Life Returning to Normal

When starting this blog my desire was to keep everyone updated on Steve's condition. Since his conditioned has improved after the transplant there is less to report. I suppose this is a good thing. He now sees the doctor every three months unless anything new comes up. His next appointment is in 10 days and we'll get the latest news on his m-spike. Something we must stay on top of.

Steve just finished his 5th cycle of revlimid. The only side effects he experiences are bothersome but not life altering. He gets very dry skin and he tires out at the end of the cycle. But life has returned to normal, at least a new normal. We did go to the ER a few weeks ago, due to a sudden, sharp, persistent pain in his chest. After many test, it was determined he had pneumonia (no other symptoms except the pain!). Not a good diagnosis but better then a blood clot in his lung (which I thought it was).

He's now recovering from a cold, which has traveled into his lungs. So you KNOW I'm keeping an eye on him. All in all we have much to be thankful for. Especially when we think of many we know who are persevering through cancer treatments or a chronic illness. Please pray for Tim, Hayden, Natalie, Rosemary, Julie, Ash, Haven, John and Howard.

Love, Deanna
AKA Mrs. Liscom!

M-Spike Going Down!

Just before we left on our vacation to Lake Tahoe, we saw Steve's doctor. All of his labs were good and the best news is that his m-spike went down further, it's now 0.8! Even though it's just 0.2 points lower.....as long is it's on a downward trend that's all that matters.
We had a very lazy time on our vacation. (It was mostly me) We went away thinking we'd do all kinds of fun and relaxing things, only to find out that all we wanted to do is sleep in and lay around! Ugh! Lake Tahoe is a beautiful place and we were thankful to get away.
Please keep praying for Hayden, Rosemary, Tim, Natalie, Julie, Haven and Steve. We love you all and God Bless!

June Already!

Papa and Gabriel

Happy Father’s Day to all the Fathers out there! For those of you who take time to read our blog, I want to thank you. I know it’s because you care about us and want to know how Steve is doing. It’s been harder and harder to keep the blog updated since I returned to work fulltime. Plus I we have been busy getting our home back in shape. It seems like every weekend there are more and more chores to do!

In late May Steve saw his oncologist at UCLA, the one who oversaw his stem cell transplant. He was pleased with the bone marrow biopsy results. He just wants to see the protein level in his blood to go to zero (m-spike). He feels strongly that it will now that Steve is taking revlimid. If it does, he will be in full-remission! Praise God!

Steve just completed the second cycle of revlimid and we we’ll find out this Friday if it is working. (Pray for great results!). The not so good news is that there have been some new findings on the long term use of revlimid in myeloma patients. There appears to be a high probability that it can cause secondary cancers. (I hear this about most blood cancer treatments.) The doctor only wants him to take it for 2 years. Hopefully by that time there will be some new drugs available.

So how is he feeling? He has some bad days and bad moments, where he doesn’t feel well and/or has some pain. The worst is when the he gets a foot or leg cramp in the middle of the night. Fortunately they are not very often. We think most of this is due to all the medication he is taking. But it could also be his body is still recovering from the transplant. It’s hard to say. He keeps himself busy and his overall health is good. Right now our greatest concern is for some very dear people we know and love, they all have cancer. Their situations are not as promising at the moment. Please, please pray for them and their families; Rosemary, my sister, Hayden, my boss’s 5 year old son and Julie, our Pastor’s wife. Continue to pray for Tim, Natalie and Dave.

Revlimid Retry

Thanks to the resources on the list serve we joined, http://www.acor.org/types.html, Association of Cancer Online Resources, I learned many patients succeed with Revlimid when taken with Benadryl. So after Steve developed the rash and stopped the medications, we asked if he could restart the revlimid with benadryl. Which he did 13 days ago. So far he's not had no itching or a rash appear. Thank you Lord.

I recommend the list serve for anyone who want to learn more about life with cancer. You just join the list for the cancer you are dealing with. You can choose to receive a daily email update of the questions and answers that have been posted that day, or just log on and go through the archives. I have learned so much about multiple myeloma from the many people who participate.

Longer update to come soon. Thanks again for your prayers!

Love, Deanna

Revlimid and the Rash

Steve started his maintenance drug, Revlimid, on Wednesday night. By Friday night he was itching his head and then Saturday morning he woke up with the rash. This is what we were praying would not happen. It means he is having an allergic reaction. He stopped the drug and plans on calling the doctor on Monday. We are hoping that he will be able to start the Revlimid again but this time take it with Benadryl. As a reminder, his oncologist said he needs to take a maintenance drug and if it's not Revlimid it will be dexamethasone (which has it's own set of problems).

