be what Marge reacted to the most during her last treatment. We'll know by Sat if that truly was the culprit.

We didn't get started on the drug protocol until 9:15 this morning, which means her day will end about 1:00am Thursday. We shaved a couple of hours of the start time by beginning the treatment at the Cancer Center where they do the same-day therapies. We moved to the hospital at 3:00pm. The room is at the end of the hall away from the nurse's station, and seems to be a quiet area.

Tomorrow her regime will start at 1:00pm and end at 1:00am the next morning. The next two days will show whether we have the correct anti-nausea drugs.

Prayers were certainly answered today. We had a Nurse Assistant at the Cancer Center who we had worked with in the hospital. It was her first day to help in the Cancer Center. She gave Marge special care, and was the person who took her wheel chair to the Hospital. (She was a special blessing.)

Thanks for the continued prayer over the next days, that the process will be bearable.
Jim

Tomorrow Starts the Second Round to Chem

Marge had her appointment with the Doctor's assistant this morning. Her blood composite number was 5600 (min for treatment is 1500). Her Cancer Marker (CA125) was in the low 40s, normal is 30 or below. Her last reading was 300+, so she has made good progress. All looks good for the next round. The bone marrow shot did a great job of getting her blood counts elevated.

We start tomorrow at 7:30am in the Cancer Center, and then move to the hospital during the day for the rest of the treatment. Tomorrow's procedure takes over 16 hours: 4+ hours for Taxiol and then 12 hrs for IFEX/Mesma.

We are grateful for all the good blood /cancer marker results. Despite the good results, Marge has been feeling marginal since Sunday (maybe the flu, since we both have felt crummy). She has a had a temperature off and on during the last 2 days (100.2deg). (Cancer patients don't experience high temperatures. They are to call the Dr if it reaches 100.5).

Please pray for her as she starts this second round of Chemo. The temperature won't keep her from treatment, but may add to the kind of medicine they give her while she is in the hospital...

If all goes as planned, we will be home early Saturday morning. Thanks for the prayers..
Jim

Tomorrow we see the Doctor and check of blood count. Hopefully all will be in order for the start of Chemo on the following day (Wed).

For the last week Marge has felt much better. Yesterday evening however her stomach bothered her all night. We both felt crummy, so it must have been something we ate.

We did have fun time yesterday at the Midtown Fourth of July Parade in North Springfield with our friend David Hoffner. It was like the parades we had in Edwardsville with lots of old cars, candidates for political office, and candy-thrown to the kids.

Hope you had a good Fourth of July as well. (Please pray for Marge as she starts this next round of chemo. A stomach ache is not how you want to start the whole ordeal. They're enough of those coming in the next 10 days.....)
Jim

The Edwards's Visit

We have been fortunate the last 4 days to have a visit from Nancy and Dave Edwards, and Christine (my sister, brother-in-law, and niece).

They were good company, and great help with odd tasks. While Dave and I were out checking out the new iPad, Nancy and Christine did a couple of jobs for Marge. They hemmed a curtain and labeled a new spice jars... They gave Marge a good lift of spirits, and something to think about other than the fact that her hair is starting to fall out.

In general Marge is feeling better than she has in the last 2 weeks. She does get tired quickly. The cancer tireness comes with little warning. When it does we just stop and take a nap.

Marge really didn't want to turn the page on the calendar to July. She dreaded looking at July 7 and the next cycle of treatment.

Please pray for her, and the strength to be ready for the hard days of battle.
Jim

Sunday - Best Day This Cycle

Today seemed like a turning point in this 3 week cycle. Marge felt much better. She was able to attend church, and even drove the car some. (This was a big change from how she felt even last night, which is a real blessing.)

Chris was able to get a day off, attend church with us, and share lunch. That made the day extra special, since he usually works on Sundays..

Tomorrow is her weekly blood test to check on blood counts, and clotting time. (Hard to believe that today was the 12th day of the 21 day cycle...)

