Post-Transplant Day +35

Last week I had frank discussion with the nurse practitioner (Steve was there) about his lack of motivation, low energy and abysmal diet. He was spending too much time in the recliner and just not eating and drinking enough. (He'd lost a total of 18 pounds) I was concerned that he was going to spiral downward if something wasn't done. She talked about some medicine she could prescribe to help Steve to eat more and told him how important it was for him to get up and move around. He agreed to try harder and postponed taking the new med's.

This past week Steve doubled his daily intake of food and drink (about 700 to 1,000 calories) and made sure he spent more time out of the recliner. We have both seen an improvement in his energy level and in how he feels. He certainly looks better! "In and Out" has seen a lot of us in the last week. Yesterday we saw the nurse practitioner again and she remarked at how much better he looked. His blood counts are good, but his m-spike was at 1.3 (Same as it was pre-transplant :-( She said it will sometimes go up before it will go down. They will do a bone marrow biopsy in February which will be more conclusive so and we've decided not to worry about the m-spike (cancer number) for the time being.

Thank you for your prayers and please add Daisy, Hayden, Natalie and Rosemary to your list.

God bless you and have a safe and happy new year!

Day +23

Hello Everyone. We celebrated Steve's birthday this week! I bought one of his favorite cakes, a white chocolate raspberry buntlet from the "Nothing Bunt Cakes" store. Unfortunately he didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. Although his appetite has somewhat increased the cake didn't taste very good to him and he didn't feel like eating a whole lot of it. Although he has been eating a little more each day and the taste of food is improving, how ever so slightly.
This week his red blood cells and platelet counts were good but his white blood counts and ANC (0.8) took a dive. So he's back on the neupogen shots again. I was not excited about giving the shots but I told him that I was grateful for what the neupogen does for him. He's still on the anti-nausea pills, but they are contributing to his fatigue. The days are long as we wait for him to gain strength and energy. And it's hard to sleep at night, for both of us.
But we are resting in the Lord and thank him each day for the life we have and most importantly for the hope we have in Jesus. Be sure to give your loved ones a hug and tell them how much you love them. You never know what tomorrow will bring.

Merry Christmas
Isaiah 53

Day +16

Hello Everyone! It's so good to be home. Steve is still feeling very tired, is not eating or drinking very much (Less then a baby bird!) and still having nausea and vomiting. So they arranged for a home care nurse to come out and start him on daily i.v. fluids for a week, beginning Wednesday. The nurse then showed me how to do it so she wouldn't have to come every day. Prayerfully by next week Steve will stop getting sick and his appetite will come back.

He keeps asking "When will I feel better?" I have told him his recovery will take a while, it may take several months before he begins to feel normal. But he is so eager to feel good and go back to doing everything he likes to do. It's hard for a man like Steve to just sit around. He has never been lazy and loves to keep his mind and body active.

Please continue to prayer for both of us. Also pray for our friends, Natalie, Ray, Kryslynn, little Hayden and little Haven.
God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!

Going Home!

Ever since Steve found out his blood counts were high enough for him to go home, he's made sure to tell every doctor that he saw, that he was ready to go! Even though he had to pass a few So I'm sure w tests first and begin eating. He even discussed with one doctor about how leaving at certain times would be better for us so we could avoid all the traffic on the 405. LOL! So I'm sure you can tell by the smile on his face that he is one happy guy!

Hopefully we'll be home by 4:oopm.......and will continue to keep you posted on his progress. As I said before it will be many months before he is fully recovered. He's going home with the same immunity as a newborn baby.

Day +11 Good News

Around here transplant day is considered a patients new "Birthday". In fact they gave us a cake to help celebrate the new day. Unfortunately neither one of us felt like eating it. The day I've been anxiously waiting for was today. Today's blood counts brought definitive proof that his stem cells have grafted and are doing their job, creating new blood! I am so relieved. It's not that I felt the transplant wouldn't work. I just needed to see tangible evidence that it did. He still has a long way to go before he is fully recovered.

His ANC and white blood cell counts increased dramatically from Saturday to Sunday. The WBC went from .83 to 2.55 and the ANC went from 0.4 to 1.7! He is no longer neutropenic and that means he could have gone home except for what happened on Friday, and his lack of eating.

On Friday night Steve experienced a new problem, Supraventricular Tachycardia. Well not new. If you have been following the blog since the beginning then you know that this happened once before on New Year's Eve of this year. They ruled out heart attack, pulmonary embolism, fever, etc. after they gave him a drug called metoprolol which regulated his heart rate. He's now receiving it twice a day to ensure his heart rate continues to be stable. He's still on the heart monitor and he'll need to have a few more tests to make sure his heart is okay. So now to eating. He's eager to get home and feels that he'll do better over all if he's at home and he can eat the food he likes. I would like to see him prove he can eat and eat enough before he goes home. Please pray that we will be of one mind on this. I feel we both need to be ready and not be anxious to do anything until the time is right. And most importantly I want to honor my husband's desires and not let fear get in the way.

Day +9

This is the view we have from Steve's room. I took this picture last week after the rain. Once you experience what it likes to be confined day after day you learn to appreciate having a view like this. There are some rooms in this wing where all you see is another building. Thankfully we have the benefit of seeing the sunset every night and when there are clouds across the sky it's even more beautiful!

Steve is still extremely tired. His counts are still low and he feels really crummy. Its hard for him to muster up the energy to do what the doctor's ask him to do, walk the halls and get out of bed more often. At times it seems he's beginning to improve but I've learned that he will have good moments in between a lot of bad ones. So until we see a real significant increase in his counts he's going to feel lousy. He's fevered twice over the past few days so they started him on more antibiotics, this is standard protocol. They also took a chest x-ray and found some fluid gathering in his chest so they pulled back the i.v. fluids and spoke to him about the importance of walking, taking deep breaths and sitting up in the chair (or he can get pneumonia). As you can see there is lot a patient is required to do in order to avoid serious complications. But when you feel this sick its just not easy.

Blood Counts

12/3/10

WBC 0.23

Hemoglobin 9.2

Platelets 21,000

ANC Zero

12/2/10

WBC 0.15

Hemoglobin 9.3

Platelets 3,000-they gave him platelets

ANC Zero

Day +7

Steve's still feeling the same as he was on Monday. Not eating and barely drinking, and now we are seeing more problems with his mouth. He did take his bath yesterday but he still hasn't left the room to walk. His counts have continued to drop each day, we are hoping to see them come up soon. That will mean his stem cells are producing new blood and he's on the road of recovery.
I just wish he would feel like eating. It doesn't help that his taste buds are shot because of the chemo. It could take months before food taste like it should.

Counts for the past 2 days

12/1/10

WBC
0.11
Hemoglobin
9.6
Platelets
16,000
ANC
Zero

11/30/10

WBC
.08
Hemoglobin
1o
Platelets
35,000
ANC
Zero

Day +5

As each day goes by Steve is feeling worse. Yesterday began the increased weakness and fatigue. We got him to take his daily bath and sit in the chair for a while but he never left the room to walk the hallway. It's important to his recovery that he be as active as possible and walking the hallway is key. It helps to avoid pneumonia, blood clots (he has a history of) and atrophy of his muscles. Please pray he'll begin walking the halls again and also take all of his medicines. He's avoiding the ones that taste bad and help with fungus and mucositis. He already has thrush and this morning there was a new sore in his mouth. His appetite is nonexistent, but he has been drinking juice, sprite, a little water and some ensure.

