Monday November 29, 2010

Chemo #6- Lisa checked in this morning for her 6th round of chemo.  She had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week with her family in Joplin- complete with family pictures!!!  She is very excited to see the pictures and felt really good the entire week.  Lisa and her family have a lot to be thankful for this year and are so grateful for all of the support and prayers.  Yesterday morning we went out for breakfast and she looked amazing.  I am going to have to post some new pictures of her soon!  We are planning a benefit lunch for her in January and will be asking everyone to raise some money on her behalf for medical bills and her disney trip with her family!  If you are intersted in helping plan or have suggestions feel free to email me at reneeblackwell@yahoo.com as we are working out details now.  Thanks again for your support and prayers! Love to you and yours and Happy Holidays!

Monday, Nov. 22

Lisa is at home now!  She was released this morning, and everything is looking good!
I have another sign of God's amazing work to share.....When we went to Mayo in August, they did a blood test to find out her CA 19-9 reading.  This is a tumor marker (or substance produced because of cancer).  It is used to evaluate how the patient is responding to treatment once it's started.  The higher the number, the more advanced the disease is.  Her reading at Mayo was 13,000 U/mL.  Normal for a healthy person is between 0 and 37 U/mL (units per mililiter).---yes, you're reading the number correctly.  When she started chemo in Springfield, the number was 16,000.  Very high!!  She requested that the test be done again over the weekend. Her number as of today is 532!!!!!--a huge drop!!!!
This is incredible news to receive!!!  We continue to give God all the glory!
I probably won't post to this blog until after the holiday or until she starts chemo again on Monday. From our family to yours....Have a great Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for.

Thursday, Nov. 18

Lisa is feeling better today.  Her neck is still swollen, but not as sore.  She is still receiving Heparin through an IV.  The doctor said she could be in the hospital anywhere from 3 days to a week.....of course, she is wanting out ASAP!!  We were told that the clot in her neck is a new one---not an old one that had traveled from her lung to her neck.  There is also talk of removing her port, which she doesn't want to happen.  We should know more tomorrow.  She appreciates all of your prayers.

Wednesday, Nov. 17

There has been a bump in the road.....Lisa was admitted this afternoon to the hospital in Springfield. She has a blood clot in her neck.  She is receiving Heparin to try and control/get rid of this clot. She has been doing the injections (twice a day) of the blood thinner, Lovenox, to prevent any clots from forming. She has been doing these since we left Mayo in August (she had clots on each lung at that time).We are not sure how this new clot came to be. Please pray for her. We do not know how long she will be in the hospital. Her chemo treatment (round 6) is rescheduled for the 29th of this month.

Trip to Disney

One desire of Lisa and Steve's once she was feeling better was to take the girls to Disney in Orlando.  They have a trip booked for the beginning of next year.  If anyone has any suggestions/contacts for deals on 2-day passes to Disney and Universal, please let them know or reply to this blog.  You can send them an email at helplisafight@yahoo.com or call Steve at 417-827-9719. 

Saturday, Nov. 13

3 months ago today, this crazy journey began!! Look what amazing things have happened!!  God is truly a God of miracles.
Lisa had a good week. She did her 5 days of the Neupogen shot.  She had her hair done, went to dinner with her hubby, and is headed to Branson for a night to celebrate her daughter turning 16.  Nothing too crazy....just going to Dixieland Stampede for dinner (of course with her mask on!!!), and staying overnight in a cabin near the lake (THANK YOU Kelley).  Just a relaxing time, and she deserves it!! She is scheduled to check into the hospital on Friday for round 6!  Please continue to pray for her and her family! 

Tuesday, Nov. 9

The results are back.....The PET scan showed a tiny, tiny spot in her pancreas BUT NOTHING (no tumors, no cancer) anywhere else (the first scan in August showed tumors in her peritoneal wall (lining of stomach)----and cancerous cells were found in her uterus).  The CT scan on Friday showed no mass, and the PET scan was done for a better look.  Radioactive dye was injected before the PET scan. This would "light up" any spots in her body. The only spot was this TINY one. This is truly a miracle of GOD!!!  When we went to Mayo in August, the doctor told us that she would have to continue chemo every 2 weeks for the rest of her life.  We weren't given a stopping point because I think the doctor was referring to " her life" in terms of months.  If you have read anything about pancreatic cancer, the life expectancy isn't long.  Now, the doctor said she needs to complete 12 rounds of chemo (she's already had 5), and then just have regular check ups and blood work done. I think my dad said it best...."we get to keep her"!!  PRAISE THE LORD!!!!  THANK YOU GOD!!!

Monday, Nov. 8 (3:00 PM)

Lisa had her PET scan this morning at 7:30.  We will know the results either this afternoon or in the morning. This test will show if there are any active tumors in her body.  She finished her 5th round of chemo last night.  She checked out of the hospital around 10 this morning and is at home resting.  I will post the results of the scan once we know something.

Friday,Nov. 5

This will give you chills......The CT scan results came back today and there was NO sign of a mass (5 cm tumor) in the head of the pancreas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  God is so wonderful. This is truly a miracle.  We are all thrilled beyond belief.  Lisa is still in the hospital finishing chemo (round 5 started before the results were back), and will have a PET scan on Monday to see if there are any cancerous cells in her body.  The doctor and the nurses were shocked to say the least.  We are giving God all the glory.

Meals for the family

If you would like to help Lisa and her family with meals, the calendar/sign up page is at http://www.my.calendars.net/lisameals
Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

Monday, NOV. 1

Lisa wasn't feeling too great over the weekend, but is doing better today.  She was tired, and felt like she had a cold or something similar.  She got a lot of rest, and her husband grilled her a wonderful steak dinner!  She is ready for Friday to get here, and get the CT scan done.  She is scheduled to begin round 5 of chemo following the test.  She will remain in the hospital over the weekend as she has with previous visits.  Please pray that the results of the CT scan will be amazing!  We would love to see how the healing power of God has worked in Lisa.