Keep us in prayer and don't forget Hayden, Haven and Tim, all fighting Leukemia.

Our Family and God's Blessings

This past year Steve and I faced our toughest trial yet. While I reflect on the days past which are now but a memory, I remember some being more difficult then others. But there were a few days sandwiched in between some tough weeks and months where we could almost forget Steve had cancer. And during that time and even today we are surrounded by the love of our children, our friends, our pastors and our extended family members. All God's blessings! That old saying comes to mind "Stop and smell the roses!" We can't stay in the place of suffering while we suffer, we must stop, we must enjoy God's blessings. Blessings come in many forms, people, prayer, God's favor, God's Word, kindness of others, trials (yes, trials)....the list goes on. These blessings are given to us for encouragement, strength, hope and most importantly for God's glory! We thank you Lord for your many blessings in our lives!

This past year brought us two new family members, our daughter-in-law Erika, and our first born grandchild, Gabriel. Here is at just 3 months, looking more and more like his beautiful mother.


This is Steve just before his transplant, still smiling!
Steve and his son Dane have not been able to see each other very much since he got sick. With all the treatments and complications we were not able to drive to Reno as often as we would like. Since July, 2009 he has only gone to see Dane three times. Here he is with Dane just a few weeks ago. Two very happy people! And look, for the first time ever, Dane's hair is longer then his Dad's!Papa's first time holding Gabriel (Gabriel is 5 weeks old).Gabriel and his mommy and daddy, Erika and Daniel.
All "my" kids, Daniel, Andrew, Me, Gabriel, Stephanie, Erika and Timothy!
We know that life will bring us more challenges. But we also know God is going to bring us more blessings!. His word tells us he will! Please keep praying for Hayden, Tim, Kryslynn & Ray, Marlene, Natalie & Dave and my beloved husband.

No Cancer Found in the Bone Marrow!

Today was a day that was looming in front of us for a while. Back in December when Steve was released from the hospital we knew it would be at least 3 months before another bone marrow biopsy (BMB) would be done. Even though he had regular lab work done, the BMB is the only test where they can actually see the cancer. They look for how much cancer is in the bones and conduct cytogenetic testing to see if the disease has caused any chromosomes to change (which can be very bad). Steve and I were both hoping for at best a low cancer percentage, somewhere between 1 to 9 percent. (Since he still had an m-spike of 1.0). But when the doctor came in to the room and said the BMB looked really good and there was no cancer we were shocked. I'm still taking it all in. Now I will try my best to explain why the biopsy results surprised us. Myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells. Typically a plasma cell goes bad and begins to clone it self, over and over and over, crowding out all the good plasma cells, red blood cells, etc. This is called monoclonal gammopathy. Steve's biopsy showed 5% polyclonal plasma cells. What does this mean? Well, they cannot see the cancer in his bone marrow even though he has a high protein level or m-spike. The doctor is not sure where the m-spike is coming from since there is no cancer that would appear to be causing it. His cancer level can be so minute that only a very special test can detect it. I would say it's like looking for a needle in a haystack. (As long as you don't land on it it can't hurt you!) His results are so unusual the doctor has only seen this happen one other time. According to her we don't need to worry about his cancer coming back for a long time and this is great news! He will still be put on maintenance therapy. But for the mean time I feel like I can finally exhale.............:-) Please keep praying for little Hayden. He is almost five and has been battling cancer since he was 1 1/2. He has relapsed for a second time and it doesn't look very promising.

Doing Pretty Good

I have been sick for the past four weeks. Caught that terrible virus that has been going around. Starts as a head cold then turns into bronchitis. Steve decided I should share and so he too is battling the beast. He has been doing pretty good otherwise. He started taking Lyrica and it seems to be helping with his neuropathy. It's too early to tell but I am sure glad to know he is experiencing a lot less pain.

His biopsy was postponed until March 17th. I was too sick to take him on the 3rd. We get the results this Thursday. I really wanted to know the results of his lab work and called last Tuesday. His m-spike is still at 1.0! Praise the Lord!! Holding steady. With this number I would think that his biopsy results will come back in his favor. I'll let you now.