Blood Counts:

Sunday 11/28/10
WBC
1.43
Hemoglobin
10.5
Platelets
95,000
ANC
1.3

Today 11/29/10
WBC
.11
Hemoglobin
10.5
Platelets
68,000
ANC
Zero

Day +3

Steve ate breakfast this morning! Yeah! He had some pancakes and orange juice. He's feeling a little better but is still very tired. Last night he asked if he could use my pillow (I brought it from home) because he was uncomfortable. Then at bed time he asked if he could keep it for the night! Man.......only my husband would be allowed to separate me and my pillow. But he was nice enough to give me his hospital issued pillows, I mean rocks. Needless to say I will be heading home today to get his pillow.

We continue to persevere and trust in God.

Today's counts 11/27/10

WBC
1.47
Hemoglobin
10.5
Platelets
133,000
ANC
1.4 (Neutropenic)

Counts are Dropping

Today's counts are showing a significant drop, except for the hemoglobin. After asking Dr. S. why Steve's hemoglobin has been trending up and not down, he said it could be that he is dehydrated. We'll let's see, not eating, not drinking and vomiting for 2 1/2 days, could that be why he's dehydrated! Sorry I'm being a little sarcastic, but come on! The Dr. said several days ago that Steve's vomiting was unusual. They stopped giving supportive fluids after the chemo was done on Tuesday, and that night he started getting sick. In the past when Steve has been dehydrated it contributed to him feeling really bad and vomiting. So maybe now that they are going to give him some more i.v. fluids he'll start to feel better.

Today's Counts 11/26/10

WBC
2.0
Hemoglobin
11.0
Platelets
193,000
ANC
1,900

When his ANC gets below 1,500 he'll be considered neutropenic, which is expected.

Blood Counts Update

I forgot to post his counts for the past few days. So here they are.

11/25/10

WBC
4.1
Hemoglobin
1o.6
Platelets
179,000
ANC
Not given

11/24/10

WBC
4.2
Hemoglobin
9.6
Platelets
224,000
ANC
3,900

Day +1

I should have explained this earlier but didn't think about it until now. Steve's admission day was Day -3 and that began the count down to transplant day which was Day 0, his New Birthday! His daily progress is tracked from there. Yesterday was his first really bad day, actually it began Tuesday evening (which according to Dr. S is unusual). He started vomiting and not eating. He's been experiencing nausea and vomiting since. So they up'd his anti-nausea medicines, but if you ask me I don't think they are working like they should. Especially since they are giving him 3 different kinds. Dr. S said they expected him to get sick while getting the chemo, but not after......he says things as if he's thinking out loud. So I'm never sure what he means.........

He expects certain things to happen at certain times. W know his counts will be going down and we should see a significant drop by this weekend. This is when he'll be the most vulnerable to infections. And from what I hear he'll really start to feel bad. Right now he'll tell you he can't feel any worse.

On a good note he did take a bath this morning, and I was happy he was willing to do it. He's suppose to t ake a bath daily but there was no getting him in there yesterday. Daily baths and linen changes are part of avoiding an infection. Plus, lot's of hand washing and cleaning all surfaces in his room.

I expect to be tired and know that the days ahead will not be easy, so I covet every one's prayers for both of us. Please pray for the following:

Physical Needs
-No mouth sores
-No more nausea and vomiting
-Steve's appetite to return
-Energy for Steve so he will walk the floor as needed
-A successful grafting of his stem cells and quick production of new blood
-No new complications
-No infections
-Complete Response to the stem cell transplant
-Enough rest for myself

Spiritual Needs
-That our circumstances will not cause us to take our eyes off the Lord
-The Lord will be our source of strength and hope, everyday!
-Our lives would bring glory to him and a reflection of his love to others
-May our thoughts be pleasing to him

Transplant Day

Today was the day in which Steve has been preparing for since September. It was amazing to think that Steve's new blood was inside this container. The "gift" that our merciful Lord provided for him by making all of this possible. I'm reminded of the saying "There is power in the blood." As a Christian, I know this refers to the shedding of Christ's blood for us, on the cross.
The power to save us from our sins and the gift of eternal life with our God in heaven.

But there is also power in our blood, given to us from God, life. With out this new blood, Steve would not have life. God gave Steve enough stem cells for this transplant and all of them were given back to him today. Thank you Father!

Here the nurse's are comparing his name, birthdate and ID number on his wrist band to the labels on the 3 bags of stem cells pulled out of the container.

Here the nurse is thawing the frozen stem cells in a vat that has been prepared and heated to the correct temperature. The room began to smell like creamed corn due to the preservative they add to the stem cells before freezing. Steve's body will emit this smell for the next 24 hours.

And at exactly 11:14am the first bag was hung and connected to the tubing, leading to his picc line.

The nurse had to use a special syringe to hand push the stem cells into the tubing that leads to his picc line. The tubing in the picc line is too narrow for the stem cells to "drip" through.

And now we wait. We wait for the stem cells to find their way into the bone marrow, graft and begin making new blood cells. This should take up to 10 days and then he will hopefully be ready to go home.

Thanksgiving Eve, we have so much to be thankful for!

Doing Better Today!

He woke up feeling refreshed, had a great breakfast (Via Deanna's Delivery Service) and took a bath! They tell us tomorrow will be the day he begins to feel the side effects of the chemo. Essentially he'll be really tired, could develop mouth sores, stomach problems, nausea and maybe diarrhea. Pray for minimal side effects please.

Last night was pretty rough. From the lack of sleep to pain meds not being given on time, Steve had a tough time staying awake for the chemo. While he wanted to eat the popsicles he was too tired and they also tasted funny. So instead he fell asleep. But luckily for us after the chemo was finished the nurse made it possible for us not to be disturbed from 10:30pm until 3:45am! That allowed us to get a good nights sleep.

There is a direct line into the room, 310 area code, 267-6157. If you'd like to call, please do. Hopefully he'll feel well enough to talk.......if not I can pass on a message.

Today's numbers:

WBC
5.03
Hemoglobin
9.6
Platelets
224,000
ANC
4.9

Multitasking

It was a very long night. Apparently there were a few things that had to be confirmed and completed before Steve was given the chemo. So by the time everything was done it was 1:30 in the morning when he was given the melphalan. So there he was sucking on popsicles from 1:00am to 2:30am.

So here he is doing some of the things he likes to do......listening to Rush Limbaugh and Larry Elder, reading his Jeg's catalog while wearing his favorite hat. His hemoglobin went down last night to 8.5. So they are giving him a transfusion. We were told this is normal. I sure hope so because it looks like he'll be getting a lot of transfusions.

For those of you who might be interested in knowing his numbers I'll update them on a regular basis. Here are today's counts:

White Blood Cells (WBC)
4.o5 (Normal 4.3-10.8)
Hemoglobin (related to red blood cells)
8.5 (Normal 13.2-16.9)
Platelets
290, 000 (Normal 150,000-400,000)
ANC (Absolute Neutrophil Count, important for fighting off infections etc.)
Not given to us today, to early to be low.

All Systems Go!

