Chemo didn’t happen last week because the white cell count was too low. We are planning to try again tomorrow. If the white cells are again too low, then I think we are done with chemo.
Meanwhile my wife says she has lost 30 pounds since being diagnosed with her cancer again. Previously, I told her that I expect her to lose 50 to 60 lbs. before this “treatment” is over.
Eating is literally a pain. She has to take medicine just to allow her to eat. Foods (more correctly liquid substances that she eats in place of food) cause pain when she swallows them, and the pain continues all the way to her stomach. The amount of distress that she endures is amazing. She is happy and positive even in the face of the difficulties that she is experiencing. A side effect of the medicine is that she is sleeping much of the day. She is also weak.
I think she is beat up and broken and part of me hopes the chemo is over. I think we have crossed the line between medical care and torture, at this point it is simultaneously both.
Her radiation burns are slowly healing. The two open sores are healing up and get new dressings on them each day. The discolored skin is still visible but improving. You just can’t help but wonder what the tissue inside her body looks like if the outside is this messed-up.
As October begins, my wife is struggling to eat. Most of her nutrition is via a plastic soda straw. She also has severe burns from the radiation treatment. These burns cover an area between her shoulders and from her neck to her arm pits. Her skin in this area varies between being brown or black (dark in color). Near her right collar bone are two large sores about the size of silver dollars. She is using a pill crushing device to pulverize her medicine because it hurts too much to swallow any capsules. She also has been given liquid versions of some other things she needs to take. Nasea is her constant companion.
She is in good spirits as always, however; this past week she did not experience the rebound that had been the case between weeks of chemotherapy. This week will be yet another round of treatment.
Meanwhile, the meeting with the radiologist last week promised some degree of relief in the future. Hope that’s the case.
Note: My second post for August was never completed so here’s the update covering the last few weeks.
This week my wife completed her 25 radiation treatments. She was told that there will be two more chemo treatments in October. This is in addition to the previously scheduled five that she has had. Chemo weeks are full of nausea, vomiting, dry heaves, lack of sleep and of course breathing difficulty.
The results of the treatment thus far is that she is on essentially a liquid diet. Nope, ice cream is not on the menu. A known side effect of her chemo is that she is hypersensitive to cold. Everything must be at room temperature or slightly warmer. Many foods don’t taste the same.
She has lost close to thirty pounds thus far, even though she is trying to eat high calorie foods.
Yesterday for example, it took about five minutes to successfully swallow a pill that was about the size of 1/4th of an M & M candy.
I have lost count of the number of medical people recommending that she get a feeding tube. She is not interested.
The radiation doc has said that in a few weeks, her esophagus will begin to work better.
Mid to late November she will have another set of scans to see what impact her treatment has had on the cancer.
It has been a blessing to have my father-in-law here for the last several weeks. Sadly, this is not his first rodeo with seeing a loved one slowly fade away.
My parents popped in one weekend and their visit was probably the best one we’ve had with them in our twenty plus years of marriage. Miracles do come from such tragedy.
Our church here has been very supportive as have others in the community.
On days when her dad drives her for treatment, I am expected to continue working on the house. I have been painting, installing flooring, door and window trim, and other things as needed. The craft room is up and running and I also have a shiny new desk upstairs for computer work. Soon my toolbox will be delivered and then I can get my stuff in the garage organized.
The first week of chemo is now over. As before, the second day after infusion was the worst. Thankfully we have the next week off.
On deck are 25 treatments of radiation that run concurrent with more chemotherapy. Yep, five days a week for five weeks. Radiology is now part of the treatment regime. Our consultation was moved up by a week. The finding was that radiation would be possible, but surgery was not. This is the second doctor to say that surgery is not possible in this case.
The folks at the church have been very kind to us with all that is going on.
Our workers, Joe, Josh, and Zack are all doing their best to help us have a place to house guests. Up next is paint, tiling, and building the Murphy bed. The electrician and HVAC test guy are expected later in the week.
My wife also has been subjected to a bunch of new tests. Some of the results are beyond our comprehension as they involve proteins and genetics, but a new CT scan showed 10 millimeters (one centimeter) of grown in her largest tumor in two weeks (July 30 to August 14). That is about four tenths of an inch. The growth in her neck is now 3.8 cm x 2.6 cm; no wonder her breathing and food consumption has gotten so difficult. Also, tumors are wrapped around arteries branching from her heart. “… encasement of the right brachiocephalic artery as well as proximal right subclavian and right common cartid arteries which is newly apparent.”