Please pray for Hayden, he relapsed a second time. And continue to pray for Haven, Natalie, Kryslynn, Tim and my sister Rosie. We love you all and appreciate the time you spend with the Lord on our behalf.

97 Days Post Transplant

Hi everyone. Sorry to take so long in updating you. Steve continues in his recovery. He is more active and so much stronger then he was. He's gained all of his weight back and feels pretty good most of the time. He still struggles with neuropathy and body pain unrelated to it. We saw his local oncologist last week and she was pleased to see how well he looked and felt. She is referring him to a neurologist for nerve testing and pain management and has scheduled his post-transplant bone marrow biopsy for this Thursday.

His m-spike has been steady at 1.0 for the past 2 months. In the world of myeloma a low, steady number is a okay. Once we get the results of the biopsy we'll know what his true cancer burden is. We are praying for a low, low number. The plan is to start him on a maintenance drug that will hopefully keep his myeloma under control, preventing any further damage to his body. The drug the oncologist from UCLA has recommended is Revlimid. His local oncologist is not in full agreement with him but is willing to give it a try. She is reluctant because of the severe rash he developed the first time he was on it. This time maybe his body will be able to tolerate it at a lower dose. The alternative would be a steroid called dexamethasone. Both carry risks and will have to be monitored closely.

Now, how are we doing? To be honest we are in a very strange place. Steve is not looking forward to the biopsy and he is not sure why. I on the other hand am eager to know the results. I think for me knowing this information helps my mind to adjust to the direction we need to go. If that makes sense. But since the transplant I have been unable to "bounce back" like I usually do. Please pray for rejuvenation for both of us, that we not grow weary but remain steadfast, with our eyes continuously on the Lord.

Please pray for little Hayden, his mom and dad, little Haven, Natalie, Tim, Ray and Kryslynn.

God Answers Prayer's

Today I have reflected a lot on the prayers that have been lifted up on behalf of my family. And I know from past experience God does answer prayers. But I needed to be reminded of how continually gracious He is. Not just in the big, scary things but in the everyday occurrences of life. From our daily meals to his sovereign protection. Do we not tend to focus on today's sufferings, forgetting how faithful the Lord has been to us in the past? I know I do.

Steve's transplant was 67 days ago. Sixty-seven days ago I watched the nurses give back to my husband the life giving stem cells that the Lord provided. I was scared. I wondered would they graft, would they duplicate quickly, would he survive. Each day after I anxiously awaited the lab results that would tell of his progress. I feared he would get an infection, the greatest risk to his recovery. All the while praying in unity with many others.

Today Steve talks of the future with hopeful expectation. His strength increases weekly, his appetite is good and he strongly desires to get back to the business of serving the Lord. God answers prayers. I know if it wasn't for our faith we would have crumbled at the weight of what we faced, what we continue to go through. We don't know if the cancer is gone. We do know the cancer indicator (m-spike) has been going down, praise God. And by faith we will continue to move forward.

It has been a joy to once again join in fellowship at church with our friends. Many of you have seen us attending lately. The love and encouragement we have received and felt by all of you has blessed our lives tremendously. Just last night a faithful brother told us how much he loves us. And the look in his eyes was one of genuine, brotherly love. Completely real and God given.

To those who have been following our story, specifically those who have not experienced God's love and provision. Who are alone in their sufferings. Its never to late to call on the Lord and believe in his name, Jesus Christ. He is the one and only mediator between God and man. Without faith in him, you have no assurance that God hears your prayers or that your sins are forgiven. I encourage you to seek Him, to talk to someone who can help you to know Him. Pray with them about your life, your pain, your doubts and fears. Confess your sins and read the bible, get to know Him.
John 3:16

Love, Deanna

Introducing.......

Our very first grandchild....Gabriel Thomas Hutzler! He was born on January 7th and weighed in at 7lbs 2oz. He belongs to my firstborn Daniel. What a great way to start a new year! A new baby and we are on the post-transplant side of Steve's remarkable stem cell transplant, day +48.

Steve had another check up today. Doctor says he is doing good. He gained 1 pound (which is better then losing one 1) his eating has improved, he has driven a handful of times and the best news is the m-spike is trending down, 1.1 is the latest number! We even made it to service this past weekend after a very long absence from church. He still has a ways to go. Is energy is very low and he gets fatigued very easily. The late afternoons/evenings are the worst time for him.
But all in all we have so much to be grateful for!
God is good!