We are comfortably settled in at UCLA. Friday we were told that the transplant could be delayed for another week if Steve's finger was not better by Sunday. It was recommended that he soak his finger 3-5 times a day in warm salty water. I made sure he had a nice cup of warm salty water for his finger 5 times a day! And by Saturday night his finger was looking a lot better. But we still had to have someone look at it and give the final approval. So before we were admitted the lead oncologist came down to admissions and examined his finger. What a relief to hear we were good to go!

They are giving him the high dose chemo today and tomorrow. The first dose will start at 10pm tonight and take 2 hours to finish. Steve will be sucking on popsicles before, during and after. I learned from the various threads and blogs that chewing ice chips or eating popsicles helps to reduce the mucositis (a very unpleasant side effect of the cheme, mouth sores like you wouldn't believe). I've been told there is no "clinical" proof that this works, but I'd like to think that other's who have been through this might know what they are talking about. Besides it can't hurt to try!

Love, Deanna
AKA Mrs. "Liscom"

Not by the Hair of My Chinny, Chin, Chin!

Couldn't resist! This is the first time Steve has seen his chin in over 30 years! He's had either a full beard or partial one since 1979. So take a good look. This may be the last time we see his chinny, chin, chin. Now on to today's news.........


The nurse examined his hand today and said it looked good and would not be a reason to postpone the transplant. But then.......

.......the lead oncologist looked at his finger and said we should postpone another week! Agghhh!!............then he told us to call them on Sunday and let them know how the finger is doing ..........(just what I wanted to hear), if its better then they will admit him. What do you think? Does it looked bad to you?

The wating and anticipation during each step of the process has been very stressful. I'm at a point where I just want this to be over. Please pray that his finger will be better by Sunday. I'm willing to wait if we need to (at least I want to be willing).

A "Splinter" in Time

I know the title is corny and many of you may not know who the rat is but I have to amuse my self some how. Steve's transplant has been postponed until Sunday. I'm not sure if I mentioned in an earlier post about the very large splinter Steve got in his hand about 7 weeks ago, between his thumb and forefinger in the "webby" area. It was huge! I pulled it out thinking I got it all. But it never completely healed even with all of the antibiotics. We've been showing it to "all" of the doctors and they just kept saying, "We'll keep an eye on it"!

So yesterday before we started the admission process I asked the nurse to look at his hands one more time (his self inflicted, nail trimming wound is still red). At long last the day comes for him to be admitted and they finally decide to lance it and see whats going on. Go figure! The nurse pulled out several tiny bits of wood and cleaned out the wound. We are very thankfull she did. Something as small as a splinter can be very dangerous for a transplant patient. Infections are their greatest risk to a successful outcome. Come this Friday they will look at his hands again and if all is well we check in on Sunday.

God is good all the time. All the time God is good!

Day 2 of Harvest

I apologize for not updating everyone yesterday. We were wiped out after 2 long days at UCLA. Steve's second day of harvesting (and last) was yesterday and they got an additional 2.02 million. More then enough! Here he is hooked up to the hemapheresis machine. The large needle in his left arm is drawing out the blood and the smaller one in his right arm is returning the blood. He humors me and allows me to take pictures of him. He even smiles for me even though he's not feeling his best.

So now we rest and try to stay healthy. He gets admitted on Monday and starts the high dose chemo and transplant. Any illness or infection can pose a problem. The infection on his finger is getting better and hopefully will be gone by this weekend.

Below was last Thursday after we found out his numbers were going up. We were happy to hear that he could be going home the next day, which he did. I had a habit of telling him to move over so I could lay down........it was the only comfortable spot in the whole room! Our nurse's aide LaShonda walked in and said "Where's the camera?, Where's the camera?" She was absolutely wonderful! She was working the first night we got there and made things much easier for us.

Day 1 of Harvest

Another long day. Just got home from the pharmacy. We were at UCLA from 8:00am until 5:15pm. I am happy to report that his first day of harvesting went well. They are looking to collect 2 million CD34+ stem cells/kg per patient weight (what ever that means?) and they got 1.73 million! Just a little bit more needed. So we are back to UCLA tomorrow for another long day.

Although his white cell count (over 12.0) and platelets (69!) were up, his red blood cells were way down. So after lunch he got 2 pints of blood. Hopefully he won't need anymore tomorrow. And we discovered a budding infection on the tip of his finger. Apparently when he was trimming his nails the other day he cut one too short...ta da infection! This just shows how vulnerable he is right now. That's why I had to go to the pharmacy.....more antibiotics.

Tomorrow after the harvesting he will be examined by the nurse practitioner who will determine if he is healthy enough for the transplant. I believe this will be the last hurdle to pass. Whew! They will also check to see if he'll need more blood or platlets. So for now adieu...I'm going to finish my dinner and take it easy.

Thankful and praising the Lord.

We're Home!

Steve's counts were up again today and high enough that he could be released from the hospital. He still has to be careful about where he goes and what he does. His immunity is still low and he could easily catch a bug. Also his platelets are the same, 38. He has to be careful not to cut himself or even fall down. So he plans on laying low this weekend.

The stem cell harvesting is still scheduled for Monday. If all goes well he'll only have to go once and then the following Monday he gets admitted for the high dose chemo and transplant. To our brothers and sisters out there, we pray God's blessings on you all and thank you for you faithful prayers. We already miss attending church and seeing all of our friends!

Please pray for Karin, Margaret, little Hayden, Natalie, Kryslynn, Ray and little Haven.

Good News Today!

We got some good news today. Steve's white blood cell count is up to 1.44! And his ANC is now detectable at .3 (The ANC is what determines his ability to fight off infections) and the platelets are holding steady. If this continues he may come home tomorrow!

The transplant oncologist doubled his daily dose of neupogen and scheduled the stem cell harvest for Monday. They believe that his white counts will go up exponentially now that there has been an improvement.

Our thanks go out to everyone who has been praying for us. We give God all the glory!

Blood Counts Still Low

Steve is feeling better but his blood counts are not improving a whole lot. Here is the break down of what has been happening. The white and red blood cells and platelets have been very low. Before he had the chemo on the 22nd he was already below normal (White 2.69, normal 3.28-9.29, Platelets 226, normal 143-398). His bone marrow only had six weeks to recover from the 5 months of chemo (MPT) before we started.

Friday his platelets were at 36, Saturday 22, Sunday 9, so he received some platelets via i.v. and the number went up to 18 that evening. Monday 42, Going up! Then today down to 26, so he received more platelets.

His white blood cells were .06 on Saturday, .08 on Sunday, .15 on Monday and .20 this morning. He needs to be at 2.0 to even begin harvesting his stem cells. I know these numbers are hard to understand but it helps me to write about it.

What all this means is his bone marrow is not working very well. Even with the neupogen shots (to boost his white blood cells) he's not where we expected him to be. His marrow could have been compromised by the melphalan he was on for 5 months. We were told this was a possibility, but its too early to tell if this is the case.
Thank you for your prayers and if you have any words of encouragement for us please post a comment.
Love Deanna
AKA Mrs. Liscom

Please Pray For Us

I just got home from th hospital and I'm very tired. Steve was admitted on Friday due to some unexpected complications. His blood counts were low on Friday as we expected but so were his platletes, he was dehydrated from vomiting and a recurrence of a c-difficile infection and he had a fever of 100.4. He was admitted to Santa Monica Hospital and is taking 3 different antibiotics. His platelets have continued to drop and so today he received some donor platelets and a blood transfusion. He's finally eating again and would tell you he feels better.

