Hoodlums

Well, over a month has passed since our last post and what a month it has been. Let's see if I can catch you up a bit.
In early November, we took a trip to Stanford for Dan to have his first CT scan in over four months. I had been rather nervous, but Dan was fairly confident since his last few scans had shown the exact same thing: no growth. Unfortunately, the scan showed some growth in the pancreatic tumor. Since the liver tumors had not changed at all, the doctor was confident that something could be done besides chemo and scheduled a PET scan to measure the metabolism activity of the growing tumor. We were obviously disappointed to hear the news, but tried to keep trucking along until we knew more. So, we went back to La Mirada to wait for a few weeks and get some homework done.
Thanks to some family friends (the Elliots), Dan and I went to Disneyland to enjoy some much needed magical fun. To the chagrin of many of our friends, we also did homework there!

Anyway, the next couple of weeks flew by with days filled with papers and tests and student teaching and precepting at the hospital and working. We just kept looking towards Thanksgiving break--a time for family and football and rest. But also time for the PET scan.
Finally, Thanksgiving break arrived and we drove up to Santa Rosa, grabbed dinner, went to sleep and then awoke dreadfully early to drive to Stanford again. The PET scan went uneventfully and back we went to Rose town to celebrate with family and friends. We had been told earlier that we wouldn't hear any results until the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.


We met up with my godson Callaghan and his mom and dad as they moved into a brilliant and huge new house. Speaking of huge, Cal is over 2 and a half feet tall now and 30 pounds...at only 17 months! I find myself so sad that I have to reintroduce myself to Cal every time we meet due to the distance between our homes. Hopefully, soon, the Faircloths and the Howens will live in closer proximity.
We spent Thanksgiving Day with my folks, enjoying time with both sets of grandparents and several aunts and uncles. The turkey was amazing, as was the Christmas music that followed Santa coming down 34th Street in the Thanksgiving Day Parade (which was so frequently interrupted by Dan's desire to watch the football games).

After a bit of shopping with Gram and Mom on Black Friday, we drove to Lodi for a genuine German dinner made by Bob and Jamie's German exhange student, Stefi. An interesting evening followed filled with examining Paco the skeleton and watching The Proposal as a family (mildly awkward? yes). Come Saturday morning, we left again for La Mirada, sad to leave our families and a place where leaves actually turn colors.

Fast forward to yesterday. I had to work and Dan had school all day, so we planned that Dan would just call whenever the doctor called. Everytime my phone rang, I jumped to hear what had happened. Instead, I had to fend off others looking for information that I had not yet received. Work kept me busy and distracted, and the day came and went without any phone call from the doctor. Dan emailed her asking for the results, and she gave none, instead asking for the best number to reach us.

Translation: Bad news.

Dr. Cho called this morning to inform us that the PET scan had revealed a great deal of activity in the pancreatic tumor. Fortunately, that tumor was the ONLY one that lit up. The liver tumors still look "treated" from the SIRspheres from a year and half ago. In other words, the liver tumors are inactive and quite possibly, dead.
Now, being completely honest, we received both good and bad news today. We must act on both: remember the good news and praise the Lord AND be anxious enough to take action on the cancer in Dan's pancreas.

At this point, Dr. Cho has contacted the Radiation Oncologist (RO) to get the "go-ahead" for a treatment called Cyberknife. It is a form of highly focused radiation that can treat tumors that are surgically unresectable. The radiation acts like a knife of sorts to "blast" the cancer cells without harming other tissues like skin or healthy pancreas. There are nearly no side effects from this out-patient procedure, which consists of a planning session and 3 to 5 one-hour sessions of the radiation. In research studies, doctors have seen excellent results with some patients having complete eradication of their tumors.

Dan and I are very hopeful that the other oncologist will begin the process for Cyberknife, which would most likely occur in late December or early January. Dan sees this as perhaps God's way of getting rid of the "hoodlums" forever (Dan's earliest term for the invaders living in his liver and pancreas). I certainly hope he is right.

For right now, Dan and I are okay. We were expecting this as a result and are anxious to get rid of the tumor that has been an unwelcome part of our family for over two years. We are enjoying a day of Christmas decorating and grocery shopping. Homework is getting done and movies are being watched. God has blessed with each other and has been faithful to protect Dan thus far. I can only pray that the biggest blessings and miracles are to come.

We appreciate your prayers and support. I promise to be better at updating everyone, especially with medical details. Now, onto to buy a Christmas tree!