When you ponder Kamala Harris, the lyrics to “She Works Hard for the Money” must be the first thing to pop into your head. Kamala got her start sleeping with Willie Brown, the former Speaker of the California Assembly and ex-mayor of San Francisco. Oh, King Willie was married at the time. He was 60 and she was 29.
Per her scrubbed Wikipedia article, “In 1994, Speaker of the California Assembly Willie Brown, who was then dating Harris, appointed her to the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and later to the California Medical Assistance Commission.”
Kamala had a different set of patrons than Gavin Newsom, but both were involved in San Francisco politics at the same time. As Gavin was maneuvering for the Governor’s chair, Kamala was following the track to a different statewide office, the Attorney General.
(Gavin put his gubernatorial ambitions on hold for eight years because Jerry Brown outmaneuvered him. Gavin cooled his jets as Lieutenant Governor until Brown was term limited out.)
Harris refused to be the chief law enforcement officer of California and instead only enforced laws with which she personally agreed. Most notably, she refused to defend voter approved Proposition 8 which amended California’s Constitution stating that marriage was only between one man and one woman. Harris also used the power of the State of California to prosecute “an antiabortion activist who had made secret recordings and then accused Planned Parenthood doctors of illegally selling fetal tissue.”
Harris moved from the AG Office to the US Senate.
Harris has been called the “Whore of Babylon.”
… we might just be witnessing her grand entrance on the world stage in the form of Kamala Harris – “sex-worker” to the elites – whose payment wasn’t money (so far as we know) but political advancement. It’s pretty much common knowledge that Kamala “sex-worked” her way up the political ladder from total obscurity to where she currently has a reasonable chance of becoming the most powerful political figure in the world.
Frankly, it’s a bit shocking to watch the dramatic implosion of radical feminism that Kamala’s ascendency as the world’s top woman represents. All of the relentless and passionate work women across the globe have done for decades to promote women as equal in all ways to men based upon merit is going up in flames before their eyes.
“Kamala Harris — she’s the original ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl — that’s the way she got where she is. And the party’s going downhill if it’s in her hands,” Lace said.
His comment refers to a viral TikTok clip in which a woman is asked the question, “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?”
“You gotta give ’em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thang,” the woman replies, alluding to oral sex.
If Kamala rose thru the “glass ceiling” it was on her back.
Even Democrats don’t like Kamala
Biden’s out, Kamala is in. Don’t be fooled: policies won’t change. Just like Biden wasn’t the one calling the shots, Kamala Harris won’t be either. She is the new figurehead for the deep state and the maidservant of Hillary Clinton, queen of the cabal of warmongers. They will continue their efforts to engulf the world in war and taking away our liberty.
In something akin to a bad version of Groundhog Day, my wife is getting back on the chemo treatment routine. Friday, the port will again be installed in her chest. Tuesday, she starts chemo. It’s a yucky one with a pump to administer the drugs over several days. Once some test results come back, the drug cocktail will be adjusted.
We also get a consult with a radiology guy in about two weeks. Whether she is even able to get radiation is yet to be decided.
As for staging, per her doctor, she could be classified as either stage four or three, depending on which definition you wish to use.
The oncologist said that the cancer is incurable and mentioned palliative care. He said she may have one to two years depending on what they can do for her. Sorry, but her breathing is getting more difficult and until something changes with the large tumor in her throat, she is at risk (in my opinion). Oh, the necropsy in her large tumor is due to the tumor growing so quickly that parts of it don’t have sufficient oxygen, hence tissue is dying.
As a result of what is happening, the one-week trip to Canada in a month is cancelled; however, her dad is still driving up here.
The garage will be mostly sheet rocked by close of business on Friday. Also, parts of it have already been taped. Next week it should be possible to paint parts of the garage. The bathroom is also progressing and will also be ready for tiling in a few more days. I finished wiring for security cameras today and installed a few exterior lights. I’m glad we found some help to get the place livable before her dad arrives.
Last week was the PET scan. We had the results within 45 minutes of leaving the testing facility. In addition to the two tumors that we knew about from the recent CT scan, two more were found in my wife’s upper chest area. One is located near her collar bone and the other in the bronchial area. Per doctor Google, both these tumors are frequently associated with lung cancer.
Both tumors in her neck were measured larger than when the CT scan was done. Whether this is accurate or just due to different techs reading tests by different methods is unknown. The large tumor is now 2.6 cm and in the tracheal esophageal groove. This is the area immediately below the valve in your throat (epiglottis) that directs air to your lungs and food to your stomach. The groove is in between the trachea and the esophagus. This is the tumor that has changed my wife’s voice and also limits her ability to breathe. She also has some trouble swallowing liquids.
