TGIF

It is a rainy one today. It is not the best day for the last high school football game of the year. Though I was considering going to it, I guess I'm a fair weather kind of fan because I have decided to open a window and listen to the announcers from the comfort of my home. That's one advantage to being close to the school. We had parent teacher conferences and again all the kids are doing as expected. They have all made improvements and I know where our challenges lie again this year. Who said the that parents have the "easy" job?

Tom continues to balance home, work, and the task of instructing. He is working on a presentation that he has to give next Wednesday. Luckily Kyle is, what I consider, hi-tech and is helping his father put together a powerpoint. All those months of Kyle making little movies and such has given him the understanding of how the software package works. It is interesting to watch son teach father.

The order for a PET/CT scan is now in the hands of Tom's primary doctor. His office manager has called me to confirm that they are submitting this to have it scheduled. The insurance will more than likely need a Letter of Medical Necessity, which I believe holds up the procedure more so than the other types of scans. We have time to wait anyway so this time I am not jumping on the phone everyday to see if it has been approved.

Thanks again for all the phone calls, e-mails, and conversations. I know that it is hard to understand the procedures and the past week the question was asked by many, why do you have to wait so long for another test? The best answer I can give is that the doctors do have a plan of attack and are being cautious in this plan. I have confidence in these doctors that are caring for Tom. I also have faith that even though I do not understand the path that we are on right now, there is a purpose for events that happen in our lives. This summer as I was on one of my many walks I stopped asking the "why" is this happening. I acknowledged this hard path and started asking God, "what" do you want me to do with this?

Time Will Tell

Thanks again to Dawn and Tom for putting us up for the night. Also, thanks to Grandma for taking the kids for the night and getting them off to school. It was nice to know that all was well in the home front as we traveled across our state. Tom and I joked about how well we are learning Ann Arbor and how we can get around so that we did not even bring the map this trip! OK, so I forgot to pack it, but it was not needed anyway.

We met with Dr. Prince this morning and had a good "Meet and Greet" He stated that he had looked over the September scans and patiently answered my questions. Basically the consult was covering this once again:
Only the thyroid can create C-cells (calcitonin)
Calcitonin levels means that these cells are somewhere in the body
Calcitonin levels can fluctuate but a steady increase means an increase of levels indicating activity
These cells can grow rapidly or take a longer course of time to form into a tumor

Choices are either to do nothing or repeat scans. Here are the scans we can choose:
Octreoscan - Most of the time the dye is receptive to this type of cancer, small possibility that it will not be receptive
CT scan - Shows lump size where there may be infection, does not indicate activity
PET scan - Active cells show up the more active the cancer is the brighter the indication, hard to decipher if there is cancer if there is any infection or what is possibly the effects from a surgery
PET/CT scan - Done together is the most effective way and as we have a history of the cells uptaking this type of dye there is a good indication this will happen again

So with that being said, we will choose the course of a PET/CT scan. This will be done sometime in December on our side of the state. Dr. Prince also explained the reason for waiting a minimum of 3 months between scans. The first and foremost is that when these scans are done they do contain radiation and there is precaution as to how much a patient should receive. The other reason is that doing scans farther apart gives the active cells time to form and to find where the cancer is. He stated that the tumor could likely be either in his lungs or in the lymph nodes behind his lungs. He did not feel that it would be in the neck area due to the extensive surgery and radiation in that area, but would not entirely rule it out. Simply stated "They can't treat something that they can't see."

For now we are in a wait and see pattern again. As Tom and I were heading home we once again talked how this is possibly what life will be like for the rest of Tom's life. It is hard for Tom and I to understand all the whys and hows, but once again we will go on as life as usual, no with a better appreciation for life. I will thank God everyday that he is here. One year after surgery is a huge accomplishment and I do not take that lightly. Thanks Prayer Warriors, as you have covered us in your prayers, you have help us through one more step. My last thoughts I will share with you comes from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 "What a wonderful God we have-he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them the same help and comfort God has given us."

Impressive

We are definitely enjoying the bright sunny and somewhat warm days here at the Andrews' household. I love to see the colors change on the trees and Tom loves the cooler temps. Tonight is homecoming in our town and we plan to cheer on our Wildcats as it will be a perfect night for a game! Tom and the boys enjoyed the Western Michigan Bronco's homecoming last weekend with some of the "boys" while Katie and I saw a movie and had great time with the "girls"

This week Tom received a call from Dr. Prince, who is the U of M doctor we will see next Friday. He was looking over Tom's file and had a few questions that he called to discuss. For some reason, their office had not received the last tests that were done here on the West side. He stated that he wanted to look them over and have his team ready and the right people to meet with Tom as we were coming a long way. I was shocked and Tom was impressed that he was looking at our file so early. Thankfully their office has time to get the films before we go and can have a clear understanding of where Tom's disease is at.

Well, until then our days are plenty busy. Each day we have something going on in the evening at our house. The days will thankfully go by fast as we start to anticipate what this meeting will entail. I pray that the "team" we need is present and that the next step is clear to those who have Tom's life in their hands. Thanks again for all your prayers that cover Tom.
Psalm 116:1-2 "I love the Lord because he hears my prayers and answers them. Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breath!

