Dear Friends and Family, Thank you for your cards, text messages, phone calls, love and concern for us. I read them all but cannot always send a response. It gives me comfort. There are no words to adequately describe how grueling the side effects have been from the high dose chemo. Uncontrolled vomiting,…
I mentioned in my last blog post that I had been moved from not being a stem cell candidate to getting the green light by my oncologist, cardiologist, and renal doctor to go ahead. In addition to remaining in remission, my troponin level, a marker of heart function, moved to a safe range. Also, a…
Dear Friends and Family, As you all know, we have been in a battle for the last several months since Curt was diagnosed with AL Amyloidosis. To say it has been rough is an understatement. We feel like we have been in an all-out war, and now we will go to the next level as…
Since my last post, my amyloidosis treatment options have expanded. Funny thing about having choices you didn’t have just months ago. Sometimes the will and desire to take action wanes. What you previously wanted loses its attraction. Sort of like giving your child permission to graduate a year early. Now they don’t want to. Or,…
On Friday, I made a decision to forgo my chemo treatment. On Thursday I got a chest x-ray and it showed pneumonia. My immune system, being compromised due to the chemo, isn’t working properly. Would wearing a mask in public have prevented this? (Which I didn’t. I don’t like the attention they draw.) Maybe. The…
Logan: Good news: Logan’s surgery was successful. The entire tumor was removed. He was released from OHSU and returned to his home this last Friday. Pray for continued healing as he recovers with the help of his family. Myself: Good news: I just received lab results and found that this second round of chemo is doing its…
God has a wonderful plan for your life. That’s what I was told many years ago by Campus Crusade For Christ. The suffering piece, though, didn’t get mentioned as part of the plan in one of their most famous and popular tracts of all time. Well, the fact is, we will all suffer at some point in our…
Last November when I started the first chemo regiment, I insulated myself, a decision based on a combination of factors- a suppressed immune system, the flu season, and a non-functional gastro system that my oncologist was unable to resolve. This led to malnutrition resulting in significant weight loss, extreme fatigue, body ache and generalize malaise….
I’ll start with the present and work backwards, I started chemo therapy this last Friday, April 5. I’m scheduled for two or three cycles (two or three months) with a review afterwards for possibly doing a stem cell transplant. Because I have multiple organ involvement, heart involvement being the most serious, my case is riskier…
“God won’t give you more than you can handle.” “When God closes a door, he opens a window.” “You’re never more safe than when you’re in God’s will.” You’ve probably heard or read something like the above. Maybe you’ve said something close to one of these in the hopes of comforting and encouraging someone. I…