The last five days have been filled with tests, more tests, lots of reading and researching on the internet, and lots of waiting. The more we read, the more we were made aware of Dr. Andrew Lowy, now of UCSD and of the impressive work he has done to develop and further the procedures that Steve needs. My prayer has been that God will put us with the doctors that are the best for Steve, and today we heard from the Kaiser oncologist that he is referring us to Dr. Lowy rather than the Kaiser facility in San Francisco. We don’t know why that is yet, but I’m personally thrilled and thankful for that shift. While we’ve heard good things about the Kaiser facility, Dr. Lowy and UCSD are clearly national leaders and experts in treatment of Steve’s particular kind of cancer.
The referral is still in the works and my guess is that we will hear specific dates in the next couple of days. We’ll definitely keep you updated about that.
Ok – a few of the medical terms. This borders on TMI (too much information) so skip this paragraph if you want, or read on if you want some of the medical terms. For our nurse/doctor/medical friends, please forgive me if I misstate anything – this is as I understand it only. As I mentioned in my first post, Steve has malignant Pseudomyxoma Peritonei, which is a cancer originating in or near the appendix that leaks a thick, sticky fluid out into the abdomen (the condition is called ascites) bathing everything in the abdomen with cancer cells and causing tumors pretty much all over everything. There is now one only one treatment, a brutal, extensive and radical surgery called Cytoreductive Surgery, typically taking between 8-15 hours, where they remove all visible signs of tumor by essentially stripping the lining of all the organs and possibly resecting portions of the large intestine and other organs if necessary. This is followed immediately by Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) in the operating room. This is where they bath the abdomen in heated chemo (about 107 degrees) for up to 90 minutes to kill the cells they can’t see. The chemo is then drained from the abdomen and the incision closed up. The hospital stay is anywhere from 10 days to around a month followed by a pretty lengthy recovery at home. They are having, at least as I read it, some promising results with the surgery.
Some of the most helpful articles I found were by googling +Dr. Andrew Lowy +UCSD which gave many articles from medical journals. Another very informative site is http://www.pmppals.org
Steve continues to be in no pain at all, although he does have some discomfort as the fluid is returning after (8 liters) being drained off a week or so ago. We’re having some really nice times together. It’s amazing how this changes your perspective on everything. We cleaned out the garage this weekend (with lots of help from Joelle and 3 other friends), and we didn’t even fight, I mean have intense discussions, even once! That in itself is a miracle. We’re also trying to get out every day, between rainstorms, and go the movies, eat out, take drives, and just generally hang out and enjoy each other.
We're feeling very close with both Joelle and Jenna as well. Joelle goes with us to most procedures and tests so we're sharing everything together, and Jenna is on the phone with us both before and after each one as well. We're SO thankful that Jenna and Brian (and dear Samantha and Molly!) will be moving out to Edwards AFB within a few months or so, where Brian has been accepted into Test Pilot School! :-) God's timing is impeccable (thanks for that word Shelley).
I can’t begin to thank you all for your words of love and encouragement and for your prayers. I can truly feel God’s peace, even in the middle of some really emotional times as we wait for further news and next steps.
Thank you again. We love you, each and every one.
~ Keren and Steve
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