Hello, family and friends!

Heather here, sharing the latest news. I'll start by sharing about the new treatment and our day yesterday. Though the new treatment was a looooong infusion,  it went really well! The infusion lasted almost three hours, so we were at the cancer center for about five hours. Curt took a lunch break and walked over the Children's Hospital to grab Chic-Fil-A, 'cause, of course. Ha! 

Here's the fun news!

We made it home around 4:00p yesterday, and spent the evening resting. By 5:15p, I was enjoying my wonderful bed, checking email, and winding down. I tried to get up for a little while to hang out with Curt in the living room, but decided I just wanted my bed. By 6:30p, I was cozied up in my safe place, and I let the Bible app read me Scripture until I fell asleep. Lovely end to a long day. 

I woke up around 3:30 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. So I prayed for a little while. Then sorta laid in bed just feeling my emotions and trying to determine how I felt physically.  The first thing I noticed was that I was  significantly less bloated than yesterday. Then I noticed I wasn't experiencing the reflux and stomach pain I've been feeling over the last few weeks, and I also didn't have the stomach and abdominal pain I normally felt after the other treatments.  I feel pretty good, y'all. I am so hopeful. Yay! 

Here's some stuff about treatment.

The new treatment consists of Doxil and Avastin.  One of the side effects of Doxil is blisters and peeling on the palms and soles of the feet. So we took some cold pack mittens and socks for me to wear during the infusion. We also took two bags of ice in case the mittens weren't cold enough. Between the cooler bag and the blanket bag, it looked like we packed for week! We just didn't know what to expect. But now we do. The cold packs worked too well!

The mittens and socks are meant to constrict blood flow to make it harder for the chemo to  reach those extremities. But they were so cold they hurt my hands and feet. I had to pull them off and put them back on to give myself breaks. They also sat me under an AC vent! Even under my big fleece blanket, I was freezing. Needless to say, I made it about halfway through the Doxil infusion before I abandoned the mittens and socks. It took the rest of the infusion time for my hands and feet to recover.  I hope that  was enough. 

Here's how you can pray!

I'm praying God stands in the gap and spares me the worst of the side effects. Dr. Johnson said the most common side effects are the blistery hands and feet, ulcers in the mouth, and the usual chemo fatigue that comes with low blood counts and anemia. Occasionally, people may experience kidney and heart issues, and on very rare occasions intestinal blockage and the development of another, unrelated cancer. 

Will you pray with me against all those things? God has been so good to me/us through this entire journey. And it's because of you. Your prayers have made a huge impact on our lives. Your faithful help and support has been such a blessing to us personally.  Thank you for hangin on to us, and hangin in with us. 

We need you to keep praying and believing with us as we move into this next season of the unknown. And remember, we pray, we trust and believe, and we let go of the outcome. Keep praying for complete healing, and ask God to make a way through while we wait.

If you'd like to reach out, Curt and I welcome your texts and calls to check in, pray,  or to let us know you're thinking of us. We always have time and space for our people. 

Curt - 706-631-8666
Me - 470-349-9255

We love you. And we are grateful for you. 

Curt & Heather