Post Infusion Report

Jenny is doing well handling the new chemo + Avastin. She is ramping down her steroids, which reduce the swelling, which we have found she is very sensitive to, so we have to monitor that closely. There have been no major side-effects of the new treatment, just some minor stomach upset and a little up-tick in fatigue, so that's wonderful. 

The next treatment is next week (3/7), so we are hoping for a quiet few days here. Really nice visit with Jenny's Parents and my Dad, and the boys are doing a great job of taking time out of their busy schedules to spend time at home, which Jenny really enjoys. 

Thank you all so much for your continued prayer and support.

Today at the Infusion Center

Today is the first infusion (medicine given by IV) for Jenny. The infusion center is kind of unbelievable (see picture below). The staff here have a real kindness and compassion about them, and every effort is made to make the treatments as comfortable as they can be. Because this is the first treatment, they have to give the medicine at a very slow rate to be able to determine if there are any reactions to any of the new stuff, so we will be here for about 4 hours today.

The activity room at the infusion center, looking out towards the wellness garden...

God has been providing grace for each step along the way, please pray that the Chemo (CPT-11) and Avastin work the way that they should, with minimal side effects . We have Jenny's parents here, and my Dad has re-arranged his travel plans to be able to spend the night with us. So, this morning while we are at the infusion center, Joe (our 13 year old) and Jenny's mom are making a huge pot of spaghetti sauce and meatballs for a family dinner tonight - which might be better for the soul than anything that modern medicine has come up with.... 

2/13 MRI Follow-up Results

We just got back from the last update with the oncologist, looking at the last MRI, taken on Monday, it seems that the pill based chemotherapy was not being very effective. It was clear that the tumor has started to grow again. Clearly, this is not the news that we were hoping for, but we were not terribly surprised based on Jenny's energy level over the last week or so. 

The next treatment option is the IV chemotherapy,  so starting on the 21^st we will start the IV visits every two weeks.

This down-side of this new treatment are potentially more side effects and more time spent in hospitals, since each IV visit is roughly 3 hours long.

Please pray that Jenny continues to experience God's Grace through this time of transition and change (which is not her favorite thing). One observation of God's Grace that we experienced today was a very kind nurse that shared with us her faith in God's healing power and sustaining grace, which was very encouraging and timely.

Thank you all for your continued care and concern.

Back from Mexico, Busy Week Ahead

This was the view of the beach in Mexico! 

We had a wonderful time, it was very relaxing and a nice time together away from the cares of the world. This week is a busy one for Jenny. Tomorrow morning (2/11) we go in for an MRI in the morning. The doctors are hoping that this will provide a clearer picture of what is going on than the last one, since the last pictures were a little cloudy - due to the impact of the radiation treatments. On Wednesday (2/13) we will go in to get the results and discuss any changes in the MRI from last month. I'll let you know what we find out. Thanks for your continued care and concern!

a very tan Ray and Jenny...