December 20th Update

Hello Everyone!

This is Linda. Doug had asked me to do an update on the blog to give another perspective.

The last couple of months have been a challenge for both us and especially for Doug. I am continually amazed at his strength and reliance on the Lord. I know there are many days he wants to give up, but he continues on knowing His plan is the perfect one and submitting.

From previous posts Doug has let you know he continues to have problems with a urinary stricture. This has really confined him to the house and is discouraging for him. He had a biopsy done on November 23rd during the Cystoscopy procedure. We waited for quite awhile to get the results and then on Friday, December 10th Doug got a call from Dr. Tansey's nurse Myrna stating they had the results and the doctor couldn't wait until December 30th to see Doug. We had to come in ASAP and we scheduled for Monday, December 13th. Well to say the weekend was tense is an understatement. We discussed about the stricture being malignant, the colon/rectal cancer having spread to this region and what would be the next steps. Of course we focused on the negative, thinking the worst possible scenarios. I can't speak for Doug, but for myself I turned over the WHOLE situation to the Lord, took it back, turned it over, took it back, turned it over all evening Friday and most of Saturday. Finally surrendering on Sunday the 12th of December! Well at our appointment on Monday with Dr. Tansey he told us they don't know what the stricture is for sure, they the pathologists are very puzzled. They do know it is not metastases colon/rectal cancer. Praise the Lord! As they tested for this the very first thing...but they need more tissue to keep testing as they don't know what it is. Doug is not going to have another biopsy for now; he is scheduled for an MRI on Monday morning, December 20th of the pelvic region to identify what the stricture is. From these tests we will do a biopsy if needed. Doug is continuing to lay on the Bio-Mat daily and we continue to see small improvements!

I would ask you to boldly go before the Lord on Doug's behalf asking Him to give Doug and Me His perfect peace, knowing He is in control and His will is perfect. Our desire is for the stricture to be gone completely and for Doug to be able to freely pee and empty his bladder. We so take for granted our health and when it is declining we realize how important and precious it is. Thank you so much for your prayers and concern.

Also as we approach Christmas and the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, let us not take for granted this precious gift given to us by God our Father. In His perfect love He gave His Son so we may have eternal life. My 3 year old Sunday school class has been memorizing 1 John 4:10 "God loved us and sent His Son" and singing it to the tune of Old McDonald had a Farm with hand motions. I asked you to do the same as we have so much to be thankful for each and every day.

May you each experience His peace and love this Christmas season as you reflect on the most perfect gift given to each who will accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Blessings,
Linda

Updating for Nov 30th

I need to bring everyone up to speed on what has been happening lately. I had a scope done of my urinary tract last Tuesday afternoon. The doctor said that there is a stricture in my urinary tract that is to close to the muscle to be removed, so he dilated it to try and get it to open up more. He also took a biopsy but we haven't heard back of that yet. I came home from the hospital with a catheter in for a week. I went to see him yesterday (Monday)after taking out the catheter myself in the morning I saw him in the afternoon. I still could not pee. So it was decided I would start to catheterize myself at home 4 times a day in hopes that it would open up and start to flow again. As you can imagine this is not very comfortable to do.

Please pray that things will work themselves out and begin to work more normal.

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving day last Thursday.

God bless you all as we begin to look forward to the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remember the reason for the season we are going into.

Update for Nov 17th

I continue to lay on the Bio-mat for an hour a day and we continue to see small changes in the tumor behind my left ear. Also my energy level and appetite have come back up some. I think things seem to be moving in the right direction. As of the end of Sept. I was going down hill pretty fast and didn't think I would make it to the end of the year, but since laying on the Bio-mat things have really changed for the better.
Our trip to Haggerman last week was a interesting one. I saw a Reflexologist. Through the bottom of my feet he was able to open and close my lympnode system to help move the toxins from my body. It was pretty amazing.

