D Day

August 26, 2011

D day…Verdict is in as far the cancer has advanced.  The bone marrow results show the myeloma is 30-40% in the cells.  The good news is the urine test did not show any of the protein spilling into the urine and the blood still does not show abnormally high levels of protein.  So…….I guess in layman’s terms it means we start a course of treatment next week.  Two oral chemo drugs and one i.v.  We would also be starting an i.v. of Zometa which is a drug to help strengthen the bones.  A visit to U of M will occur in the next few months to go over options of a bone marrow transplant and what that all involves and see if she can get her cancer in remission enough to do that.  Dr. Zakem will also monitor her as to how these chemo drugs are affecting the cancer and make any alterations necessary.  The problem with him monitoring her specific cancer is that it is not presenting itself in her blood or urine so he cannot go by those levels to see if the chemo is helping. He said he has ways of monitoring the levels so we can be rest assured he will keep on top of it.   The chemo itself will take approximately 4 months with 2 weeks on and one week off.

Overwhelming is the word I find coming to the tip of my tongue.  Drugs, visits, appointments, paperwork….it all seems so daunting.  I find my mind on overload so I can only imagine how my folks must be feeling.  I know that Zakem’s office is taking care of a lot of the mind numbing prescriptions and dosage information and they will be getting all of that on Tuesday when she goes for her first treatment.

So, how is mom feeling?  She says that this is like having your life whittled away; one piece at a time.  Well, if we are whittling away some pieces, I am confident of the final masterpiece God has planned for her.  Isn’t He the ultimate artist anyway?  Look around at what He has created.  As I watch her pray while we wait for the nurse, I think that all of our lives are being whittled, shaped, and molded by our life’s journey's.  Every decision, every challenge, every day, brings us closer to being the man or woman God intended us to be all along.  How we appear along the way and what we show of ourselves to others is a testament to our true character.

Pray that mom’s body is accepting of the chemo and that the side effects will be minimal.