Friday, July 27, 2012

Planned Chemo Over

David's Last Planned Chemo


Good evening from Charlottesville.  David's last scheduled chemo went well today.  He took three different chemos today and had a bandage change.  He is tired and has recently spiked a fever from his chemo today.  He is asleep now with Laura.  We are planning to stay in Charlottesville for the weekend as a precaution and if he is doing well on Monday we will bring him home.

As of today the PICC line is still in.  We will be making a decision over the weekend as to whether to take it out on Monday.  We are leaning toward getting it taken out.  The risk of infection is too much in our opinion and our oncologist is supportive of either decision we make.  Dr. B was wonderful as usual and always takes time to answer our multitude of questions.  In addition, the clinic staff is so great to work with and we appreciate their professional and positive attitudes.

As we celebrate the last chemo we are also aware that our journey is a long one.  David goes back the week of August 20 for a CT scan.  After that we go once a month for a check up and every three months for a scan.  Dr. B shared with us the chance of reoccurrence drops significantly after the first year.  However we are painfully aware that cancer can creep back in at anytime.  We are at peace and so thankful that God has seen us through to this point and that David has done so well with the treatment regimen.  We also will continue to ask for your prayers and our Fathers guidance as we navigate the fear of reoccurrence as we move forward. 

We know that David has tolerated an enormous amount of chemo well.  We as parents think he has had some rough times, but from the oncologists perspective they are happy that he is finishing so close to his original finish date. Of course we know that he is high risk because of the Loss of Heterozygocity, but we remain thankful that the chemo has worked thus far on the nodules on his lungs and that he has had such a positive response to chemo.  We will forever be fearful of the dreaded relapse, but we will also remain concerned how his major organs continue to function after being exposed to such high levels of chemo and radiation. 

We are looking forward to watching the Olympics this weekend.  We miss our Kyle and Hope.  They will be heading to Charlottesville on Sunday and I believe they are planning a putt-putt golf outing.

We hope each of you is having a great summer and enjoying every minute of your time with your loved ones.

4 comments:

  1. I have followed David's story from the beginning of this nightmare and I just wanted him and you all to know that he is my hero! I am so thankful for this blog-I can't wait to get home and check to see how he is doing. Your faith has inspired me. I hope I get to meet that sweet little redhead one day! Prayers and love from Chilhowie!

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  2. I, too, have followed this journey. I continue to pray for David and the entire family. What an inspiration you all are to me personally! Each morning after reading the updates, I approach my day with a new
    sense of gratefulness and peace. Thank you.

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  3. I have been reading your blog since last November and I am amazed and in awe of how far
    David has come. Your family has inspired me and
    taught me so much! I will continue to pray for all of you as you enter this next phase of life with David. Congratulations on your last
    day of planned chemo!

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  4. I have almost the same to say as the 3 readers above me. David is my hero and your family has inspired me so much. I believe that I have grown as Christian since reading this blog. I know that after I read the blog I say a prayer for your family and I thank God for all he has given me. I pray that God continues to bless your family. Hugs to all from Washington County, Va.

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