I am also drinking a coffee drink that has Ganoderma Lucidum (the Red Mushroom) in it. It is suppose to help with the immune system and fighting cancer. Getting and keeping the immune system at it's peek is a big part of fighting and eliminating the cancer cells.

I am still wearing a catheter. I go in next Tuesday to get scoped. I will be doing this scope on Tuesday afternoon. Please pray that we can resolve this urinary issue and that I can get back to normal.

Well that's about it for now. Linda and I both thank you for all your prayers. We hope that everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving Day next week. We have much to be thankful for. God has really blessed Linda and I with wonderful family and friends. We really love you all.

God Bless You

New Update 11-9

Hello Everyone,

I have been laying on the bio-mat for about three weeks now(1 hour per day)and have seen some small changes in the tumor behind my ear. It does appear to be getting smaller in size and shape. Also the left side of my face seems to be getting better as far as the drooping eye and mouth. I trust that the other tumors we can't see are also changing in size.

As I stated in the last update I have for the last 2 weeks been battling my other issue. The stricture in my urinary tract closed off so I had to make an emergency trip the the doctor. Since that first trip to the doctor I have been to the hospital, once to ER and another 2 times back to the doctor. I still am unable to go so as we speak. I am wearing a catheter for the next several weeks until I can get in for surgery. The doctor is out of town all this week and the next opportunity to get a scope done is Nov. 23rd. As many of you know this is very uncomfortable and kind of limits what I can do.

Linda and I are headed to Haggerman, Id this Thursday to see a Alternative doctor down there. He treats patients from all over the US and it is hard to get in to see him. We hope to get some more advice or help with my fight against cancer.

Once again thank you all for praying for Linda and I. Our trust in the Lord and the prayers of our faithful friends are what gets us through each and every day.

God Bless you all,

"Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16

New Update 10/27

Hi Friends,

I was able to meet with both doctors last week to talk about further treatments. First I met with Dr. Smith the radiologist to see about radiating the area behind my ear again. We went over the risks involved and they seem pretty high. Then I saw Dr Fiorentino the Oncologist to see about more Chemo treatments. I asked him if it would really do that much good and he thought that there was a less then 5% Chance that the chemo will help anymore. I don't feel like 5% success rate is worth all the sickness that I go though on chemo. So I have decided that I am done with these two types of treatments and will look for alternative things. I have already ran across two alternative treatments that sound very promising.

For the last week I have been going to a man's house in Boise everyday to lay on what's called a Bio-mat(biomat.com). They have been having great success with shrinking tumors using this mat. The very first day that I layed on the mat we noticed some changes, not big changes but some never the less. Linda and I have ordered the Mat and it should be here next week.

Something else that has happened this week is an emergency run into the hospital on Monday. For the last couple of years I have been having issues with a stricture in my urinary tract so I haven't been able to eliminate completely. This last weekend the structure closed off and I was unable to go to the bathroom. I went to the hospital and had to go through a very painful procedure to open it back up. I ended up coming home with a catheter for several days. I will be pulling the catheter out tomorrow morning and then seeing the doctor tomorrow afternoon. Please pray that things will stay open.

Thank you all for continuing to pray for Linda and I. I now it how important pray is and how we are told to pray for one another.

We love you all

Doug

New Update as of Oct 15th

I went to the doctor today to get the results of the MRI I did last Friday. It was great news in that there are no tumors on or near the Brain area. That means that the issues I am having with the left side of my face are being caused by the tumor behind my left ear. We are going to check with the radiation doctor to see if there is any chance of doing radiation to this area again.

Now here comes the bad news. When we discussed doing more Chemo treatments the doctor said there is less than a 5% chance of the chemo doing any good, so that doesn't leave me with much hope of fighting the 4 tumors that grew the last 2 months. With only a 5% or less chance it seems senseless to go on with any more chemo treatments. We will be looking at different options in the next week or so, but things don't look too good at this point.

I will try and keep the blog updated as we go forward with new ideas and treatments.