One Year Ago Today

The road was long with ups & downs. The doctors said surgery was the way
We talked with many to understand why life's road led us here today
The morning of surgery I kept my tears at bay
We said our "Good-byes,& I love yous" as they prepared to roll you away
I tried to keep calm on that warm beautiful day
Eight hours of surgery seemed an eternity away
Your sister came to sit by my side
We laughed, we cried, we prayed
That all happened One Year Ago Today

When the time had passed that your surgery should have been done
My mind kept thinking "Why so long? Could something possibly have gone astray?"
It took all my strength to sit and wait for the doctor to come out and say that you were OK
I couldn't concentrate on anything, I hardly had words to pray
Three and one half long hours later the surgeon finally came to say
that you had quite on impressive amount of cancer and would have a long hospital stay
That all happened One Year Ago Today

Two more anxious hours later they led me back to you
I tried not to cry as we talked a lot of things through
You don't remember a thing, but I do
I just could not take my eyes off of you
Thanking God you pulled through
That all happened One Year Ago Today

A year has passed and we have had a tough road.
We have both had to carry a heavy load
We learned lots of lessons all the way through
I understand I took a lot for granted and now everyday I thank God for you
It started one Year Ago Today

A Pretty Fall Day

Another week has flown by. I can't believe how warm the month of September has been. I have enjoyed the sunny days and know that this will not last forever as the winter gray skies will be here before we are ready for them. The boys are starting to talk about getting the snowmobile back out and sharing stories of past rides. It always helps to have a hobbie during the winter to tolerate the cold weather.

Tom continues to take classes and is now an offical CPR Instructor. I've told him that I would like to be certified again becuase mine expired as a senior in high school (we won't talk how many years ago that was :) He taught a class last Wednesday and really enjoyed it. I know that with his personality that he would make a great instructor. I could tell that he was excited about the aspect of offering the class again in our community.

Kids are doing well in school. I am pleased to say that they seem to be trying hard and concentrating on their studies this year. It's just the usual routine at the Andrews' household. Other than some deep discussions about life Tom and I are staying positive about what will be. Thank you for the words of encouragement and those who have shared a personal story about a loved ones struggle/successes.

Our Why> series at church this week was talking about Why should I believe in God in the first place? One of our assignments was to take a walk and find evidence. As many of you know, I love to walk as it is a great time to reflect. I found evidence in my thoughts, experiences, and in the beauty of our world. I extend this challenge to those of you who have asked the question. "The heavens declare the glory of God: the skies proclaim the works of his hand" (Psalm 19:1)

Fall

This fall has been different! The boys have a free schedule (though I think Cody misses football) and the kids either do not have much homework, or can handle it on their own. I can still hear the football whistles from our house and I have mixed feelings about the boys not participating. Our evenings have changed and I can say I enjoy my time at night. It is nice that the kids are becoming responsible and independent. This week our friends from Ohio called and were asking for some pictures of Tom at the U of M during his surgery. Their daughter is doing a report on cancer and Tom is her subject. I teased Tom that he is being studied now in another state, how cool!

Tom has been busy once again. He is out this morning with Kyle for the anterless hunt and I hope they get one as our freezer has one pound of venison burger left! I hate to pay the ground beef prices and see all the grease when it fries (sorry my Bambi huggers). Since our last doctors visit, Tom has a new attitude of "Just tell me when and where to be for the doctors, otherwise I'm just going to go on with life". I know that he is tired of being poked and the uncertanity of this disease. I, on the other hand, have gotten back onto the internet to find out all I can about the significance of the calcitonin levels, but not during the middle of the night. I have read a few conflicting reports, but I have also read some positive outcomes of MTC. I am focusing on the positives and being certain that each day our experts are making new discoveries and breakthroughs. I also have found a few things that are significant to MTC and will be asking a few questions when we go see this new doctor on Friday, October 17. Hopefully he will have a few answers.

I thank God for so many supporters and pray that Jesus also walks with you each day. We are in a series at church asking the Why> questions and though not all of them will be answered in this series, it has been good to discuss and know that it's OK to ask. Most important is the answers that our Lord gives us (interestingly not always the answers we expect) and the blessings his gives us along the way.

Another Ride

I talked Tom's primary doctor to get the calcitonin results. His latest count is 188. This is up from July of 148 and in January it started at 129. We now can show an upward trend in his calcitonin levels which is the indicator that the cancer is growing somewhere. The nurse that I talked to said that the CAT scan can miss a Minuit area where the cancer could be. At our meeting last week with the oncologist, he again said the fluctuation of the levels may occur. However an upward trend is something we did not want to see. Tom's primary doctor now is stating again that we need to visit the doctor at the U of M. Their office is working on getting a Referral letter and an authorization to meet the surgeon back on the East side.

What does this mean? Will we have surgery, radiation, or the therapy that we once talked about? We will again be in the waiting pattern until we meet with him. So after a few days of enjoying the sunshine and feeling good about the future, we have a reality check once again.
I read many verses tonight but one that stays on my heart is 1 Peter 5:7 "Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you."