The second tumor is in the supraclavicular lymph node
The lymphatic fluid from the head and neck regions is filtered by the lymph nodes in the neck area. Specific to the right supraclavicular lymph node is the drainage of the mid-section of the chest, esophagus, and lungs, …
The first two tumors are in the neck and the other two are in the upper thorax. As you can see most are in and around the respiratory system. The two new tumors are often associated with lung cancer.
Earlier this year (February), the CT scan of her chest was clear (the neck was not scanned by the last test).
Biopsies are scheduled for later this week.
It is clear to me that radiation is off the table, leaving chemotherapy as possible treatment. Surgery on her neck is not likely so are we really gonna fix anything or just make her comfortable?
After Biopsy
The biopsy came back as expected; namely, the esophageal cancer has returned. The report featured two phrases of concern. The first was “moderately to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma” and the second “adenocarcinomas from the gastrointestinal tract and lung.”
This roughly translates to the cancer is aggressive and suggests that it is taking up residence in the lungs. The lung diagnosis is consistent with the two new lymph nodes and her symptoms including shortness of breath.
After consulting doctor Google and my few friends in and around the medical field, this is my take on the situation, my wife has stage four cancer and has four to six months left on the planet. I sense that other folks feel that way too, but they are leaving the bad news delivery for the doctor to give to us next week.
Palliative care (a medicine or form of medical care that relieves symptoms without dealing with the cause of the condition) looks to be the likely offering from the doctor.
On July 9th, it would be three years since my wife was originally diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer. As you might expect from this update, something is wrong.
A few days ago, July 5th, she had a CT scan and we learned that she has two cancerous tumors in her neck.
Our first indication that something was amiss was toward the end of April when, with no explanation, the pitch of my wife’s voice changed. I would describe the change as making her voice “muddy” and similar to the classic Mickey Mouse. It also has significantly decreased in volume. She was a voice major in college and when she can’t sing, then it’s a problem. She just sang at Carnegie Hall in February and two months later she couldn’t sing anything. Big red flag.
In addition to the changes in her voice, she now is having difficulty breathing after doing mild exercise or working around the house. This symptom is scarier than the voice issue to me.
Modern medicine being what it is, she couldn’t see an ear, nose, and throat doctor without a referral. He ran a scope through her nose and down her throat and found that the right vocal cord was not working correctly. A week later, we had to take a road trip to the big city to get a CT scan.
Folks, after leaving the scan, we went to one store to shop and then stopped for a cold drink at Wendy’s. We weren’t even out of town on our return trip and had the results. Elapse time was about an hour and a half.
My wife has two tumors, the larger is 2.4 cm (about an inch) and the other is 1.2 cm (about 3/8 of an inch). One tumor is described as “necrotic mass or lymph node” and the other as “metastatic lymph nodes”. These are in the lower neck and in the area of the esophagus and trachea.
Here’s what the internet says.
necrotic mass or lymph node
Necrotic lymph nodes refer to lymph nodes that have undergone necrosis, which means that the tissue in the lymph node has died due to a lack of blood supply or severe infection. This condition can be an indicator of various underlying health issues, ranging from infections to malignancies.
Furthermore, certain types of cancers, such as lymphoma or metastatic cancer, can also lead to necrosis of the lymph nodes as the disease progresses.
Metastatic cancer is the same description as the original Esophageal Cancer three years ago.
metastatic lymph nodes
Nodal metastases refer to the spread of cancer cells from the primary tumor to nearby lymph nodes. Lymph nodes act as filters in the lymphatic system, trapping foreign substances, including cancer cells. When cancer cells invade these nodes, they can multiply, leading to the formation of secondary tumors within the lymph nodes.
We have been assured that a “STAT” order has been placed for a PET scan and biopsy. We anticipate more tests in the next week.
Given all of the structures and functions of the human neck, we know there is a real possibility that surgery will not be an option. Also, has this cancer spread anywhere else? To us it appears that this round of cancer is fast growing.
I will provide further updates, but a few prayers would be in order. Thanks.
The US Supreme Court reversed itself today on the issue of abortion for absolutely no reason by reversing an Idaho State law that should be a model for the other forty-nine states. The law bans abortion except in cases of life of the mother. The Court sided once again this week with the Biden Administration and against liberty. One can’t help but wonder if the Democrats threats to stack the Court have cowed some Justices into moral compromise.
Since Roe v Wade was reversed, both political parties have been weighing the ramifications. Of course, the Republicans have been having the biggest “buyer’s remorse” over this decision. Many were advocating a nationwide fifteen week ban on abortion. Such a law would codify Roe into Federal Law and allow millions of babies to be slaughtered each year. Such a law would codify abortion as a form of birth control.