Our biggest concern is that his blood counts are not trending upward. Since he's been "tentatively" scheduled to have his stem cells harvested on Tuesday we thought we would see a huge increase by now. You could say things are moving in the wrong direction. All his counts are extremely low and therefore he is at a greater risk of an infection and bleeding. Our prayer is for his body to start producing the blood prouducts he needs so he can get better, come home, and move foward with the transplant. Not to mention, I miss him terribly:-(

6 Days Since Chemo

The first few days after Steve's chemo treatment were uneventful. He didn't feel too bad. Tuesday is when he started to feel really tired and that night the bone pain began. He woke up many times during the night due to the pain and a reoccurring nightmare. He was very tired and upset by Wednesday morning. The bone pain came and went throughout the day and into the evening. He slept a little better last night but still had some disturbing dreams. We weren't told that any of the treatments would cause nightmares But anything is possible with the amount of drugs he's receiving.

I'm not that crazy about giving him shots everyday. I asked him if he would give himself the shots and he said "No way!" There were a few times that I had to stick him a second time because the syringe stuck to my hand when I wanted to adjust my grip! Gives me chills.

I am very squeamish when it comes to shots, getting blood taken and so on. So it does not come easy for me to give shots to Steve. We all know that the Lord prepares us for trials and temptations. We are never sure how a current trial is going to strengthen us for a future trial. But I know they do. I can personally attest to it.

The Lord began preparing me for this season starting in 1998. My second son, Andrew, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when he was 12. He took quickly to giving himself his shots and testing his blood sugar. But over time he began experiencing Hypoglycemic seizures. They would always occur in the middle of the night when he was sleeping. There was nothing he could due to stop them. It was up to us to give him a glucagon shot to stop the effects of the insulin and bring him out of the seizure and the low blood sugar. The glucagon kit has a very large glass syringe that contains a liquid that you inject into a small vial with a dissolvable tablet inside. Once it dissolves you draw all the liquid back into the syringe and then inject it into the patient. I have to say these times were very intense. We were never sure when the seizure started or how long it had been before one of my other sons were awaken by the sounds Andrew was making. On a few occasions he didn't wake up from the seizure soon enough and we had to call the paramedics.

Eight years later my youngest son, Timothy, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when he was 15. His diagnosis blew us all away. We never even thought that another one of my kids would get this disease. Timothy was also quick to give himself shots. Thankfully he has never had a seizure. Did these past trials make this one any easier, not really. This one is tough for many other reasons. But I learned that I am capable of doing what ever I need to do to help my children and my husband. And what I'm called to do may feel overwhelming at the time, I may even want to resist it......but I know I'll get through it. Especially because the Lord is with me.

Steve Looks Good, Huh?

I brought my camera along with us today so I can add pictures to the blog and keep things more interesting. But first I asked my husband for his permission. I don't want to do anything with out him knowing. We'll see what he says after he loses all his hair! He received "a lot" of cytoxan today. A least that's what the nurse said to the other nurse. When you hear something like that you kinda wonder.



As you know from my earlier post we had an uncertain morning. Once we heard it was a go we were able to relax a bit before we had to leave. It wasn't until we were almost on the freeway that we realized Steve had not taken the prednisone. We rushed back home and still made it to UCLA with a few minutes to spare! We shared an infusion "suite" with a beautiful young lady who is also preparing for a stem cell transplant. While we were there for only 4 hours, she was already "hooked" up when we arrived! We had an enjoyable time talking to her and I think it actually made the time go by faster.

Tomorrow a nurse will come over and show us how to administer the neuprogen. He'll get two shots a day between now and the last day they need to harvest his stem cells. I heard another "that's a lot" from the Walgreen's representative while the guy was explaining the dosages to me. When you think of "a lot" of something what comes to your mind? To me a stadium full of people is "a lot" of people, the ants that live in and around my house are "a lot" of ants. Last year I had "a lot" of weeds in my backyard (I mean A LOT!). "A lot" takes on a whole new meaning.

Exactly What You'd Expect

Steve has an appointment today at 11:00 am to get his chemotherapy. He also has a blood draw appointment at 10:00 am that we didn't know about until last night(they took 5 vials from him the other day!). He has 140mg of prednisone to take with breakfast and an anti-nausea drug he's to take with him to the hospital. We just don't know is if his blood thinner will be a problem, preventing him from starting today. Before we left UCLA on Wednesday they wanted to do one more test to see how Steve's blood is coagulating. Depending on the results we would start today or not start today.

It's just like the enemy to do something to try and bring worry and fear to the situation. But our God is a faithful God. We just do what is expected and wait on him. So we made a few phone calls and are waiting to hear back.

Just got a call from the nurse, the test came back negative, he doesn't have to give more blood :-) and we start at 11:00 am. Thank you Lord!

Insurance Approved and Ready to Begin

Got a call on Thursday telling us the insurance company has approved the transplant. We still need to complete a few more blood tests which have been submitted. On Wednesday we go to UCLA to sign the consent forms, meet with the "Harvesting" team and discuss the process with the lead oncologist. It looks like Steve will begin the stem cell mobilization on Friday(22nd), beginning with cytoxan (chemo), prednisone (AGAIN!!)and anti-nausea drugs. Then on Saturday he starts receiving a daily shot (given by me, woo-hoo!)called neupogen. Neupogen will stimulate stem cell growth and release them into the blood stream for harvesting. Eleven days later they begin the actual harvesting of his stem cells. This will be done daily until they get enough for the transplant. If anything changes we'll let you know. Please pray for God's favor every step of the way!

Love,
Steve & Deanna

Rescheduled

Our follow-up appointment was scheduled for today but since all of the tests results are not back yet we had to reschedule. Apparently when they do receive all the results back they will then send a request to the insurance company for transplant approval, which can take about a week. "Then" we go to UCLA to meet with the doctor and nurse and have a "frank" discussion about the procedure and sign all of the consent forms. So it may not be until the 19th before we proceed.

This reminds me of a time when I went to visit a friend in the hospital. She became very ill soon after she got married. Her stay in the hospital lasted many months. So you can understand how hard it must have been for her and her new husband. But she had a trust in the Lord that was evident in her attitude. What she said stuck with me. While discussing her situation she said, "God has me in his waiting room. I'm waiting on him." Don't we all need to trust and wait on the Lord during difficult times. That's not to say that we are not suppose to be active during these times. But somethings are beyond our control. I'd rather wait on Him then frantically run around trying make things happen or "control" the situation.

Fruit of the Spirit
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfullness, Gentleness & Self-Control

Tests Are Complete

Today the lab took 8 vials of blood from Steve to conduct all the different blood tests required by UCLA. As far as we know this completes all the screening tests. He's had a bone scan, echo cardiogram, EKG, chest x-ray, bone marrow biopsy, urine test, blood test and pulmonary tests. We see the doctor next Wednesday and hopefully we get to move forward and find out when we get started. These past two weeks have been tough, especially with the hot weather. But the marine layer is back and that makes me happy!

Just Beginning

Steve's screening tests began yesterday. They did his bone scan and echo cardiogram and then today he had his bone marrow biopsy. We followed up in the afternoon with his local oncologist who told his M-spike was down to 1.4. Last month it was at 1.6. Apparently as we get lower and lower the differences are not as dramatic. As long as the number keeps going down and not up then we are happy!