Keep on praying for Linda and I, we love you guys and your constant prayers are a source of strength and hope for us.


God Bless,
Doug

New Update

I was to see the doctor on Tuesday to go over the MRI that I had done last Friday, but I was sick all day Monday and half the day on Tuesday. So I never made it into the doctor on Tuesday. I am rescheduled for this Friday at 10:30 I am also scheduled to restart chemo treatments next Monday.

Please continue to pray for Linda and I for the next few days. I am still not feeling all that well and things seem to be getting a little worse. I will update more this Friday after my appointment.

God Bless you all

Here is the scope

I had a PET/CT scan done last Friday (Oct 1st) and got the results today from the doctor. It looks like out of the 5 tumors that I have 4 of them have grown some. Most of them right at 1 cm of new growth. I also told him about some of the other things that had been going on. The left side of my face is acting weird when I try to suck on a straw or spit after rinsing my mouth out. Also I have been having some issues with my left eye. Things have gotten blurry and I can't seem to wink out of that eye. So the doctor wants me to get an MRI on my Brain. That is now scheduled for Friday late afternoon (5:45pm). All of these symptoms have to do with the brain however we are not ruling out the tumor behind my left ear lobe as causing these issues. We won't know if there are any new tumors on the brain until I see the doctor next week with the results of the MRI. The doctor talked about going back to the chemo treatments after the MRI is found to be clear.

All of your prayers mean so much to us. We know just how important it is to lift each other up in prayer. Please kept praying for Linda and I and for the results of the MRI to be clear of anything except a perfectly good brain.

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Philippians 3:20-21

Monday September 13th

Good Morning Everyone,
I hope that the fall is starting out great for you. Linda and I spent last week up at our cabin in Cascade. It was so nice being up in the mountains. It's really hard to come home, but there are things that have to be done here in the valley, so home we came.

As I stated in my last update we have been working on reducing the pain levels brought on by the tumors behind my ear and on my 6th rib on my back. Well just when I think we are doing pretty good, back comes the pain. I have been given a pain patch to wear on my arm for 72 hours. I called the doctor last Friday and asked if we could up the dose of the patches. I am going in today to pick up a prescription for a much stronger patch. My pain was very high on Saturday and Saturday night. It almost impossible to get any sleep or rest with so much pain. Please pray that we can get this pain under control.

Please continue to lift Linda and I up in prayer. I know that prayer is keeping me going and I really appreciate all of you praying for us.

God bless you and keep on looking up.

"Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on the things above where Christ sets at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you have died, and your life is hidden in Christ with God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you will also appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4

For the last several weeks I have been working on my pain levels, trying to get the pain under control. I went to the doctor this week and we discussed my pain and if we needed to try something else besides the Tylenol 3 W/Codeine. The doctor added a pain patch (Fentanyl ) that I put on my arm and wear for 72 hours. This should help level out the pain from having spikes of pain through out the day.

Right now I am not going to do any more chemo until after my next PET scan, which I have scheduled for Oct. 1st. After this next scan we will decide how to proceed with treatment. It is really nice to not have to do chemo for now. I am already feeling better and am even getting some hair back on my Bald head.

Please keep praying for us as God leads us through this journey. I thank Him for each day that I am here and look forward to when He calls me home to be with Him.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

God bless you for your constant prayers for Linda and I we really appreciate it.

New update 8-4-2010

I went to get my test results from last Friday's PET/CT scan yesterday and to see both doctors (Oncologist and Radiologist). My test results were pretty good over all. There has been very little growth in any of the tumors, although one had increased by 2cm. Here is what the report says under the heading of Conclusion:
1. "There continues to be abnormal uptake within the left parotid (behind the left ear lobe) the gland the mass. Multiple bilateral lung masses, and lateral segment hepatic (the liver) lobe lesions consistent with the metastatic disease. The size of the lesions has slightly increased in size or are stable. (In other words there is not enough growth to measure exactly)
2. No new areas of abnormal uptake are identified.
3. There are multiple diffuse metastatic lung lesions which have slightly increased in size when compared to the previous study. (April 2ND was the last study). The lesions do not today show significant PET uptake which is likely due to the size of the lesions being less than 1 cm.

