Doug and I want to use this blog to thank all of you for the outpouring of love we have received since his illness has been made public. Your cards, telephone messages, gifts of hope and peace, food, plants, balloons, music, e-mails and prayers play a role in Doug’s healing process.
A friend once painted a word picture that has stayed with me. She called to ask me if I’d be part of a prayer quilt for a particular individual. Now it is our turn to feel a quilt of your prayers wrapped around us. Each square in the quilt has your name—or in some cases, the name of your church or your Bible Study group—on it. We wish it were possible to thank you all personally. Through this blog we hope to keep you updated and let you know how much we appreciate you and what God is doing for us.
The "C" Word Hits Home
As most of you know Doug has been diagnosed and is being treated for multiple myeloma, a cancer that involves the body’s blood-forming systems. Cancerous plasma cells (myeloma cells) build up in the bone marrow and in his case also impede the blood producing/filtering of his renal system. We have learned that the multiplication or overgrowth of malignant cells in the bone marrow can weaken the bones, especially in the back and ribs, and cause pain and bone fractures. We praise the Lord that he has no bone fractures. His presenting problem has been excruciating, immobilizing pain, weakness and total lack of energy.
To be honest with you we had never heard of this type of cancer before his diagnosis. With every week that has passed since his diagnosis was confirmed on October 18, we continue to learn more about the disease and hear from more people who have the disease willing to share their story with us.
History—His Story
This summer Doug had not been feeling well. He had talked with me about the pain he was having in his ribs and back but he thought he had pulled a muscle and that with time it would heal and go away. He has an amazing ability to push himself so carried on his work as if nothing was wrong—until he got home at night and then collapsed into bed with no energy to spare.
Early in July he was in charge of overseeing the details of the training weekend for the new Executive Committee of the Texas Conference. Eventually he could no longer hide that something was seriously wrong. He was absent from meetings he was to be hosting!
His leadership team advised him to go to the emergency room (ER) near our home rather than to the local hospital in the town where the retreat was being held just in case he would need to be admitted. We were driven home late that night by our Ministerial Secretary. The next day Doug was hospitalized with what was thought to be renal failure due to dehydration. After being re-hydrated intravenously he was sent home with instruction to drink lots of fluids.
He returned to his normal, busy schedule. By October signs of his pain were increasing. He still pushed himself and kept a smile on his face but I knew something was drastically wrong. He was loosing weight and muscle. I felt I was loosing him.
I went to his office and told him and his boss I was taking him home—to the ER at Harris Methodist Medical Center in Fort Worth. Within just a few hours the ER doctors gave a preliminary diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma.
Earlier that same day 29 pages of lab reports of Doug’s history were obtained from Doug’s primary physician and faxed to Dr. Neal Nedley, an Internist in Oklahoma. While Doug was still in the ER, and without having any contacts with the doctors at Harris hospital’s ER, Dr. Nedley told Doug that if Doug was his patient he’d want to rule out multiple myeloma or some form of lukemia. The myeloma would explain his renal failure.
Doug was admitted for further testing. On October 18, my mother's 92nd birthday, it was confirmed that Doug had multiple myeloma in an advanced stage. We began the treatment to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells.
On November 7 Doug returned to Harris Hospital for a 7 day stay for pain management. He was unable to get out of bed at home on his own due to excruciating pain. As of last week we are grateful to the Master Physician and medical science as his pain is now under control.
Treatment Protocol
The treatment protocol for Doug is what people in the medical field who know about this type of cancer call “state of the art”. It involves heavy does of Dexamethasone, a steroid that works in combination with the drug Thalidomide. Both are taken orally. Doug has only had one series of 4 IV chemo injections of two other drugs and, at least for now, will not need an IV port. His hair has thinned but he still has hair!!!!
After the treatment protocol was described to us we did seek another opinion from an oncologist. Registered nurses on our oncology floor recommended this particular doctor as being the one they would use were they to contract cancer. She practices independent of the others on Doug’s case. The doctor visited with us before Doug was discharged from the hospital in November and agreed that the treatment he is receiving is what she, too, would use were Doug her patient. She just recommended a blood thinner to avoid clotting, a serious side effect of Thalidomide. That medication was added by our doctor and joined the numerous other medications to ward off side effects.
I also am fortunate to be able to contact my roommate from boarding academy, Dr. Geni Bennetts, an oncologist/hematologist, now retired, but one who keeps up with the literature in her field and attends medical meetings. She has been most helpful to confirm or clarify when I’ve need reassurance.
The good news is that all of Doug’s medications are taken orally and so far his digestive track has tolerated it well. He receives injections at The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders as needed. I have become his drug warden and home health nurse!
We go to The Center every Monday for lab and monitoring of his blood and urine chemistry. We see Dr. Mandell, his hematologist/oncologist, every other week. His nephrologist (kidney doctor) is seen less frequently but is kept informed by Dr. Mandell.
Current Status
Doug never has complained. He is easy to care for. We are both so grateful for the reduction in his pain. What he lacks now is energy. He is very weak. We understand that the steroids sap him of energy leaving him with little desire to do anything but lie down and be in silence. His appetite has improved and we are enjoying more meals together. Now my goal is to fatten him up while keeping myself slim!
His immune system is compromised and we have limited visitors because of that fact. My prayer is that I will not become ill so that I can continue to care for him. Infection is something we have to be very careful of—especially this time of the year with colds and flu.
We just read together a chapter on Patience—“Faith in the Timing of God” in Gavin Anthony’s book, The Refiner’s Fire. After I got done reading the chapter to Doug he commented, “I resonate with him on that”. I asked for additional clarification for what Doug meant. He responded, “I feel it is not my place to question or to tell God when to heal me. I need to be patient and let God do His work in me—in His own time. He knows what is best for me. I feel safe in His hands.”
Updates will follow here from time-to-time and will not be this long! ~Carole