Remission
Definition: noun
a temporary or permanent decrease or subsidence of manifestations of a disease.
b. a period during which such a decrease or subsidence occurs.
Praise God! I heard this word today. We got the results back today from the tests made last week and we were told Chemo Sabe has no cancer. We are in a state of shock. The same shock we had when we heard he was ill. He had 70% of the cancer in the beginning and now it is at 10%. All humans are at 10%, so he is normal. Remission
We also heard from a test we have been waiting on since the last week of May (Gene Ray), that the disease is not in his genes. His PET scan originally showed one lesion and today there is none. We still have to do the MRI next week which will tell of the result of the 27 lesions he had on his shoulders, spine, hip and neck.
The journey is not over. We still start another round of chemo July 8. The stem cell transplant will be about 2-3 weeks after that. Then another around of chemo around September or October with another transplant. We CAN DO this!! No step for a Stepper!
Tears of joy streamed down our face. We looked at each other and really couldn't express ourselves. Stunned!
We did have a fabulous weekend also. Got off to a very late start on Saturday after waiting for the storms to subside. Didn't get to go North. Cancelled the cabin reservations we had. We heard of a Purple Hull Pea festival in the lower part of the state we away we went. Lathered up with SPF 50 on the chrome dome.
We got down as far as Fordyce (two hours away) and took a break. I told Chemo Sabe of my knowledge about the weather in those parts for Sunday morning. Storms. So we headed west and north and ended up in Hot Springs (20 miles) from home. What the heck! Decided to spend the night. No rooms anywhere so we stayed at a resort. Parked the cycles and unpacked.
Took a three block walk up a spiral driveway to an Italian restaurant and was there for about two hours. We were grateful for the time it took to prepare our food because it stormed the whole time we were there. The restaurant overlooked the lake. We walked back in sprinkling rain, turned the heat up to 80, took a hot shower and crashed. Dinner was well worth it.
We are on NO meds this week. Nothing until the chemo starts back. Go ahead -- ask me why they are not starting chemo until July 8. Chemo Sabe told them how important his work was and that the holidays are rough --- so Big Doc agreed to wait a week.
Came home yesterday and the son and his friend had manicured the yard and our back woods. Well needed. It looks like a different yard. They take extremely good care of us. We don't know how to repay them so we will be planning a fish fry when the smoke settles.
Remission --- Doesn't to sound wonderful? Remission, Remission, Remission.
I found out late this afternoon my mom had eye surgery today. She didn't tell me because she felt like I had enough to deal us. Please pray for her speedy recovering. She is 82.
We are riding tonight. Going out to eat. Can't get enough of those bikes. I got new risers last week that bring my handlebars back closer to me. It is difficult for a 5 ft 4 in. person to sit up close to the tank to ride. Chemo Sabe has instructed me not to buy anything else for it. Probably because he wants to buy it himself! ha.
We are loved.. You love us. You have prayed for us continually. We heard through others that they have heard through others that Chemo Sabe is on so many prayer lists. I'm telling you -- he is around the whole --- and probably in the seven days.
WE ARE READY, GOD, to take what is before us. You have been so loving to us. You truly have not given us more than we can handle.
Thank you all again for what you do....
Love -- Pepper
Chemo Sabe
- ChemoSabe
- Benton, AR, United States
- Diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma-- May 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Solace -- Word for the Day -- Thursday, June 26, 2008
Solace
DEFINITION: (verb) to comfort or console.
Lollipop, lollipop, oh lollipop -- Raise your hand if you remember that song! This is what Chemo Sabe did today for his bone marrow biopsy -- two lollipops plus a nerve medication. What a difference from the last biopsy. It did the trick to solace him. Of course, my coaching him to relax and just my presence made a big difference! ha
We were both exhausted when we got home this afternoon. We have been up since 4:30 a.m., arriving at UAMS at 6:00 for the PET scan. Took a nap and are ready for the night to end.
We have an appt again on Monday with the big dog. Will have the results of the biopsy then to let us know if the chemo did any good the last round. We pray the lesions will be fewer or gone all together. Remember -- he had 27. The marrow pulled out today was quite white and about an inch long, and about the size of spaghetti. The first two biopsies were bloody and longer. The aspiration took three tries today. And the collection was three vials. They used the same hole, but probed around into the tissue to different areas to make the pull. It is a suction method. The reason for the three tries is because the chemo cleaned out a lot of stuff so the samples were hard to collect.
The drugs really worked on him today. He was full of energy and wanted to trim the hedges in the flower beds. We have been needing them done for several weeks. I pulled up three stalks of poke salad that were taller than me (5 ft. 4-1/2 in.). I was so embarrassed. I am glad we are on a hill overlooking our neighbors.
