Not only is it late and I'm exhausted, but this entry's point really does have just one...
TO INFORM.
Today was a day of OHSU, as those of you who follow me on Facebook know.
Not like I haven't had days like that already or don't anticipate many, many more, cause I do know better. In fact, it's like my mom said to me tonight, 'We will know those halls and buildings well by the time this all is over.' That's for sure. ;) But I'm soooooo GLAD for that fact.
Aaron and I were just saying the other day how much we praise God that we live in a time and a PLACE where we have such access to care and good health professionals.
What if I lived in some third-world country where none of these was available to me...
this would be a death sentence.
But because I don't, and I'm blessed enough to be where I am,
It's not.
Today was another meeting with my oncologist who, let me just say, has a genuine and deep care for me as a patient and wants to help us, as a family, get back to living. Like everyone else has been telling us, he agrees that the best plan is to systemically treat me BEFORE putting me under the knife.
The hope is to reduce the tumor-size as greatly as possible with drugs...then, surgically remove whatever is left.
As some of you know, we discussed, prayed about, read about and finally decided to participate in a couple of their research studies on top of our standard care procedures. Since OHSU is a leading research facility and active university, these things are available and very worthwhile to those who can
A) Make it work
and
B) Fit all eligibility criteria.
One of the standard drugs I will be receiving in my weekly treatments (Herceptin) is one of OHSU's recent medical break-throughs, that in lemans terms, targets specific bad cell receptors and therefore reduces what extreme the lesser targeted Chemo treatments must be dozed in. This is an excellent thing, as that basically means killing less 'good' cells while the bad ones are still being eradicated.
I apologize to any of you whom I lost in the last part... it is a LOT of information and I promise I will try to explain it better in a future post, when I'm less asleep, ha! ;)
Whatever the case, since I will be participating in both the study as well as the standard treatments, it will be a WEEKLY visit for us... a HUGE commitment, seeing as we're 3 hours south and gas is averaging $4/gallon...but a decision we feel good about. Not only are we helping with future medical break-throughs but we're also, likely, making my standard treatments more tolerable and possibly even MORE effective in doing so.
As Aaron put it, '20 weeks of weekly sacrifice in the bigger picture is little to sacrifice for a lifetime more with my wife.'
So, here's what the schedule roughly looks like, with a few appts still up in the air:
Next Thursday morning/afternoon: MRI + one more biopsy (boo!)
Friday morning: Port installation surgery (the port is like a 'permanent' IV for my chest so the treatment drugs don't kill my arm veins.
The following week will be appointments with a few more specialists and revealing of final tests.
Then, Monday, October 28th will be the start of my 20 straight weeks of therapy treatments (Chemo, Herceptin and whatever other target drugs the study includes).
There will also be a smattering of more MRI's as well as another biopsy approximately 3-weeks in and then at completion, also... and I'm sure more blood-draws and who knows what else.
*Enough poking and prodding to certainly make ones head spin. ;-P
After Chemo will be surgery. What kind, how extensive, length of recovery??
Sorry folks. No answers.
A) We're not looking that far ahead (moment to moment, remember?)
B) We won't know until we know what/how the treatments did with killing the bad cells.
So, now that you know the basics, what to pray for, specifically:
Pray for Friday's port-surgery. It is out-patient, but I'm still put under and it still is a day-long deal.
Pray for test results to come back good so we can indeed participate in the extra study-part.
Pray for the tumor to stop growing until the drug-treatments can officially start!!!
Pray for my fears about the treatments...I want peace about it. Also, pray the treatments do their job!
Thanks all for following and continuing to support us through what is bound to be a whirl-wind year~
Hayley,
ReplyDeleteI went to school with Kristen and found out about your story through Facebook. First, let me say that your faith and positive attitude are going to get you through this. YOU ARE STRONG!
In April, my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 Large B-Cell Lymphoma. This was a total shock to us and we felt alot of the same feelings that you have described. At the time of his diagnosis, his bone marrow was 98% taken over by lymphoma and the cancer had metastasized to his liver, lymph nodes and bones. He was immediately transferred to OHSU within 24 hours of his diagnosis at Mercy. OHSU is full of AMAZING people from the doctors, nurses, CNA's, social workers, chaplains to the people who escort him to scans, etc.
After going to OHSU (from Roseburg) for 5 days of 24 hour/day inpatient chemo every 2.5 weeks for 6 months as well as lumbar punctures and chemo injected into his CNS each time we were there, we just got the news on Friday that he is in remission. Every sleepless night in his hospital room, every dime spent on gas, all of the hospital food we had to buy and eat, all of the medical bills and everything else was 100% worth going to OHSU.
You are in the right place. OHSU is amazing and between the medical technology we are so lucky to have and coupled with your faith and positive attitude, you will beat this. I pray for you and your family every day as I am thanking God for healing my husband.
You have so many people you know and those you don't know praying for you and following your story. As hard as blogging might be sometimes, your story will be the inspiration another woman will need in the future as she faces this battle.
Stay strong and I will be following your story waiting for good news at the end of your journey!