Sorry, but I thought the Court found no place for abortion in the Constitution. So why are they finding one now and siding with the Biden Administration? Ditto for Republicans. Why say on the one hand that it’s not in the Constitution and on the other that the Federal government has a right to pass a law. This is insanity.
The solution is to find that life begins at the beginning and should be protected from the beginning to the end. Clearly our culture is not willing to reject eugenics as a national policy.
Consider this my after-action report on the recent gay pride event in Bonner Ferry.
Let’s start with a few facts.
Initial reports that 13 churches in town were coming together to host the counter event at the county fairgrounds were untrue. The actual number that I could confirm was more like three or four. Organizers—members of the local Bushnell clan—has reportedly planned for up to 1,000 people to show up. FYI that is almost half the population of the city. In reality, the reports that I received were that attendance was around 300.
Black Pearl Theater
Attendance at the gay pride event, per my estimates were as follows: about 20 on Friday night and Saturday, the daytime number was on the order of fifty to sixty. I was not present for the Saturday evening, adults only event.
Friday night, note police cars on left.
Saturday was all about the children. They brought in a traveling roadshow of circus freaks from Washington State (Spokane and neighboring areas).
Children’s groomer and friends
By circus freaks I mean drag queens and such that were grooming children to accept and participate in the deviant lifestyles that these folks embrace. On a Facebook post, I described seeing this as witnessing parents bring their children before Molech and then making them walk through the fire.
The protesters, A.K.A. our guys, were few in number and many were from outside the area. On Friday night, I would say we had eight to ten and Saturday we were able to field twelve to fourteen. Not everybody was there simultaneously.
I would describe our side as fractured in a myriad of ways.
Friday night: I showed up to hand out flyers (Bible tracts), another guy was giving out bottled water to all takers (he also donated food to the gay pride people earlier in the day as he wanted to be immunized of being called “hateful”), about five guys from another town showed up with large signs which looked like Romans on a campaign march, another guy brought a wireless mike so he could “street preach”, and a few others mostly stood around and watched.
Friday night visit with local PD.
Saturday: I was there with my flyers, another group of four was talking amongst themselves and then would read Bible passages out loud, another group of young men were actively talking to a few women attending the event (they later pulled out hymnals and sang a few songs), another guy brought a boom box type PA system to preach, the street preacher from the previous day attended the picnic and then was planning to preach during the evening session, and a few other folks also were of the crowd.
This being north Idaho, anytime conservatives gather, spies attempt to infiltrate groups. One person was pointed out to me by one of the groups in attendance as such a person. I agree that he didn’t fit in; however, whether he was from law enforcement, a plant from the rainbow mafia, or just weird I was not sure. He did his best to interact with each and every one there to protest.
Another divide was whether protesters should be confronting everyone like the preaching folks or just be passive and seek opportunities to strike up a conversation with attendees.
Street Preacher Bobby
A big divide was obvious in terms of messaging and communication. The big failure by Christians was invoking “Jesus” and “love” in the same paragraph. Many gay folks gleefully were proclaiming that Jesus loved them and thus were perplexed as to why we were there and opposing them. Such talk derailed the gospel “sharing” that was attempted by Christians protesting at the event. When your idea of the gospel is “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” and the person that you are sharing with agrees, it knocks the wheel off the Campus Crusade method of evangelism. This tactic by the gay folks, knocked Christians off offense and put them on defense with no response.
This brings to mind one of Walter Martin’s early chapters in Kingdom of the Cults where he spends a whole chapter on vocabulary and defining terms. When you don’t take the time to do that, you talk past each other and never communicate the Gospel to others.
Local democrat party sign decorated with flags
The difference of course is that the gay folks claim that God accepts them without any need to repent. It echoes Paul in the book of Romans when he rhetorically asks if we should sin more so grace may abound.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Romans 6: 1-2
Paul goes on to say you cannot sin and serve God simultaneously. Living to sin (lust) leads to eternal damnation not everlasting life.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (v 12)
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (v 22-23)
We need some training and planning before attempting this again. Too bad the professional clergy won’t touch this issue. As proven with Covid, they would rather shelter in place. As one group called our town’s clergy, “Hirelings, not shepherds.”
Lastly, what do we do with the folks that sat the whole thing out? Clearly, they are part of the problem too.
Perhaps, when dealing with defining “love” we might want to ask, “Which Jesus are we talking about?”
Somehow agreeing with to Doobie Brother that “Jesus is just alright with me” may be part of the problem.