It' s been a few stressful days as you can imagine. For me it's the reality of the whole thing sinking in. Not to mention we received a call from our local hospital regarding his biopsy slides from April. We took them with us to UCLA on our first visit up there and turned them over to the "specialist". They never sent them back and the pathology department at UCLA had no record of receiving them! Many frantic phone call were made by several people trying to locate the slides. We received the news that they were found just before Steve was put under for the new biopsy.

Please keep us in prayer. The days are very busy for many reasons and are becoming more stressful. We love you all and we will keep the updates coming.

Screening Tests

We are still in waiting mode. We were told Steve would have all of the necessary tests scheduled and completed in two weeks. Well it's been 10 days and we are still waiting to be scheduled. I know many of you care to know how Steve is doing and continue to pray for us. As things progress I will post new updates. Once Steve is in the hospital, the blog will be the best way to find out out things are going.
Thanks again for your prayers.

Love, Deanna
AKA Mrs. Liscom!

Stem Cell Transplant

Yesterday we learned that Steve's best chance at a longer, healthier life will be to have stem cell transplant. Before they begin he has to have a myriad of tests to determine if his body can handle the transplant. The most important test will be the bone marrow biopsy. They want to make sure the current treatment has not damaged his stem cells. We knew this was a possibility but we had no other choice. (If you are interested in reading more about an autologous stem cell transplant click here.)

All the tests will be scheduled in the next two weeks. Once they are complete and everything looks good UCLA will contact the insurance company for authorization. So we are looking at starting the procedure in early October. I plan on taking a leave of absence from work so I can focus on him and his recovery. There is a lot we have to talk about and decide upon. Steve could be in th hospital I want to stay with him as much as possible.

Please pray for the following;
-Steve's stem cells are not damaged from the current treatment and all of his tests come back in his favor
-Steve will respond well to the transplant with limited side effects
-Our time at UCLA will be minimal
-For both of us to be prepared for what lies ahead, emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally
-The Lord's provision and wisdom during the time I will be off work
-The Lord to help me manage our home and all that entails during Steve's transplant and recovery
-Protection over our home
-Strength for our marriage
-And most importantly we would glorify the Lord, always trusting in his perfect plan.

September 8th

Hi Everyone,

Steve's appointment at UCLA is the 8th. We are going to see the stem cell transplant specialist. He will be the one who decides if Steve can or cannot have a transplant. Please pray that the Lord will prepare both us for what lies ahead, to provide a restful night the night before so we will have clear minds to ask all the right questions and especially for his leading to make the right choice if other options are presented. To God be the Glory. Amen

Enjoying Life!

Steve and I have been enjoying life these past 4 months. Life "seems" to have returned to normal. You know, life before cancer. When he began the new treatment I have to say I was worried that he would not do well and have severe side effects that would limit him in many ways. As each month went by I was waiting for it to get worse. Boy, was I happy to be wrong. I don't want to minimize the side effects he is experiencing. Sometimes they are hard for him to bear. But through it all he has continued to do pretty good. He's done so well we've been able to go out of town a few times.

First we sent to Solvang in June to celebrate our fourth anniversary. Here is Steve outside of our hotel. Looks pretty good huh?

Then we went to South Lake Tahoe during the first week of August. We love spending time in Tahoe. It's where we went on our honeymoon. We just love the fresh mountain air and we get to spend time bicycling, swimming and going for walks around town.

From Tahoe we headed off to Reno for "Hot August Nights" and to see Steve's son, Dane. He we are at one of the venues, "Victorian Square". Dane took this picture of us. He did pretty good. And below is Steve and Dane at one of our favorite restaurants, Los Tres Hombres. Even though it gets pretty hot in Reno, Steve and I are very grateful that we were able to go.

Please, please keep us in prayer. The months ahead bring much uncertainty. We go to UCLA in September to find out if Dr. Schiller thinks Steve should and can have a stem cell transplant. If he can it will be a very tough road. If he can't we are unsure of what will happen next. God will have the final say.

But in the mean time Steve has begun some very ambitious projects. He wants to get the outside of the house painted, the garage a new roof and completely redo the front yard! A brand new planter bed with a new tree, plants and pavers. And do it all in the next 3 weeks! Yikes!

More Great News

Today was a day we received more good news in regards to the treatment Steve is on. His m-spike number was down from 2.6 to 1.8! The target number is zero. Steve's doctor was very happy to see this number. It means his treatment is working and his cancer is at a level where it should not cause him any problems with his bones. We are so relieved to know he his headed in the right direction. We'll know in about 2 weeks when he'll be going up to UCLA for his consultation for a possible stem cell transplant. Please keep praying.

Day #11 Cycle 3 of MPT Treatment

Sorry it’s been a few weeks since I let everyone know how things are going. Steve and I are noticing a pattern with this current treatment. Each cycle is 28 days, the first 7 days he takes all three medications; mephalan, predisone and thalidomide. Beginning on day 8 he just takes the thalidomide and this is when he starts to experiences an increase in his fatigue and peripheral neuropathy, which gets worse with each new treatment. He puts on a really good show and makes it look like he’s doing great, and yes, there are times when he has “really good” moments but I would say he is far from doing great.

The mephalan is the strongest of the 3 medicines. This is the one that is really going after the cancer, but along with the bad cells it’s destroying a lot of good cells, particularly the ones that make white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets. This is where some of the fatigue is coming in.

Pray his blood counts stay in a safe range while at the same time the cancer continues to be destroyed. Pray also for the neuropathy to subside. I would say this is the hardest on Steve. Just 3 days ago he started to feel a very painful type of neuropathy in his chest. And pray for the coming months. My work load will increase a lot in September and this is the time we maybe going to UCLA. I’m not sure. But the next few months are a mystery which makes it hard to prepare for.

God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

Love,
Deanna

What We Have Been Waiting To Hear!

Today we went for Steve's monthly follow-up with his oncologist. Good news all around. First, his total protein number has gone done from 10.3 to 7.9, but most importantly the m-spike number is down from 3.8 to 2.6! Both the total protein and m-spike are related. Back in July 2009, Steve's total protein was high (normal 6-8). This is what alerted the doctor to the possibility that Steve had myeloma. So the doctor ordered a special blood test that showed the m-spike and identified the "rouge" monoclonal protein (IGG).

This is the first time we have heard that Steve's cancer is responding to treatment. We are so happy and encouraged. Also, the metastatic bone survey (glorified x-ray) came back good. No new holes! But there is a small change to the T-8 vertebrae; it's showing a slight compression. That would explain some of the pain he has been feeling for several weeks now. The plan is to watch and see what happens and check it in a month, but if it begins to hurt more the doctor will order another x-ray. There is a strong possibility it could fracture and then he would have to have the kyphoplasty procedure done again.

Steve is on day 22 of cycle 2. He will continue on the treatment and hopefully we will continue to see a drop in his numbers. If he continues to do this good, at the end of cycle 4, we will go to UCLA for another stem cell consultation.

We want to thank everyone for their prayers. Please continue to pray, particularly for energy, strength and wisdom and for our friends, Natalie, Hayden and Margaret. Our friend Dale went to be with the Lord on Monday. If you knew him, you would agree he was a wonderful, godly man who always had an encouraging word for you. He will be greatly missed.