We pray you had a good Sunday with Church and family as we did....
Jim

Friday -- No Slave-driver Today

Today has been a good day for Marge. Her pain from the bone marrow shot seems to be abating, which is great news.. The head ache and extreme back ache were no fun...

We have been very leisurely today which has been a good change. (We did walk a couple of laps in front of the house at 8am. I then put away my slave-driver whip, for the rest of the day.)

Thanks for the prayers and their answers,
Jim

Last Night Father's Day

Well.. we celebrated Father's Day last night. Steam grill cleaner anyone? We had a great meal of grilled chicken, grilled veggies and Ice Cream prepared by our very own in-house chef, and then watched Million Dollar Baby. We were very surprised by the depth of the movie... not a bad effort by Dirty Harry. It seems Eastwood has made some good movies in the last few years. We enjoyed Gran Turino.

Today Marge walked at the Rec Center for the first time since her chemo. She did well, but was tired by the time we quit. (The center is well air conditioned, which made it a good alternative to the 92degree heat outside..)

The effects of nausea and upset stomach have lasted longer than during the previous treatment, which has been discouraging for M. Thanks for continued prayers,
Jim

Wed - The Fifth Day (kind-of)

Marge is gradually feeling better. We are on the fifth day of the 3 week cycle, which was the turning point during the previous treatment. (We'll see how it plays out with this set of drugs.) It is a little hard to calculate, since Marge's treatment ended Saturday at 4:30am.

Thanks for all the great cards and gifts. Our email and snail mail boxes have been sources of encourgement..

(Tonight we are have a Father's day grill-out.... Last Sunday wasn't a good day. Grilled chicken, grilled vegetables, and Ben & Jerry's New York Fudge Chuck..... ahhh)
Jim

(Marge is on the phone with her advisor, Pauley, close by.)

Monday - The Bone Marrow Shot & our 41st Anniversary

Today Marge had blood work done, and had her bone marrow shot. If her white blood cell count is too low she will be very suceptible to infection. They won't administer the chemo till they are back within acceptable levels. (This was a problem about a third of the way through the last treatment. From that point on they give her the shot a day or two after the chemo treatmnent.)

The shot has the side effect of making your bones ache. What a great way to spend our 41st wedding anniversary. (We decided we would wait a week to celebrate, and pretend that next Monday is June 21st, 1969.)

Always grateful for prayers,
Jim

Sunday Night

Today was a much better day. Marge is still feeling the impacts of chemo... but is doing much better.

Tomorrow we have an appointment for blood work, and to get her bone marrow shot. Without the shot her blood count won't be high enough to take her next treatment (in 3 weeks).

This next couple of days will be the hardest of the cycle, if our last set of chemo is any guide. This is a different set of drugs, so we are not sure what each day will bring.

Each round of the chemo is more impacting. Marge can hardly wait... she says its like being on a sawmill conveyer belt, moving down the line towards the blade. (Not a great image.)
Jim

We Are Home (10am Sat)

We are home.

We ran into a snag this morning. Marge had a reaction to one of the drugs. We think maybe the anti-nausea drug was the cause. About 4:00am her heart started racing and she began hallucinating.

We delayed leaving till we could see Marge’s Doctor’s assistant, who was on call for the weekend. They did some blood work. All the vitals and blood work were OK so we decided to get Marge home, and let her sleep it off. (The best guess on the cause was a drug they administered for nausea. It was within limits for dosage, but was more than she needed by the third day. They will use less next time.)

Thanks for your prayers and thoughtfulness.
Jim

Wed, First Day - Long

The day started with admission to the hospital at 9:00am. We had to wait for a room in oncology, so didn't get to the room until 10:30.

The chemo then had to be ordered, and after much waiting Marge starting getting her first cancer drug Taxol at 11:30. The second drug, IFEX, was started at 4:00pm. This is given at the same time with another drug to neutralize its bleeding side effects. This last set of drugs take a total of 12 hours, which means they will conclude at 4:00am tomorrow morning.

Marge's next two days of treatment will only consist of the IFEX regime, which is administered 24 hours later. Hence Thursday and Friday's treatment will be from 4:00pm to 4:00am...... Boy am I glad Marge is in the hospital for this one (only way it could be administered..)

