What a month

The sun was shinning this past week! No matter how cold it gets I always feel better when the sun is shining. The kids are back in the swing of school & homework. My class started today so I will be in there with them. Katie is starting her first basketball practice today. She is so excited about being able to play a 3 on 3 game! She also watched the high school cheer leading competition this week & came home very enthused and energized by it.

Tom had a busy week as well. He got his blood work done & is waiting for the results. His CT scan is scheduled for Friday, January 22 which give us a date night as this is not until 7:30 pm. He was also approved for the Genetics testing and will get that test done on Thursday, January 21st. Also on Thursday, he will see his primary doctor. We have Dr. Worden's appointment for Thursday, February 11. This is another afternoon appointment so we can make the trip in one day. Today we got a letter of approval for 2 trips to the U of M, consultations only. This has been a busy month and we are only 1/2 the way through!

It truly has been a long year and a half since I have felt so confident in those taking care of my loved one's health. I hope that we will continue to make head way with Tom's disease. I know that Tom is also relieved that we made the change. Thanks again for all the words of encouragement and the prayers that have been said on behalf of our family, not sure how we would make it through otherwise.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the word that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Moving to Ann Arbor

Not ready to put the house up for sale and move to Ann Arbor, but we will be moving Tom's health care to the U of M. Today we met with Dr. Worden. He is an Associate Professor in the Hematology/Oncology Department. We finally feel like we have an Oncologist on the same page with us. He was upfront and honest with the reality of Tom's disease. We discussed his approach to Tom's long term care which will include monthly visists to the U of M, increasing blood testing to every 30 days, and CT scans every other month. This plan is more aggressive than we had been doing for the past year. What really impressed us is his concern for Tom's current quality of life. He has ordered a full blood work up as he feels that Tom's current medications need to be adjusted. He has also put Tom on new medications (glad I got him the biggest pill box available) and ordered new/more physical therapy.

We talked about treatment plans once they are able to locate the cancer. He talked about an experimental chemo treatment being performed by a college at Wayne State University. He will also bring Tom's case up for review with the "Cancer Board" at the U of M where a group of Oncologist, Endocrinologist, and Radiologist will discuss the best approach to Toms care.

We feel that this is the right direction for us to take, as difficult as it may be. I will have to use my vacation time to accompany Tom on trips back and forth to Ann Arbor. We may have a struggle convincing the insurance company that we have a right to chose the doctor we want. This will more than likely mean more out of pocket expenses. We will continue through this hand in hand learning to lean on each other when times are difficult.

Psalms 18:30 "What a God he is! How perfect in every way! All his promises prove true. He is a shield for everyone who hides behind him."