Next Steps

Amie and I met with her doctor Thursday to review the findings from last week’s CT scan. Amie’s response to the chemotherapy regimen is mixed. While the lesions in her liver shrank slightly, the lymph nodes in her abdomen grew. The tumors in the rest of her body (spine, neck, stomach) appear to have remained basically the same, although it looks and feels as if the lymph node in her neck has gotten larger.

The doctor explained that mixed responses are not that common, and there is great concern about the growth of the lymph nodes in her abdomen. This growth also likely explains why Amie has experienced more pain in her back over the past couple of weeks. If there had been an overall positive response, her doctor would have kept her on the same regimen. However, now he is changing her regimen and began her on a different chemo drug Thursday in the hopes that it can reverse this growth. She will now go for chemo once a week, and it will be up to a few months before we will know how well this new regimen is working. The regimen includes the infusion weekly coupled with the oral chemo medication that she has been taking since the beginning of treatment.

As explained previously, Amie’s treatment is palliative, intended to treat symptoms and ease pain. If the new regimen does not yield a positive response, her doctor may consider other measures for pain relief, including radiation. We have discussed these treatments previously with him and with specialists. Though her pain has been challenging to manage and has reduced her quality of life greatly, Amie is doing really well managing nausea, as it has not been a major issue for over a week. She is even managing to taste some of her food.

Today we read Scripture passages about suffering, in particular, Christ's sufferings and how we share in His sufferings and glory in them. We also read Paul's letter to the Philippians, much of which gives us great comfort.

Prayer Requests
Please pray
-That Amie and I may be able to attend a pregnancy and infant loss parents support group together next week. I attended by myself last month, and we are hoping Amie will feel strong enough to attend.
-That the new chemo regimen would work to reduce the size of the tumors throughout her body and ease her pain
-That Amie would continue to have minimal side effects to chemo
-That I would make good decisions about my work and ministry through this difficult period, and also find constructive outlets to deal with all that is going on
-That Amie and I would continue to pursue emotional and spiritual healing through counseling, close relationships, and that we would work on and enjoy our marriage despite the challenging circumstances, setting proper boundaries with our family, friends, community and each other.