Fall 2017

It is the middle of Sept.---well, almost.  September is like a January.  It is like a starting over or a starting again month.  Lots of new clothes and supplies for school like clean scribblers and new binders.  Purchasing new warmer clothes for the winter months, that will be here all to soon.  Our daughter got into some canning and jam making this year.  So very neat to see that happening.  Putting things "up for winter".  I spent years doing that.  Having a large garden allowed us to feed ourselves for pretty much all year with vegetables and fruit.  Time changes everything and this year our September beginning looks different.

Well we came into Sept. optimistic that the cancer would remain static and the pain would be defeated.  However, we are beginning again to fight this horrible disease, beginning again to find answers to Bob's pain. 
The cancer markers hadn't all made it back from the lab due to the long weekend so an important piece of the puzzle was missing.  The cancer protein marker wasn't back.   Bob's blood counts were all adequate.   It was the PET scan that determined we needed to start fighting again.  This is what is called the IMPRESSION at the end of the results of the PET scan.  Written by the doctor of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine:  

Adverse change compared to previous.  Metabolic activity at several sites of disease compatible with disease progression has increased as discussed above..There is also a new, low-grade, metabolically active focus at T1.  At C3 and L1 there  are new anatomic changes of progression as well.

The last PET scan was on April 24,2017.

Sooooooo for this month Bob has begun to orally take another chemo drug.  Pomalyst has been added.  It is kind of up in the air (I believe) as to whether he will continue with the darzalex infusion.  He has had that for 18 months.  We get a call each month from the drug company that produces and provides this drug.  It is a small thing, but the gal we spoke with didn't mention next months infusion.  She has always given us the date for the next time.

We started over again with the Pain Clinic.  We did that once before but things got all blurry when our oncologist or our GP helped out with pain and then meds got changed and added to and Bob was a mess again.  This time we are more organized.  Bob and I are doing it together and anything to do with pain goes only to our pain team.  To seal that deal we get a call from them every other day---at least for now.  :-}   PLUS we will meet with a home care team who are part of the pain clinic.  These folks are not the cleaning, cooking, bathing home care team.  This team is on call 24/7 and deals with pain and the meds for it. Things usually fall apart on the weekend or the middle of the night.  They will help us get to the right place for Bob or help us adjust what Bob is taking.  Hopefully we won't have to deal at an emerg dept that suggests we should only go to Foothills Hospital because they don't have an oncology dept. and are asking "do you regularly take all these meds?"  The home care team will access what we should do.  However an ambulance will only take you to the nearest hospital.  Anyway we are getting things sorted out-------I hope.

Bob also had a bone marrow aspiration.  This will help the oncologist to see more clearly what is truly happening in the bone marrow.  Results will be at our next appointment at the beginning of Oct.  

We take all of this in our stride.  Bob has the best care possible for multiple myeloma.  Often we both get a little muddled in our thinking and what to do.  We do have God our Father walking along with us and we endeavor to hold tight to His Hands.

A comforting verse taken from Joshua 1:9  Have I not commanded you? "Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go".
Interesting fact:  Last Sunday I started to teach this verse---well the beginning of it to the 2 year old Sunday School class!!!!!!!

It is indeed a verse for all seasons of life.