West Side Story

We definitely pick the best days for travel. It was only rain on the way to Ann Arbor today and we hoped that it would remain rain until after our return. We arrived in plenty of time before Tom's appointment and were ushered into a room quickly. Tom met one of the residence who went back through his treatment starting in 2007. We covered his surgery, 1st round of radiation, the clinical trial after finding that his cancer has metastatic to the lower spine & liver, the trial drug and having to come off because of the cancer in his Clavical, his SBRT radiation done in December, and his latest scans that showed further cancer. After reviewing the MRI and CT scans it has been noted that Tom's cancer is in his Liver, C6-C7 vertebrae (that are showing no change), lower lumber L1 & L2, lungs are still showing spots that are hard to confirm but have always been noted, and the aortic lymph nodes appears to have suspicion of cancer.

Dr Tsien than came into talk about the treatment plan. She stated that Radiation is good for the pain Tom has been experiencing. The success rate for radiation is 70% They talked about how Tom's pain has diminished since he has been on a Steroid prescription. This is helpful but not the answer. She said that the cancer is showing up and down his spine.Tom will have 2 weeks of radiation and will be able to do it here in Grand Rapids. We were both happy to hear that this daily trip will only be 10 minutes away. After this is completed he will need to follow up with Dr. Worden to talk about getting him onto a Chemotherapy.

The ride home was another story. It took us several hours again to arrive home. It was a little spooky as we went through Jackson not a car was in sight for many miles. There were a few ditch parties but the nice part this time was that the cars were far enough off the road that we didn't need to stop at each one. I was so happy to see home & I hope that the next trip will be a pleasant driving experience!

Thanks for all those who have helped us through this time. Our neighbors overwhelmed me this weekend with loads of food, snacks and gas cards. Mr. E who had previously brought the kids some fun gifts and dropped them at our door gave our family a generous gift card and a wonderful pie. Thanks to those who have sent our family comforting words and all the hugs and prayers.

Tom read a Psalms that he wanted me to share. Let this be our verse for the coming treatment:
"But I will call upon the Lord to save me - and he will. I will pray morning, noon, and night, pleading aloud with God; and he will hear and answer." Psalms 55:16-17