Anyway, he did get out about 6:00 p.m. and took some hand trimmers and did two bushes. It was a struggle for him to stoop down and collect the clippings. He did it 'once'. With that we came in and sat down in the cool. I am glad he didn't get the gas trimmer out.
He has kept his good humor throughout the day. He had a very good nurse for the biopsy and she spoke to him the whole time. When the hole was cut he felt some pain so she stopped and gave him another shot of lidocaine. Solace. That made about the 5th shot.
We won't have another MRI until the growth factors he had last week wear off. What he has in him now would fool the test. We did find out that since he is non-secretory, he will have more biopsies more often that others. This means that he does not have the M protein. That means the MM does not show up in his kidneys or other organs, so the MM is harder to detect. Again, we thank the Lord for pushing him off the roof.
He is working tomorrow and then we are going to leave Saturday early to go to Mountain View with our friends. We have rented a cabin for one night and then back home on Sunday. I hope the travel doesn't wear him out because we do need to just get away and forget. He is already looking forward to it because he says his luggage with be 10 lb. lighter. No need for hair spray, hair dryer, brush, gel, razor, etc. I can attest to the fact that he carried more of that stuff than I. I even joked with him when this first came about that the rising gas prices didn't bother me because we would be saving that in hair spray. The first question he always asked in the past about lodging was if they had a hair dryer. You know, it doesn't matter how he fixes his hair -- it NEVER blows on the bike! ha So, we are enjoying the bald.
Oh... that brings me to Telly Savalas... Kojak... When I was a teenager, the Kojak series was quite popular. So was Peyton Place.. I made certain I had my homework and chores done before his serices came on. I even had a huge poster of him on my bedroom door. Gosh, my teenager dreams came true. Watching him suck on those lollipops today and looking at me with a twinkle in his eye brought Kojak back to me in real life. Solace.... "Who loves you baby?" -- Chemo Sabe does.
With that -- I am closing. I wish you all a blessed weekend and will give you an update on Monday.
Love --- Pepper (Tonto)
DEFINITION: (verb) to comfort or console.
Lollipop, lollipop, oh lollipop -- Raise your hand if you remember that song! This is what Chemo Sabe did today for his bone marrow biopsy -- two lollipops plus a nerve medication. What a difference from the last biopsy. It did the trick to solace him. Of course, my coaching him to relax and just my presence made a big difference! ha
We were both exhausted when we got home this afternoon. We have been up since 4:30 a.m., arriving at UAMS at 6:00 for the PET scan. Took a nap and are ready for the night to end.
We have an appt again on Monday with the big dog. Will have the results of the biopsy then to let us know if the chemo did any good the last round. We pray the lesions will be fewer or gone all together. Remember -- he had 27. The marrow pulled out today was quite white and about an inch long, and about the size of spaghetti. The first two biopsies were bloody and longer. The aspiration took three tries today. And the collection was three vials. They used the same hole, but probed around into the tissue to different areas to make the pull. It is a suction method. The reason for the three tries is because the chemo cleaned out a lot of stuff so the samples were hard to collect.
The drugs really worked on him today. He was full of energy and wanted to trim the hedges in the flower beds. We have been needing them done for several weeks. I pulled up three stalks of poke salad that were taller than me (5 ft. 4-1/2 in.). I was so embarrassed. I am glad we are on a hill overlooking our neighbors.
Anyway, he did get out about 6:00 p.m. and took some hand trimmers and did two bushes. It was a struggle for him to stoop down and collect the clippings. He did it 'once'. With that we came in and sat down in the cool. I am glad he didn't get the gas trimmer out.
He has kept his good humor throughout the day. He had a very good nurse for the biopsy and she spoke to him the whole time. When the hole was cut he felt some pain so she stopped and gave him another shot of lidocaine. Solace. That made about the 5th shot.
We won't have another MRI until the growth factors he had last week wear off. What he has in him now would fool the test. We did find out that since he is non-secretory, he will have more biopsies more often that others. This means that he does not have the M protein. That means the MM does not show up in his kidneys or other organs, so the MM is harder to detect. Again, we thank the Lord for pushing him off the roof.
He is working tomorrow and then we are going to leave Saturday early to go to Mountain View with our friends. We have rented a cabin for one night and then back home on Sunday. I hope the travel doesn't wear him out because we do need to just get away and forget. He is already looking forward to it because he says his luggage with be 10 lb. lighter. No need for hair spray, hair dryer, brush, gel, razor, etc. I can attest to the fact that he carried more of that stuff than I. I even joked with him when this first came about that the rising gas prices didn't bother me because we would be saving that in hair spray. The first question he always asked in the past about lodging was if they had a hair dryer. You know, it doesn't matter how he fixes his hair -- it NEVER blows on the bike! ha So, we are enjoying the bald.
