Journal entry by megan kelly —
Good morning!
Once again, we are so thankful for the prayer and encouragement you have offered. God has been so faithful to give new mercies and sufficient grace every single day. Especially on the hard ones.
We wanted to update you on both Mom and Dad.
Mom had her two month post op appointment on Wednesday, and she got a great report! Dr Sinard is pleased with how her tongue reconstruction has healed, and said her speech was clearer than he had expected it to be. Her wrist is still a work in progress, and may take up to 6 months to heal. (Thankfully my amazing sister in law researched and ordered the best protective sleeves, so mom can wear short sleeves, and keep it covered. Kelleykelly for the win!) Mom can resume normal exercise and activity, and should continue to see improvement in her speech and swallowing ability. Fun fact: she has been swallowing all of her pills for a week now. That’s a huge step. She will go back every two months for a year, to make sure there is no reoccurrence of the cancer. Her next appointment is mid-July.
Please pray for her speech and swallowing to continue to progress. She battles those two things daily, and for a culture that is built around eating as a social event, it’s a challenge. Eating takes so much effort that it’s not really pleasurable at this point. And talking requires a lot of thought and effort as well. It’s easy for her to feel discouraged. For those of you who know her, you know she loves to encourage and love on people through conversation.
Dad’s scope and biopsy came back showing no growth, but also no reduction in the tumors in his bladder. So the last treatment was partially successful. After discussing the details of the previous treatment, we discovered the clinic in Paducah had not been able to get all of the chemo into Dad’s bladder, always coming up a little short of the full dose. The PA from Dr Barocas’ office at Vanderbilt said she has learned some strategies to relax and expand the bladder to hold more of the chemo, for longer. So Dr Barocas thinks it is worth trying the same treatment again, in Nashville, taking steps to relax and expand the bladder.
Today we are headed back to Vanderbilt for the first of six chemo treatments for Dad. He will receive the treatments at 12:30, and hold it for 2 hours, and then release it. Then he will be free to head home. During his last round (in September 2018) the side affects were minimal until the last 3. During the last 3 they saw increased fatigue and flu like symptoms, which is typical.
Please pray with us for minimal side affects and a fully affective treatment. And for dad to be at peace internally as he recovers each week. He is not one to sit very often, and we are asking for the Spirit to increase the patience Dad has through Him.
And of course, pray for both of them as they endure this season together, with neither of them being 100%. Pray for unity and for them to know that God’s strength is made perfect in their weaknesses.
Thank you again for journeying with us. We have seen the goodness of God in the midst of hardship time and again during the past 3 months; through His Word, and through you, both offering comfort, hope, and presence.
Much love to you!
Once again, we are so thankful for the prayer and encouragement you have offered. God has been so faithful to give new mercies and sufficient grace every single day. Especially on the hard ones.
We wanted to update you on both Mom and Dad.
Mom had her two month post op appointment on Wednesday, and she got a great report! Dr Sinard is pleased with how her tongue reconstruction has healed, and said her speech was clearer than he had expected it to be. Her wrist is still a work in progress, and may take up to 6 months to heal. (Thankfully my amazing sister in law researched and ordered the best protective sleeves, so mom can wear short sleeves, and keep it covered. Kelleykelly for the win!) Mom can resume normal exercise and activity, and should continue to see improvement in her speech and swallowing ability. Fun fact: she has been swallowing all of her pills for a week now. That’s a huge step. She will go back every two months for a year, to make sure there is no reoccurrence of the cancer. Her next appointment is mid-July.
Please pray for her speech and swallowing to continue to progress. She battles those two things daily, and for a culture that is built around eating as a social event, it’s a challenge. Eating takes so much effort that it’s not really pleasurable at this point. And talking requires a lot of thought and effort as well. It’s easy for her to feel discouraged. For those of you who know her, you know she loves to encourage and love on people through conversation.
Dad’s scope and biopsy came back showing no growth, but also no reduction in the tumors in his bladder. So the last treatment was partially successful. After discussing the details of the previous treatment, we discovered the clinic in Paducah had not been able to get all of the chemo into Dad’s bladder, always coming up a little short of the full dose. The PA from Dr Barocas’ office at Vanderbilt said she has learned some strategies to relax and expand the bladder to hold more of the chemo, for longer. So Dr Barocas thinks it is worth trying the same treatment again, in Nashville, taking steps to relax and expand the bladder.
Today we are headed back to Vanderbilt for the first of six chemo treatments for Dad. He will receive the treatments at 12:30, and hold it for 2 hours, and then release it. Then he will be free to head home. During his last round (in September 2018) the side affects were minimal until the last 3. During the last 3 they saw increased fatigue and flu like symptoms, which is typical.
Please pray with us for minimal side affects and a fully affective treatment. And for dad to be at peace internally as he recovers each week. He is not one to sit very often, and we are asking for the Spirit to increase the patience Dad has through Him.
And of course, pray for both of them as they endure this season together, with neither of them being 100%. Pray for unity and for them to know that God’s strength is made perfect in their weaknesses.
Thank you again for journeying with us. We have seen the goodness of God in the midst of hardship time and again during the past 3 months; through His Word, and through you, both offering comfort, hope, and presence.
Much love to you!
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