Bye for now
Love, Deanna

Day #1 Cycle 2 of MPT Treatment

Steve just started the second cycle of MPT. He should have started last Friday, but because the doctor's office didn't specify we were to call one week before he ended the first cycle we assumed he would have a break between cycles. This is a great reminder that we need to be on top of everything and not leave it up to others. Please pray that the lapse in time will have no negative effects.

A Younger Steve

This is Steve when he was about 12. His family lived on 6th Avenue in Los Angeles. His dog Pepi was his companion for many, many years. Do any of you see any resemblance to the older Steve?

Feeling Better and Doctor Update

Thank you to everyone who prayed for Steve. Sunday he was very sick. He developed a fever that went as high as 100.5. He also threw-up. I was worried about him taking the thalidomide and possible vomiting it up so I called the doctor. He said hold off taking the medicine and start the antibiotics. Come Monday morning Steve was feeling so much better. No fever, no getting sick and the body aches were gone!

Today we went for Steve's first follow-up since starting the new treatment. Dr. D. said Steve will continue on the MPT and begin the second cycle Friday (Whoo Hoo! Steroid Man Returneth!). Even though its to early to tell if the treatment is working she did say that both his total protein and M-spike were down slightly! This was good news for us to hear. She's ordering a new bone survey for two reasons, first because its been almost 6 months since the last one and second, Steve's left arm has been getting weaker.

Love, Deanna

Day #24 of MPT Treatment

Last night at church Steve had the sniffles and this morning he woke up feeling very sick. His head is congested, his body aches and he feels nauseous. This is the first time he has caught something since he was diagnosed. Because his cancer has compromised his ability to fight infections, flu's and colds he is vulnerable to becoming very sick. Please pray for him to get well quickly and that this head cold does not turn into pneumonia.

We see the oncologist on Wednesday. This is Steve's first follow-up since starting the mpt. So include in your prayers that we will get a good report. It may be to soon to tell if the treatment is working but our God can do anything!

Thank God For Insurance

When you become a cancer patient you quickly find out the costs involved. From all the doctor's appointments, Xray's, MRI'S, Cat Scan's, Emergency Room Visits, Weekly Blood Tests, I could go on and on. And then there are all those medications. Many of the pills are to combat the side effects from the chemotherapy. From day one you start taking pills. Here are just a few of the one's Steve is currently taking.

Here is what use to be my spice and tea cabinet. It's now filled with all the medications he either doesn't need right now or had problems with (a few of mine are in there too).

And here is what $5,793.72 of thalidomide looks like. Amazing, huh? For 28 day's worth of just one pill!

The thalidomide comes in a package that folds in and over, containing all the warnings about how bad it is for unborn babies and why not to touch the pills. Just one pill can cause birth defects or even death for an unborn baby. The company even puts a picture of a baby born without her arms and legs, right on the package. In fact if we have any pills left over they have to be sent back to the company for disposal. When Steve heard about all of this he said, "Then what's it doing to my body?" You can see why we are very thankful for our medical insurance!

I have a praise report. A few days ago I blogged about Steve having very painful leg cramps that would wake him up in the middle of the night. Since our doctor's appointment on Wednesday he has not had one leg cramp! Thank you for your prayers.

Please continue to pray for Hayden, Dale, Margaret and Natalie. They are all dealing with very serious health problems. God bless and see you later.

Other then Myeloma.....

There is more going on in our lives then dealing with Myeloma so I thought I'd share a few things with you and maybe you might get to know us better. I'll try and keep it on a lighter note! I don't know about you but when I read other blogs I enjoy seeing pictures. So here are a few!

Steve is big on notes. So big that he would have notes all over the house. On the walls, counters, washer, dryer, everywhere. Notes to remind him, notes with lists, notes about notes. After we were married he started leaving me notes. I've never thown any away. I kept them all. The notes are filled with love, encouragement and humor......

I have always wanted a cookie jar. I remember the cookie jar my mom had. It was kinda round, it was white with raised images of different cookies all over and the lid had a walnut as a handle. She still has the cookie jar! I'm told it's as old as my sister Denise (47) now that's old! Here is my very first cookie jar. Got it for Mother's day from my hubbie. And look another note!

Steve and I like to ride motorcycles. But since his diagnosis we haven't been on our bikes. Steve has been pushing himself to stay busy. As he often says "I'm moving forward". He's renewed the insurance, cleaned the bikes and ordered some new boots. Here he is lowing my forks so I won't be on my tippie toes. It sure is good seeing him tinkering again:-)

I enjoy crocheting and usually when I start a project I get bored and don't finish it. Here is an afghan I started in September, stopped some time in December and just recently began working on it again. I promise it will be finished soon (as long as the slippers don't get in the way)!

As you can probably tell from my previous posts, Steve and I are christians. We love the Lord, we love reading His Word, serving at our church and attending service every Saturday night. Our faith is what keeps us going. Do we have questions? Sure. But we don't have to have all the answers in order to trust God. Are we perfect? No. But were not expected to be. We have a hope that can never be taken away. I would rather know where I'm going when I die then to live a life of uncertainty. Knowing God is in control is very reassuring.

Day #13 of MPT Treatment

Steve's peripheral neuropathy has gotten worse with the new treatment. It's one of the most common problems with chemotherapy and unfortunately he has had it from the beginning. But now it's in his feet, hands, arms and shoulders. Also in the last three days new symptoms have appeared. He's experiencing muscle cramps. He gets leg cramps in the middle of the night and they are so bad he wakes up screaming in pain. And during the day he has cramps in his hands, sides and one time in his jaw. Ouch! The other problem is more serious. When he gets up from a seating position he experiences shortness of breath and feels faint. After a few seconds it goes away. This happens everyday.

We saw the the nurse practitioner today. She tested his oxygen levels and found that when he is sitting he was at a 96 but after he got up and walked around it dropped down to 93. Her first thought was a possible blood clot but after finding out Steve is taking a blood thinner she changed her mind. Apparently there is no cause to worry if the numbers stay in the 90's so we will just watch to see if his symptoms get worse or if new ones appear. Prayerfully they won't.

Prayer requests:
1. That there are no serious underlying causes for these symptoms.
2. That the muscle cramps and all symtoms go away.
3. For the treatment to work.
4. Steve will begin to feel better.

Day # 3 of MPT Treatment

Hi Everyone! Steve started his treatment on Friday morning. It was very uneventful. It was like taking your morning vitamins. Get a glass of water, count your pills and swallow. The only difference was we prayed before he took his pills. I'm sure many of you would agree this the the MOST important step! Amen

The Predisonse didn't waste anytime in "speeding" up Steve's day!. He called me around 12:00 pm and told me he was feeling a little weird and very hyper! This lasted all day. The Thalidamide has the opposite effect. He takes it in the evening because it has a tendency to make you tired. He slept well and after breakfast he was ready for a nap! At least until the Prednisone kicked in. Whew! What a roller coaster tide. I'm tired just thinking about it.

He's still feeling some effects from the Zometa he received on Tuesday. The Zometa is a bone strengthener that he is scheduled to receive every month.
Gotta go the Prednisonse is calling!

Treatment #4

Sorry it's taken so long to update everyone on what our next step is going to be. We found out Steve is ineligible for the clinical trial because of other cancer he had. We were actually relieved when we found out. We are willing to do what the doctors recommend but the clinical trial would have required so much from us and we just weren't ready for it.

