Blogging Is Not Easy

Here I promised that I would keep the blog updated on a regular basis and once again I failed to keep my promise. I think it's because everyone who followed the blog, we would see at church and therefore knew Steve was doing well. He has been stable for all these months so I got lazy with the blog.

Well he is no longer stable. In February there was an up tick in Steve's M-spike. It went from .6 to .9. Doctor said not to worry because she sees this all the time. So we kinda waited a little anxiously for his next test in May. It too came back with a slight up tick. Now it was 1.2. So the doctor wanted to do a bone marrow biopsy and run mores tests. One being the FISH test; which would show if there were any new genetic mutations involving the chromosomes.

His follow-up appointment is on July 2nd. The only thing we know for sure is the Revlimid is not working as well as it had been.

So of course we covet your prayers and ask for God's grace and mercy. He has been so good to us in allowing Steve to do so well after his stem cell transplant.

Steve was coerced into opening a Facebook page but soon became disillusioned with the silliness of it all and doesn't do any more postings. But since I do not Facebook and never will, I'll have him post a link to the blog so our friends and family can follow along.

And I want to be a woman of my word, I will make it a habit to regularly update the blog so you will know the latest!

God bless you all and thank you for being there for Steve and I!

Steve at Sequoia National Park last week.

May-Double Doctors

Hello Everyone,

This month Steve sees both oncologists...well not exactly both. When he showed up at UCLA he was told he would be seen by the nurse practitioner. Kind of odd since the doctor said he would only see him one more time. He (Dr. S.) doesn't feel that he needs to continue with anymore follow-ups. Oh well.....we'll see.

Dr. S. wants Steve to stop his Revlimid. He is concerned with secondary cancers. The local oncologist told Steve at his last visit it was up to him on whether he should continue. The most common secondary cancer is squamous cell skin cancer. Which according to her is not that bad as long as he sees a dermatologist twice a year so we can keep in eye on things.

But when Steve mentioned this to the nurse last week....she said "oh no"....I am taking you off the Revlimid! UCLA only keeps patients on it for 2 years.........but the funny thing is all the prescriptions have been written by the local oncologist! So much for her taking him off! Hah!

I know I am making light of all of this....but when you are at a crossroad like this.....it just seems so overwhelming! Continue with the Revlimid or stop? If he stops all might continue as usual and he might even feel better. No more cramps, no more fatigue....etc. But will the myeloma come back?
Keep us in prayer as we decide what to do.

As always prayer for Julie, Stephanie, Natalie, Tim, Matt and Rosemary!

Okay, Okay....I did Promise

Since my time and energy have not been needed as a full time caregiver, I have naturally allowed this blog to become a second thought, just like Steve's cancer. It is no longer in the forefront of my mind but somewhere lurking in the back ground, just like Steve's cancer.

Cancer is something that can consume your thoughts and your life. It takes up all your waking hours when you are in the midst of the battle. Now that Steve's cancer has been "reduced" we have not had to think so much about it. The only time I do is when it is time for his next check-up or when his Revlimid prescription needs to be filled. I can't speak for Steve on this.....but that is how its been for me.

I'm grateful to the Lord for this rest period. Life has been good, very good. By good, I mean Steve's health has improved so much and we haven't had to fill up our calendar with doctor appointments, lab tests, dealing with new chemo drugs, or even drugs to alleviate side effects from chemo. The list is endless. If we have to return to that life again I know we can get through it. The Lord had shown us we can.

Our calendar has been open! Open to planning small get aways, open to just relaxing and enjoying life. Open to visiting his son Dane, our new grandson and taking a trip to the Grand Canyon (more on this). It's a nice place to be.

But I'm sure you are wondering about Steve's cancer. Well, he still has it. It's just being suppressed by the Revlimid. One day it will reel its ugly head and the Revlimid will no longer work. His M-spike has plateaued and remains at 0.5. At least for the last 6 months. He energy level is good, except during the last week on the Revlimid when he tires more easily. He still gets cramps, mostly in his legs and hands and now he gets them in his neck, back, and behind his knees. There have been no other side effects or symptoms from the Myeloma. Praise God!



I'm sorry to say we have become one of those who obsess over their dog. We think he's the best, the nicest looking, the funniest. We talk about him all the time and take pictures of him. I never wanted to be like that....ugh! But I just can't help it. He really has been fun to have. He knows Steve as "Papa" and me as "Mama".

Steve and I went to see the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon in October. This was his first time there! Can you believe it. Over 60 years old and had never been to the Grand Canyon! It was my third visit. Of all the Lord's creations, I think the Grand Canyon is the most majestic. I feel so small and insignificant standing next to it. When looking across the canyon all I think about is how great God is!

This is one of my favorite pics. Beautiful! We had such a nice time. It was our first real vacation since his diagnosis. We ended our trip in Phoenix, visiting my mother and aunt.