Over all we were pretty pleased that things seem to be stable for now.

After talking to Dr. Fiorentino about all the pain that I have been having he thought that instead of doing chemo treatments we should work on getting the pain under control. So he wrote me a prescription for some pain meds. He wanted to see me back in three weeks to see how things are going. So far the pain meds haven't done much good so we may have to try something else until we find the right one to use. So that's it for now. No chemo and back to see him in three weeks.

Thank you for praying for Linda and I. It was nerve racking yesterday while waiting to see the doctors, but I know that the Lord is in control and He knows best. I want to follow Him above all else in my life. I love Him and He is my Lord and Savior.

God Bless you all and please continue to pray for us.

Doug

Update for July 31th 2010

New update: Yesterday morning I went into the hospital for a PET Scan. I have done so many of these scans over the last 6 years that the technician and I are on a first name basis. The scan was a rough one because of the pain I have been having in my back where we had radiated a tumor. You have to lay on the table (on your back) perfectly still. It was extremely hard to lay still because of the pain but, I made it through the test. After the test the technician (Joe) said that he usually doesn't show the patient the scan pictures but, because I have been a regular patient he let me look at them. The spot behind my left ear which we radiated back in February has some activity again. How much I do not know yet. I had thought that we had killed this tumor with radiation. I will find out more on Tuesday morning when I see both of my doctors. I will try and give an update on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

Please continue to pray for Linda and I as we get the test results on Tuesday.

Enjoy the rest of your summer.

God Bless you all,

Doug

New Update for July 13th

Last week my blood counts were to low to receive chemo treatment so we postponed treatment until today (Tuesday). I went in this morning to get my treatment and found that my blood counts were even worst then last week. The main blood count that they look at needs to be at 1500 to receive treatment. Last week it was at 1000 and this week it is at 500. This is kind of a normal cycle of ups and downs when doing chemotherapy. Your body can get depleted to a point when you just have to give yourself time to recover. That's where I am today. We talked about pushing out until next Tuesday but since I already have an appointment for August 3rd and have a PET Scan scheduled for July 30th I suggested we just wait until then for the next treatment. This will give me a 3 week break form chemo and a chance to recover. Everything else is going fine and I feel pretty good. The nurse warned me about colds, flu, and anything that I might be able to catch because my blood counts are so low.

Please continue to pray for Linda and I. I know that your prayers are what keeps us going.

We love you all

God Bless

New Update for July 10th

I'm sorry that I haven't updated the blog for a while.

I went in for treatment on Tuesday morning and found out that my blood counts were to low to receive treatment. So we have pushed the treatment out for another week. This gave me a chance to take Linda out for breakfast so that was nice. I have also been scheduled for a PET Scan on July 30th at St Lukes Meridian. These scans are important because they show us just what is happening with the tumors, if they are growing or staying the same. Other than that things seem to be going pretty well. I haven't been sick at all since my last treatment. There are a few other side effects that I deal with but the main one is nausea.

Well we are almost halfway through the summer already. I hope that everyone is having a great summer. Before long we will be talking about back to school.
Thank you again for all your prayers, it means a lot to Linda and I to know how many people are praying for us.

God Bless you all

Until next time stay cool from the summer heat.

Update for June 23rd

Well it's time to make an update on the blog. I went in for my chemo treatment yesterday and all blood counts were good. So I was able to receive my treatment. My next treatment will be July 6th. We will be going to the cabin next week and will have to come home on the 4th or 5th to make my chemo treatment appointment. I am still wearing the chemo fusion ball until tomorrow when I get it off. This fusion ball pumps chemo drug 5fu into my system 24 by 7 for 48 hours. It's a real pain at night when trying to sleep with it on. I think we will be talking about a date for my next PET Scan next time I go in. That way we can see what's happening with the tumors.

