“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.” Nahum 1:7Well, I’ve had a few ups and downs since the last posting. On September 15 I saw Dr. Bicher and had a good exam. The nodule was smaller, although my ca- 125 had gone up 15 points to 79. I had had a few bouts with the small bowel acting up and giving me a lot of pain. Dr. Bicher said she would attribute the ca-125 rise to that and not likely the cancer. I felt very good that day and the small bowel sounded like it should when she listened to it. That evening Gordon and I had a pizza dinner with Kendra, Mike and the grandkids. The pizza brought on another obstruction and I was in pain most of the night with vomiting the next morning. I was scheduled for chemo that day, so I called the chemo suite and was told to come on in. They sent me for an ex-ray which confirmed the obstruction. I was on a clear liquid diet again and they gave me hydration instead of chemo. I came in the next day for hydration and was told to see how I do the next day and check in with them. The next day I was feeling good and told them I wanted to have chemo on Friday because I was hoping to go to the Outer Banks (to be with the lids and grandkids) early next week. That was approved so I had chemo that Friday and was granted permission to skip step 2 (gemzar) the next week. On Monday, the22nd, even though I was very weak and fatigued, we left for Duck, NC. I spent all Tuesday in bed and then on Wednesday was able to get up and enjoy our vacation with the kids. We got a lot of good grandparent time in and had a wonderful time. I was able to eat normally, but by Friday afternoon I was having pains in the small bowel. Saturday morning we drove home and I was in severe pain the whole time. If I even took a sip of water, it was quite painful. I called the doctor on call (who is not an oncologist and is a part of the other side of the practice) and he suggested watching it and taking some pain medication. In talking to him, I did not have any confidence in his statements as he was not familiar with my case and how it was being treated. I was hoping I could hang on until Monday. Well, in an answer to prayer, by evening I was feeling better and the pain was gone even though I took no pain killer. The next day I felt fine and was able to go to our dear friend, Kathy Young’s dad’s 100th birthday celebration. On Monday it acted up again, but not as bad. I followed my normal instructions and went for my scheduled ct scan on Tuesday morning., the 30th. A little later the chemo suite called and told me they had gotten the results and the cancer was better, but the small bowel much worse. So, once again I was on a clear liquid diet and loaded up with the laxatives and in close contact with the chemo nurse. I managed to get through the week with and the last two days have had soups and very soft foods. Later today I will see Dr. Bicher for my regular appointment. I’m hoping to get more information on dealing with this ongoing problem and what to expect in the future. I just finished reading the minor prophets and especially liked this verse from Nahum. I am grateful that the Lord cares for me and is my refuge. I pray the same for each of you and thank you for your continued concern and prayers. Pat ps - to see more about our beach vacation - check out daughter Kendra's blog or son Barrett's pictures.
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