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement,
Jim
(I know this note is a bit of a ramble... Sorry about that.)

Frequent Flyer Cards at Admission

Back home by 3:00pm.. It was a longer day than I thought. We arrived at 9:30, but Marge's procedure wasn't scheduled till 12:15. The Doctor finished by 1:45. It took him a couple of tries to get the tube inserted in the vein. She was dehydrated, which made the vein harder to find. (I'm sure she will feel the after effects later..)

But it is now done. (We feel like we should have some kind of Frequent Flyer card that is punished when we go to Surgery Admission.)

Marge is home and resting. We'll be back at 9:00 am tomorrow to start the chemo. The first day treatment will be with the drug Taxol, which we used the last time. The other two days will be the drug Ifex which a relative of Mustard gas.

Thanks for all your prayers..
Jim

Tomorrow is the Port.. (Tues)

Tomorrow Marge gets her port. It is a minor procedure, much like a pacemaker. It is placed under the skin and then the incision is glued back together.

She checks into the Hospital at 9:30am. As I recall the procedure takes under an hour. She wouldn’t be out completely, but won’t remember much. Hopefully we will be home by 1:00PM or so.

What Marge does remember from the last port procedure was that afterwards it felt like her collarbone was broken. A good memory is not always at good thing….. We’ll take it easy the rest of Tuesday.

Wed-Friday will be the long days of chemo in the hospital. The whole regime takes 12 hours each day. One of the drugs is Ifosfamide, a nitrogen mustard (related to mustard gas of WWI/II fame.) That’s a little scary…

Again thanks for you prayers.

Jim

Results of Meeting with Dr.

Marge had an appointment with the Doctor this morning. The blood work was all within normal ranges (no anemia). He removed the staples, and discussed treatment options.

Marge opted for do the most aggressive type of chemo first and then evaluate. The first part of the treatment involves two sessions, three weeks apart. After that he will evaluate with a PET Scan for responsiveness before continuing. There was another set of drugs that could have been administered but they have a lower chance of working, and had some onerous side effects; loss of skin on hands and feet… The treatment Marge opted for has some chance of beating the disease, so she is going for it.

Next week Marge will have her port placed on Tuesday, and then will be in the hospital Wed-Friday for chemo. The procedure starts at 8:00 AM and lasts until 10:00pm. Marge could go home if she wanted overnight, but that didn’t seem to be very feasible. Later we can always chose to head home for the night, should we desire. We’ll play it by ear… (as the musicians say)

Thanks for your prayers for the meeting with the Doctor. We feel confident this is the next step we should take.

Jim

Clouds

A couple of days ago we had a cloud formation that looked like a sand painting....

Thanks for the Thoughtfulness

Thanks so much for all the cards, letters, emails, books and flowers. Marge has really enjoyed each of them...

The last two days have been good healing days. We walked both days, and Marge took some naps. She is losing a lot of the fluid they pumped into her at the hospital. They were worried about the kidney, so they gave her lots of intravenous fluids. (She is glad to be getting back to normal. Hard to believe it has only been 9 days since the surgery...)

Resting Up from Monday

Yesterday was a busy day... Marge accompanied me to the Fitness center, and walked for 15 minutes. (The center in well air conditioned, and she walked till she was tired.)

By the time we stopped by Walgreens and made it home she was worn out.

Today she stayed home while I had a couple of meetings. She has lounged in by overstuffed chair and relaxed. (We might try a short walk at the Fitness Center, and then "bring it on home". Depending on how she feels.)

Our only "big deal" this week is a Dr appoinment Fri at 9:45.. ( Thanks for the prayers, ahead of time..)
Jim

Phil's On his way...

Phil left today for New Orleans. He had planned to leave earlier, but waited until Marge was home safely.

We pray him God-speed as he pursues his music in a music city. -- The van has seen many moves, including our weekly treks from Edwardsville to Ozark over the course of 10 months. And Phil's many trips between Edwardsville and Chicago, and Chicago to Ozark... Now it is finding its way to the Big Easy..