The good news is that they will consider doing a stem cell transplant as long as they can get his cancer into remission. The STM's have proven to be very successful for many people, keeping their cancer in remission for many years with some not requiring any maintenance therapy.

Treatment #4 will begin sometime this week or early next week. It all depends on when we get all of his medications. The new treatment is actually a rather old treatment. It's an oral regimen with 3 different drugs, melphalan, prednisone, thalidomide (MPT). Both doctor's agree on this next course of treatment. If Steve can tolerate it he will have up to 6 cycles (28 days each) of MPT. This regimen can damage his stemm cells so they are treading cautiously so as not to eliminate Steve's chances for an STM. The doses will be low and they will monitor his blood weekly.

Due to the many possible side effects from all three drugs we are asking for everyone to prayer specifically that his body will tolerate the treament and he will have minimal, no zero side effects! Why not ask for what we really want, right? And more importantly he would have a complete response to the treatment (remission).

We know our God can heal anyone, at anytime, through any means he chooses. Maybe this is the means. We shall see.

Thanks again for your faithful prayers and love. Steve and I stand together, trusting our Father in Heaven, believing in his word and desiring to glorify Him with our lives!

Long Over Due

Steve and I had a wonderful weekend visiting with his son Dane. The last time we visited Dane was in August of last year. Over 8 months ago. In fact during that trip Steve was complaining about how much his back hurt. We now know it was due to a compression fracture of the T6 vertebrae.

Steve is a very loving and devoted father. Just one of the reasons I admire him so much. He would regularly go to Reno every 3 to 4 months making sure he was there for Dane's birthday and Christmas and for the "Hot August Nights" car show.

Not seeing Dane for such a long period of time has been very hard for Steve. Even though he talks to Dane on the phone 3 or 4 times a week it just isn't the same as being there. We are very grateful that the Lord made a way for us to go and we are praying for many more opportunities!

UCLA

Today was my first opportunity to get on the computer to update everyone on our visit to UCLA. These past two week have been really rough and things got tougher for me over the past 4 days. Sunday I received some bad news concerning a close family member and then on Monday I was rear ended by a very nice lady. The car wasn't damaged to bad but I sustained a neck injury commonly known as "whiplash".

I wanted our visit to UCLA to be as informative as possible. Here was our opportunity to ask the "expert" any question we could think of. But with the muscle relaxer I've been taking my brain was in a fog and all I wanted to do was sleep.

I'll keep it short. The doctor at UCLA wants Steve to be part of a clinical trial. The clinical trial is being conducted all over the United States and he will be the third patient that UCLA will have in the trial. Apparently Steve's options are a little more limited then most. He's already had 3 other kinds of treatment and too many different treatments can preclude you from a clinical trial.

Another preclusion factor is if the patient has had any other cancer in the past 3 years. He has, but as long as the cancer was confined AND the Insurance Company authorizes the treatment then Steve can participate. If this doesn't work there are other treatment options available. The good news is that if his cancer goes into remission he can still have a SCT.

We'll find out more on Monday. But in the mean time we are going away this weekend to visit Steve's son, Dane. We are not going to think about myeloma, doctors, blood tests, treatments or anything else to do with cancer. We are going to have a great time in Reno, eat what ever we want, go where ever we want and sleep in as late as we want! Who knows maybe there will be a nice jacuzzi at the hotel and we'll soak for a while!

Love,
Deanna

"Things Are Moving Fast"

Steve went in this morning for the bone marrow biopsy. He had the same doctor as last time and the anaesthesiologist was wonderful. In fact Steve said all of them were wonderful. There were 5 total, just for a bone marrow biopsy! Recovery time was minimal and he felt pretty good. The first thing we did when we left the hospital was to get something to eat!

Not long after we left the hospital we got a call from the oncologists office. They said we should be hearing from UCLA and we were given a list of things we need to take with us when we go. We have to get the pathology slides from both biopsies, copies of all x-rays and scans that he has had since diagnosis and a copy of his whole chart. Luckily we live in a very modern age, all his x-rays and scans will be put on a CD. No lugging around a huge 36"X48" envelope full of x-ray film. Technology is great!

Soon after we got home I was talking to Francisco at UCLA. He did the registration over the phone and set up the appointment for next Wednesday at 1:00 pm. After I hung up the phone I looked over at Steve and told him when the appointment was. He said " Things are moving fast". "Too Fast". And he's right things are moving fast. But I reminded him why the doctor wants all of this done quickly. After 7 months of chemotherapy and no response, the doctor has to move fast. He has to do something quickly but first he needs to figure out what that will be.

I know my post may come across as very upbeat and matter of fact but I have to tell you today was a very hard day. There were a lot of tears shed by both of us. Things are looking very scary and we are both overwhelmed. In fact today was the first day since we were given the bad news that I was able to let it out. When something this big happens in life what is the first thing you want to do? I feel like running away. Not from my husband, never! But from the situation. I wish it wasn't happening. But there are just some things in life that you can't get away from. You have to go forward. You have to!

My Pastor stopped by my office this afternoon. After updating him and sharing with him my heartache, my wonderful Pastor quoted Psalm 23:4; "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your Rod and Your staff, they comfort me". He was wise to remind me of this scripture. It's speaks of our circumstance and most importantly points me to the Lord and his promises to us.

Doctor Update

We saw the oncologist today. He received all the tests results from the ER visit on Saturday. What we were most concerned with were the blood and urine cultures. Steve has continued to have a fever, spiking at times to 100+. There are no signs of infection at this time so the doctor feels it's either due to the clot or the Myeloma itself. Steve will continue with the antibiotics and will probably be on blood thinners indefinitely. He is going to the Coumadin Clinic tomorrow for testing. They will monitor him and determine how much coumadin (blood thinner) he should take. Once this is determined he will no longer have to take shots (Arixtra).

Now to why we really were there. The m-spike blood test revealed that the chemo not only didn't help but his number went up from 3.5 to 4.2. Not good. So the doctor wants a new bone marrow biopsy (scheduled for Wednesday morning) and is referring him to UCLA for a consultation. He wants to first find out if Steve is a candidate for a stem cell transplant (SCT)and also what course of action the other oncologist recommends. Since Steve's cancer has been so resistant to treatment he wants to get another opinion before moving on to the next "chemo cocktail". There are some chemos which can damage stem cells, and if Steve is a candidate for a SCT he needs to avoid those chemos.

Needless to say we are feeling discouraged. But we are not going to give up. If you have ever seen anyone undergo chemotherapy or suffer through a chronic illness you will understand my next statement. I have great respect for my husband. He's not giving up and is willing to endure the next test, treatment you name it. I see what he goes through and can't help but think to myself, "I could never do what he is doing". But as a wise pastor told me....."God gives us the strenght we need. You don't know today, what you will be able to do tomorrow."

Please keep us in your prayers. And if you could also pray for our friends who are fighting cancer, Margaret, Dale and Hayden.

Happy Resurrection Day

I was hoping that there wouldn't be any reason to write a new post before tomorrow (cancer update), and that the post would only be positive. Not so.

But before I get into what happened I have to first remind myself what this day is about. Today Christians all around the world are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Greatest Gift of all! We celebrate the "finished" work that our Great and Merciful God has done for us. And while we reflect on His great mercy we can not help but praise Him all the more.

