Who do you listen to? August 23, 2012

It is almost 4 am as I sit to write to update everyone over the last few days. I have been up checking e-mails and thinking about the many things to do over the next few weeks.  

To catch you up, I’ll start with my last post.  Most of the day on Monday I worked from the laptop in the hotel and then at around 5 we went into Wisconsin and just made it to Milwaukee ate and went back to the hotel arriving at around 11.

Tuesday morning we had an appointment with the radiologist oncologist and so that started the day off pretty badly (in my mind anyways). He said that just because the cancer didn’t show up on the tests and the blood work looks to be normal doesn’t mean that the cancer isn’t still there and so just like everyone else (MD’s) he really pushed to convince us that we should do surgery, chemo and radiation.

Now after that meeting which seems to last a long time, we headed back to the hotel to pack up, ate lunch and then we had our appointment with the surgeon at 12:00 who had talked to the radiologist and who tried to convince of all the same things from the previous meeting.  He said “You should worry” after I told him that the cancer has dropped off the grid and from all accounts everything looks great. Repeatedly, they said we just don’t know and ya maybe I am in the percentage, the small percentage that is cured and has no more worries. However, cancer is like mold on bread, and if even a little bit is remaining then it could spread, even if we cannot see it.

The fact is that to show up on a mammogram, MRI, and PET scan you need about a billion cancer cells in one area. There could be 10,000 for example still floating around waiting to come together and growing. The fact is that even after surgery, chemo and radiation that is always the case. Once a cancer patient, always a cancer patient with one exception, if you have been cancer- free for 10 years with no reoccurrence, otherwise the doctors consider you having cancer and staying at the same diagnosis place.

Okay, so on with the story. After meeting with the surgeon we then ran up to meet the same oncologist  (Dr. Hire) we had met a couple days before to review everything and discuss the options now that we had meet others and heard their suggestions. So at this point all three doctors just this day (agreeing with all the others from our visit) all saying the same thing as the doctors here at the at the oncology practice in Katy and at MD Anderson – I am sick of hearing it.

There were all these percentages and talk of science but only one person saying, “Yes, this could be a miracle.” Mark and I were frustrated and thought of all the reasons why if we have faith and trust the Lord my healing could be real, strong, and true. The decision was to take the wait and see approach because if there is a percentage that the mold / cancer has stopped growing and it was all taken care of by whatever -  holistic, chemo, prayer or whatever then why do all of those things? If I had pink eye, you would not take out my eye hoping that we would prevent future pink eye.  I get that the doctors think one is an infection and one is a disease, but if you talk to the holistic and integrative docs they will disagree and say  call it whatever you like you body is out of whack and you just need to get things right.

We agreed with Dr. Hire to come up every two months at this point for checks and preventative treatments.  I said I would come back and have scans to make sure it hasn’t spread and I would then have access to all the other types of doctors, holistic, integrative, dietician, acupuncturists, etc. So the second I agreed to this we were quickly able to see a Canadian trained holistic type doctor. I really liked him of course. He gave me some suggestions and reviewed Dr. Mark’s supplement list that I am on, we had a great discussion with him, and so that made things a bit better from where they had been a most of the day.

So 1 nurse and 4 doctors in one morning and then we had to jump in the car to be taken to the airport. The trip was from 3 – 4:30 and then we hung out at the airport for a while. Our flight was delayed until 7:30 and then we finally made it home around midnight.  Our girls were up waiting for us and it was wonderful to be home and see the kids. Hannah has had a sore throat and not felt good for days and so that was hard on us. In fact, she called the night before at 3 a.m. complaining of pain – it is not easy on a mom to be that far away and not be able to do anything except suggest medicines to take. Her sweet sister Holly got her set up with a humidifier and antibiotic, cough medicine, tea and more.  We are so proud of our capable and caring kids.

So now I am thinking who do we listen to? The Lord of course, the doctors perhaps, the holistic  docs, dieticians and good common sense for sure. There are lots of opinions and lots of statistics but when it comes down to it I am me and I am not a statistic. For now we will continue to pray and seeek the Lord and hope to find the right answers for us. I am happy we went to ACTC in Illinois and I am happy Mark and I had the time away and that we got to hear different things and ideas. Just thinking it all over, processing and going from there won't happen over night. Each day is new and each day we will try to do our best.  we are praying that I am cured and cancer doesn't live in my body or taht it will come back.

So, that is it for now I have a big day ahead. I have our Covenant Prep Academy open house tonight and so I need to get some sleep.

Blessings,

Karri