Well I don't want to forget about those we know who are still in the "battle". Unfortunately we have lost one, John and have added some new ones. Please pray for John's wife Susie. Ask the Lord to comfort her as she grieves the loss of her husband. Those in the battle: Matt, Tim, Stephanie, Julie, Rosemary and Howard. Little Hayden and Haven are doing well! We are so thankful. Please keep them in your prayers along with Natalie and those you know who are ill.

Love always,

Mrs. L

Sorry, I Did Promise To Do Better

Steve has had two more appointments with his local oncologist and one with his transplant specialist since my last post. Hi M-spike has dropped twice since then. He is now at .5! We are very pleased with the results from the transplant and the medication he takes monthly, Revlimid.

And just when he was preparing to go back to work his company closed down. So he is now one of the millions of men and women who call themselves "retired". But he is not happy to keep this title. He would like to go back to work, part time. A few opportunities came his way but they didn't work out for various reasons. They all wanted him....its just he's able to be more picky about what he'll do and when he'll do it. What a wonderful position to be in.

Since he experienced a loss of all his hair and then discovered how "great" he looks with shorter hair, he has not gone back to the hairstyle he had for, let's say...... forever!  Just kidding.....I love him with hair, no hair or with more hair then me! At this point our grandson has longer hair then his Papa! Relatively speaking.

Since March we have been very busy with little projects around the house, ministry and enjoying life. Steve has become very active with our Evangelism ministry at our church. He has a wonderful way of talking to people about the Lord. It's so sad that there are so many people who do not know the Lord. I know our lives would be so empty without the relationship we have with God. As I study the bible, read commentaries written by scholarly men and have discussions with Steve about our faith, there is nothing this world can provide that could even come close to the comfort and joy I feel, the assurance I have in my salvation and the love of God the Father, Jesus my Savior and the Holy Spirit.

I also want to share a little about the people I have asked you to pray for. Hayden and Natalie are doing so much better, each in their own way. Hayden celebrated his 6th birthday and is once again able to live life normally. Please keep praying for Tim, John, Rosemary, Howard and add Julie and Matt to your list. Steve and I thank you for your prayers and support. May our Lord and Savior richly bless you and yours each and every day with the knowledge of His will, His protection and most importantly the assurance of your salvation.

Long Over Do Update

So sorry friends for not updating the blog until now. I suppose since Steve has been doing so well, and there were no immediate prayer needs I got complacent. The anniversary of his stem cell transplant quickly came and went. We have been so grateful for the "uneventful" year that we had, the lord has been gracious to us and answered our prayers. Steve now sees his primary oncologist every three months. His last visit was in January and she told him he was considered stable due to his m-spike remaining at .7. Plus he no longer has to get his blood checked every month. He loved hearing that.

Steve went in for his "annual' physical in February (he hasn't had one in over 3 years) and the doctor discovered he has hypothyroidism. Who knew how long this has been going on, the oncologist doesn't include checking the thyroid with his lab work. The revlimid he is taking is known to cause hypothyroidism. For now he is taking some medicine for it and we'll discuss this with the UCLA oncologist later this month to see what he thinks. Needless to say Steve is doing remarkably well. Praise the Lord!

Many things have happened during the past 5 months. My oldest son got married in October so I was making many trips to and from Sacramento in September and October. I was blessed to take care of our grandson, Gabriel, while his parents went on their honeymoon. As you can see we had a good time!

Just before Steve was diagnosed with myeloma, I began thinking about having a dog, as time went by the desire to have one became very strong. You could say I became a little obsessed with the idea (Steve would). He wasn't crazy about getting a dog and I knew if he wasn't on board then it wouldn't happen. Not only did he need to agree to getting a dog but we would need to build a gate across our driveway before a dog could live here. And with his illness the doctor's recommended we not get one for a while, if at all. There were many obstacles in the way of my dog!

Well, the good Lord worked it all out for both of us. Steve and I are now the doting "Papa" and "Mama" of B. B. Liscom (short for Bounding Beast and Big Boy). What else do you call a dog that lands on your front lawn! Here is what he looked like when he "arrived" back in July.

We tried to find the owner, put up signs, notified the pound, and halfheartedly tried to give him away. But no luck............then in September he had to have emergency surgery. Up until then we had no intention of keeping him. But once you are willing to sink a few dollars into an animal.....you begin to realize how much that animal means to you. And after Steve fell in love with him it was a done deal! The only way we were going to get a dog was the way it actually happened. Thank you Lord for our new baby!

Here he is now, happy, healthy and loved a whole bunch! He is a great dog....he guards the house, keeps the bad guys out and he loves, loves, loves to play. He is so much fun! And guess what...this weekend the gate is finally going up!

I promise to do much better about keeping the blog current. Thank you again for your prayers and please keep on praying for Natalie, Rosemary, John, Tim, Julie and Howard. Our brother Ash went home to be with the Lord in November. Please keep his wife and young daughters on your prayer list.

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!