Marge is home. - Sunday

The Doctor came early…7:15 (I beat him, barely.) He released Marge. His comment was, “let’s get you out of here before you get sick”.

We were home by 9:00am. I was able to attend church, and Marge slept most of the time I was gone. Her next appointment is this Friday, to remove the staples. She will need a couple of weeks or so to get stronger, and then she will talk about the next steps with the Doctor.

We had a victory supper tonight: for Marge’s safe return home, Chris’s good week at work, and Phil’s new adventure in New Orleans starting on Monday.

Thanks for all your prayers. We’ll spend next week eating well, sleeping a lot and walking.
Jim

Home on Sunday

Saturday AM. The Doctor beat me to the room. At 7:30am he was already with M. I made it for half the conversation.

He took her off the IV and let her have solid food. She will be able to go home tomorrow. We are just waiting on Lasix to take effect, and the results of some blood work from last night. (M had a 101 degree temperature last night. They ran tests to make sure she hasn't picked up a bug, before we go home.)

The next couple of weeks will be focused on getting healthy, then we'll contemplate next steps……

Thanks for all your prayers,
Jim

Marge and the Clear Diet

Yesterday was a slow one for Marge. They determined early in the morning that she has anemic and needed more blood. The afternoon from 11:45 till 6:30 was consumed with infusing 2 units of blood. We didn't get much else done. She didn't feel like eating, and didn't walk much.

Today has been much better. She lost some of her IV lines, and has graduated from a clear diet (broth and jello) to a liquid diet (soup, pudding, ...).

Thanks for all the prayers. We seemed to have turned the corner today. Now the question is: WHEN CAN WE GO HOME.. (We know there will be some time required to get her to solid food, and to sort on which anticoagulant she will be using... Still we can dream of home.)
Jim

Marge's Surgery

It's been a long day.

Marge's surgery lasted 2 hours. It was an hour less than was allotted, which was caused me unease as we met with the Doctor.

Our Doctor found the mass was as expected, more of the same cancer. There had been quite of bit of bleeding. The bleeding explained Marge's loss of consciousness last Wednesday. The cancer had not penetrated organs, but lay around the colon, small intestine, and bladder. At the end of this surgery he felt several cancer cells still lurked around and behind organs he couldn't reach. (This was a change from the two earlier procedures when he felt the cancer was contained.)

His guidance was we need to start Chemo as soon as Marge is strong enough. He is worried about how quickly the cancer grew, unchecked in the last 3 months. (Her last surgery was 16 Feb.)

Also complicating the treatment is the bleeding she experienced, cause by the blood thinners she was taking. The thinners were to prevent clots from forming, which can be a by-product of cancer. (Marge had a clot on her lung in Feb.)

All-in-all we are dancing a delicate dance between chemo vs. cancer growth and bleeding from thinner vs. blood clots.

We are thankful we have a great cancer Doctor, and a Great Physician.

Thanks for the continued prayer... I will keep you posted.
Jim
11:20pm

Another Battle

This has been a difficult week for Marge.

Wednesday Marge passed out while meeting with our Pastor for breakfast. We did a quick consult with our Primary Care Physican at her office, and then wheeled Marge in a wheel chair to the Emergency Room, which is across the street. After blood tests and a Cat Scan of the lower area and head, we learned that she has a large mass (13cm x 10cm) around her colon, small intestines and bladder. The Scan could not differentiate whether it was a hematoma or cancer. (This is much the same description as before for Marge's other two tumors. I fear the worst. Marge is hoping for the best..)

Friday we met with Marge's Cancer Doctor and reviewed the options. We chose to have surgery immediately, to be followed by Chemotherapy if required.

We are overwhelmed by how quickly this mass developed since the last tumor was removed on Feb 16. Please pray as we progress through this familiar, yet new battleground. This time Marge has only one kidney, so the drugs available for Chemo are more limited.

Marge will check in at 5:30am on Tuesday 6/1, with surgery to follow.


Thanks for your prayers...

Jim