Oh... that brings me to Telly Savalas... Kojak... When I was a teenager, the Kojak series was quite popular. So was Peyton Place.. I made certain I had my homework and chores done before his serices came on. I even had a huge poster of him on my bedroom door. Gosh, my teenager dreams came true. Watching him suck on those lollipops today and looking at me with a twinkle in his eye brought Kojak back to me in real life. Solace.... "Who loves you baby?" -- Chemo Sabe does.
With that -- I am closing. I wish you all a blessed weekend and will give you an update on Monday.
Love --- Pepper (Tonto)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Circumlocution -- Word for the Day -- Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Circumlocution
DEFINITION: (noun) speaking in a roundabout way.
Ho hum... I will be circumlocution throughout this session, but will quickly get to the point.
Yes, we had our schedule visit with the doctor today at 1:30 p.m. Got in the room at 1:15 p.m. Had the doctor's assistant, which we like (Waheed) and was thoroughly briefed on several items, but which had to be confirmed with the top dog. Waited until 3:15 p.m. and he came in for five minutes and gave us a briefing. Between all this time our RN came in and gave us a rundown on a different scenario. She spoke circumlocution about our next plan of attack which ended up being completely different from the top dog. Then it ended up being her decision for scheduling after all.
We "thought" Chemo Sabe would have two weeks off, at the most. BUT, we think because we live so close, the process will be sped up. AND, we think because we were diagnosed early and quickly that they want to nip it in the bud quickly. Soooooo to keep from circumlocuting any longer, here is what we discovered.
PET scan at 6:00 a.m. Thursday, followed by lab at 10:00 a.m., followed by bone marrow biopsy at 12:45 p.m. Weekend off with a follow up appt on Monday with the top dog for the test results. Labs will be twice a week instead of every day and then we are looking at the next round of chemo to begin on July 5 -- no later. The neutrapenia will be more progressed after the chemo and then he will get the transplant.
Biopsy will tell us how the bone marrow is recuping and the PET will tell us if we still have lesions. Good news is there is nothing in the kidneys or other organs. WHAT A RELIEF!!
Think it's over? NO... We begin the cycle again working up to a possible second transplant in October. We will have a 3-4 week rest in between.
I saw a look of disappointment in Chemo Sabe's eyes. He really was looking forward to going back to work for two weeks. This way looks like only a week, BUT we still have our fingers crossed.
Believe it or not --- we are on the road to success. We are just both mentally and physically tired. We want a vacation... We are firm believers in "no work, no play", but we have to focus on the fact, this is work... Work on the body, soul, mind and spirit. Strengthening our faith.
I am closing now to soak all this Good news in. The doctors were surprised to see Chemo Sabe looking so healthy without any complaints from the chemo series except for a few days with stomach problems. PROGRESS and PRAISE!
Love --- Pepper
DEFINITION: (noun) speaking in a roundabout way.
Ho hum... I will be circumlocution throughout this session, but will quickly get to the point.
Yes, we had our schedule visit with the doctor today at 1:30 p.m. Got in the room at 1:15 p.m. Had the doctor's assistant, which we like (Waheed) and was thoroughly briefed on several items, but which had to be confirmed with the top dog. Waited until 3:15 p.m. and he came in for five minutes and gave us a briefing. Between all this time our RN came in and gave us a rundown on a different scenario. She spoke circumlocution about our next plan of attack which ended up being completely different from the top dog. Then it ended up being her decision for scheduling after all.
We "thought" Chemo Sabe would have two weeks off, at the most. BUT, we think because we live so close, the process will be sped up. AND, we think because we were diagnosed early and quickly that they want to nip it in the bud quickly. Soooooo to keep from circumlocuting any longer, here is what we discovered.
PET scan at 6:00 a.m. Thursday, followed by lab at 10:00 a.m., followed by bone marrow biopsy at 12:45 p.m. Weekend off with a follow up appt on Monday with the top dog for the test results. Labs will be twice a week instead of every day and then we are looking at the next round of chemo to begin on July 5 -- no later. The neutrapenia will be more progressed after the chemo and then he will get the transplant.
Biopsy will tell us how the bone marrow is recuping and the PET will tell us if we still have lesions. Good news is there is nothing in the kidneys or other organs. WHAT A RELIEF!!
Think it's over? NO... We begin the cycle again working up to a possible second transplant in October. We will have a 3-4 week rest in between.
I saw a look of disappointment in Chemo Sabe's eyes. He really was looking forward to going back to work for two weeks. This way looks like only a week, BUT we still have our fingers crossed.
Believe it or not --- we are on the road to success. We are just both mentally and physically tired. We want a vacation... We are firm believers in "no work, no play", but we have to focus on the fact, this is work... Work on the body, soul, mind and spirit. Strengthening our faith.
I am closing now to soak all this Good news in. The doctors were surprised to see Chemo Sabe looking so healthy without any complaints from the chemo series except for a few days with stomach problems. PROGRESS and PRAISE!
Love --- Pepper
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)