Cancer Chronicles - May 17, 2010

Much has happened since my last Cancer Chronicle on April 30th—and it’s all good!

May 1st and 2nd was the weekend of the Great Nashville flood. It came right after I received the bad news about my liver numbers being twelve times higher than they should be, and I was planning to see a liver specialist on Monday morning, May 3rd.

On that Saturday, May 1st, Beth left Clinton, Mississippi, very early in the morning to surprise me for the weekend and be with me for the Monday morning doctor’s appointment. She knew there would be rain, but no one really understood how much rain there would be. She almost got to Jackson, Tennessee, before Interstate 40 was closed due to high water. She returned to Memphis where she calmed herself down from her frustrating experiences with high water, blinding rain, and wind by shopping at a couple of her favorite stores. She spent Saturday night at a hotel in Memphis where I could hear the tornado sirens going off as I talked to her on the phone.

Sunday morning she left early and got within ten miles of Nashville before she was turned back again by high water on Interstate 40. She asked the policeman as she got off the interstate, “What are you telling people to do?” He replied, “Go west and find yourself a hotel.

At the Kingston Springs exit (Mile Marker 188 – 20 miles from Nashville), she found a not so nice hotel. A Christian couple that had left their nearby house because of a loss of power paid for her room. She had shared with them her story. They all ended up trapped there till noon or so on Monday, May 3, with high water on all the roads around them. The photo at left shows what water did to one of those roads. That section of road is perpendicular to, and at least 100 feet from where it should be. Fortunately there were some restaurants and gas stations at the exit. She finally got to Gallatin after Interstate 40 opened around noon on Monday. There are more exciting details to this story, but that’s enough!

The flood in Nashville cancelled my appointment with the liver specialist, but I saw my oncologist that day, and also Wednesday, with blood tests on both days. My oncologist called me on Wednesday afternoon to tell me the numbers were all going in the right direction, and that he was releasing me to go back to Mississippi for Jonathan’s college graduation on Saturday afternoon. We had left Gallatin shortly after my morning appointment and received his voice mail while we were in Memphis.

I was in Mississippi till Friday morning, May 14th. That week at home (home is where Beth is) was better therapy than anything else I have experienced! Larry and Marie Siler, new members of my church, came down to Clinton on Thursday, and we had a delightful return trip up the Natchez Trace to Gallatin on Friday.

Today, May 17th, I saw a dermatologist. He looked all over my moley body and found two that he wanted to scrape off. He does not really suspect they are melanoma, but they will be tested and I’ll get results in a week or so. Barring any complications, I will see him again in about six months.

My oncologist has released me from any further interferon treatment. The liver damage came from the treatments, so I will not be doing anymore high dose interferon or low dose (the injections). The doctor's words: The potential benefit is outweighed by the certainty of further liver damage.

Meanwhile, I am feeling much better, getting my strength and stamina back. Obviously, the liver is repairing itself. I will see the oncologist again in August. His words: “We are in surveillance mode.” I call it “diligent vigilance and paranoia.”

Thanks again for all your prayers and support, and especially to those in Mississippi and Tennessee who have matched their kind words with hands, feet, and action. You know who you are!

Life is good, God is better—all the time, and His people are something else!