And today I am praising him all the more. For once again his provision has taken care of Steve, and helped us to avoid something really bad. Tuesday Steve started having a low grade fever, which he told me about on Thursday. (Yes I was mad!!!) Wednesday night I noticed a slight swelling in his right lower leg. Being as thin as he is it was easy for me to see the difference between his two legs. He had no other symptoms.

There wasn't much change over the next two days. Friday he went in for his picc cleaning and told them his symptoms. They thought it could be a blood clot and scheduled an ultrasound, the earliest available appt. being on Tuesday. Jump forward to Friday night, Steve's low grade fever is now up to 100.9, he begins the antibiotics. Saturday his leg starts to hurt. Great!

Now after reading everything I have on the numerous side effects from chemotherapy and all the medications, I knew swelling and pain in the leg was most likely due to a blood clot. We called the doctor and he recommended a trip to the ER. Now mind you this was the 3rd time in a little over 3 months we had been to the ER. So we decided to eat first. We stopped at Norm's restaurant! I know, I know, not the wisest thing to do but we were hungry and we knew we would not see the light of day for hours.

When we got to the ER he was given a room right away. Dr. L. ordered some blood work, an xray of his chest and an xray and ultrasound of his leg. The leg xray was to rule out a pathological fracture. This is what Myeloma does, it causes bones to break. Fortunately that was not the case.

5 long hours later we were told Steve had a blood clot (Deep Vein Thrombosis). And we were happy to find out that we could go home. But first they had to show me how to give him a shot of Arixtra (blood thinner). I would be doing this for the next 6 days. This wasn't too bad. Having two diabetic sons I knew how to give shots. In fact Steve didn't even feel the one I gave him. (Don't ask him about the one the experienced nurse gave him).

We are thankful. Thankful for you our friends and for your prayers. I'll see you tomorrow with a new update and we are still hoping for that "positive" post"

Love Deanna

Steroid Man!

Yesterday I was worried about Steve's condition, his extreme tiredness. Well when I woke up this morning at 7:00am he was in the kitchen cooking, already dressed and ready to start the day. Thank you Lord.
Like I said before steroids give him a lot of energy but as the doctor told us its a false feeling. It can also make a person more tempermental. Tonight as we were driving to dinner he got upset at another driver and I responded "Its Steroid Man! Heeee's back"! Boy did we have a good laugh.

"I'm Tired Today"

Steve has felt extremely tired today. This is unusual since today he started taking his steroid, Dexamethasone. When he takes the steroids he gets a lot of energy, eats all day long and always visits me at work. He didn't visit me today, hasn't eaten much and he only left the house to get some lunch. Please pray its just "I'm Tired Today" and only that.

Where We Are Now

Steve has 6 more days until he has completed cycle 2. He has an echo scheduled for March 29th and another blood test to check his m-spike number and then we see the oncologist for the results on April 5th.

We want to thank everyone for their faithful prayers, concern, love and help over the past eight months. To those who have gone above and beyond (You know who you are) we can't thank you enough. We have been so honored to call you friend!

Love Steve and Deanna

Treatment #3

While Steve had been given the latest and greatest in multiple myeloma therapy his oncologist was surprised at how both therapies had been so problematic for him. Between the side effects and lack of response she had to now look to older treatments for help.
So he began chemotherapy number 3, V.A.D which stands for Vincristine, Adriamycin and Dexamethasone (steroid).

Due to the toxicity of Adriamycin to the heart the oncologist would monitor Steve closely with the cardiologist conducting an echocardiogram after each treatment. He’s already had two echos. The first one in August showed his heart to be very strong (77%) the second in January was at 68%.

The chemo is administered over a 96 hour period via a picc line he had surgically inserted in his upper arm. It makes bathing quite challenging since it cannot get wet. The Vincristine and the Adriamycin are pumped into his body through the picc line by a portable pump which he carries with him for 4 days. The Dexamethsone pills are taken orally. He takes 40mg a day for four days on days 1-4, 9-12 and 17-20.

His side effects include severe neuropathy which causes him a lot of pain and hair loss. Many days he will tell you he doesn’t feel good. But it’s hard to tell if it’s the myeloma or the chemo.

He had his third echo on March 1st and we were amazed that his number went up, from 68% to 71%. God is good.

Steve is doing much, much better on this chemo. He is no longer home bound, he is driving again, has much more energy (must be the steroids) and visits me at work all the time.

He did have a major problem in February. On day three of his treatment his neck starting hurting and by 7:00 pm he had a fever. After calling the doctor on call we went to the ER. Through the long hours of the night it became very painful for him to swallow and to breath. After a cat scan, ultrasound and blood tests it was discovered he had an infection in his left carotid artery which had traveled down into his chest. Luckily they had started him on a broad-spectrum antibiotic when we arrived so he was back at home in two days.

Treatment #2

Since Steve was allergic to the Revlimid he started on a new chemotherapy in October. It was a combination of Velcade, Doxil and Dexamethasone. The chemo is administered via i.v. on set days within a 21 day cycle for a period of 12 weeks. He would receive Velcade on days 1, 4, 8 and 11 and he would get Doxil on day 4. The Dexamethasone was given on all 4 days. Days 12 to 21 were “rest” days. He was to get Zometa (a bone strengthener) once a month.

The first 5 weeks went well, but soon after the side effects began. He experienced neuropathy (burning and tingling) in his hands and feet, weight loss, multiple skin problems, swallowing problems, fevers, muscle weakness and pain that traveled all over his body.

He took to staying in the recliner all day, getting up only to go to the bathroom. In mid December he contracted a C-difficile infection that wiped him out completely.

He did not complete the last cycle of chemo and was unable to have the final dose of Doxil. On New Year’s Eve he had an episode of Superventricular Tachycardia. At this point his treatments were stopped. Since Doxil can be dangerous for the heart Steve had to see a cardiologist before we could move forward with any other chemotherapy.

The oncologist also ordered a new metastatic bone survey (fancy name for a full body x-ray) and a new blood test. Fortunately he didn’t have to have another bone marrow biopsy.

With everything we had been through it was disappointing to find out that his M-spike was the same. The cancer had not decreased but on the bright side it was not any worse and his bones looked the same as in September. The cardiologist gave him a good report and said there was no underlying cause that he could see that caused the tachycardia.

So onto Chemotherapy #3

Revlimid

In September Steve started taking Revlimid. It was simple and easy. All he had to do was take 1 pill a day for 21 days! But after 3 days his head began itching and his ears were red. So the doctor advised him to stop for a few days. A week later he started taking the pills again. 3 days later a rash appeared on his thighs. He continued with the medication and we followed up with a dermatologist. During this time he also suffered from severe leg cramps (common side effect) and back pain.

The pain became so bad I took him to the emergency room. This is when we found out he had two compression fractures in his spine (most common problem associated with myeloma). We stopped the Revlimid (he was allergic to it) and he was scheduled for surgery. Apparently his myeloma was more aggressive then what was previously thought.

A prochedure known as vertebroplasty was done. Basically surgical cement was inserted into the vertebre to help stabilize them and relieve his pain, which it did.

The Beginning

I want to give everyone some background on what has happened since we found out Steve has Multiple Myeloma. In August Steve was given a battery of tests to determine how much cancer there was (Staging) and if any damage had occurred to his bones. We were given a lot of good news and some bad. The good news included his bones had no holes, his Chromosome test were perfect and his kidneys and liver were fine. The bad news was 70% of the plasma cells were myeloma cells. So began his treatment.