I hope and pray that you all are have a great summer so far (summer weather is bound to get here some time). Do not let your guard down over the busy summer, stay in the faith and close to Jesus all the time.

Keep praying for Linda and I as we continue our battle with cancer.

God bless you all.

"Do not be anxious about anything but by pray and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:16-17

I went into MSTI Nampa today to receive my chemo treatment. All my blood counts came back really good. I went ahead and got the treatment and everything went as planned. Sometimes I wonder how much more of this I can go through. I have been doing chemo treatments off and on for the last 6 years. This last set has been over a year straight. I guess I will continue as long as they are doing any good.

Please continue to pray for Linda and I as we go forward in this battle. We love you all and know that God answers prayer, I have seen it over and over again in life.

God Bless You,

Romans 12:1;John 14:21

"Holiness is not a merit by which we can attain communion with God, but a gift of Christ which ables us to cling to Him and follow Him."
John Calvin-Golden Book of the True Christian Life Pg 17

Well I went to MSTI yesterday to receive my chemo treatment. All my blood work came back alittle low but not enough to stop me from getting the treatment. I discussed with the doctor just how tried I have been lately and we decided I should take a couple of weeks off from treatment. So for the next two weeks we will be going to the cabin in Cascade to rest and relax.I will be trying to build myself back up.

Next treatment is scheduled for June 8th

I hope everything is going good with all of you. Please continue to pray for Linda and I as we still have a long journey ahead of us. I try to look at each day as a new day from God. He holds me up with His steadfast Love. He is my strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). If it wasn't for my relationship with Jesus Christ I don't know how I could have handled the cancer in my life. Jesus Christ is every thing to me. (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20)

May 11, 2010 Update

Doug and I are sitting in the chemo suite as he is in the process of getting his treatment. His blood counts were a little low, but the differentials were good, so he was still able to get the treatment. Doug was wavering a little bit about whether to push this treatment out until next week, but decided to go ahead with it since we were already here at MSTI. These treatments are very hard on him mentally, as well as, physically.

Since his counts were low he is scheduled to have a Nuelasta shot on Thursday when the chemo infusion ball is removed. This is to help build up his white blood cell count and as his nurse Barbara states, "to keep them in the Pac Man mode to eat away at the cancer and build up his immune system".

Doug has been reviewing/re-memorizing scripture verses we learned years ago during a Navigators Bible study class. He has been reminded of the importance of memorizing scripture as they guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and give us His peace, not the world's peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Thank you once again for all of your prayers for Doug as he continues this long often tiring battle he continues to fight. We know they make a difference as you stand in the gap for and with him before our gracious God on his behalf.

Blessings to each of you,
Linda

Update for April 28th

I did my chemo treatment yesterday. All my counts were high enough to receive the drugs. The doctor did say I have a case of Thrush which is a fungus in my mouth. If not treated it could get serious. He prescribe a prescription of Nystatin so I will be taking that three times a day now. Everything went according to plan with the treatment. I would like to thank my brother Ron for coming and sitting through the treatment with Linda and I. What a boring day it had to have been for him. I am still carrying around the chemo fusion ball with me and will go in to have it removed on Thursday. My next treatment will be in two weeks. I hope and pray that these treatments are working by shrinking the tumors. They are long, not fun and pretty boring.

Please continue to pray for Linda and I. God renews us each and everyday for this long battle that we have been going through.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13

Update for April 22

Linda and I are at the cabin this week. We came up yesterday evening and are staying until Sunday. We haven't been up since the first of January. The weather has not been the greatest be we are cozy inside out of the rain and wind. We took a drive to the lake today and it is still coated with a layer of ice. Linda is working from up here and I am just relaxing doing some reading and bible study. We took our dog for a long walk this morning and it was good to breath the fresh air. It's nice just to get away for a few days. I will be back to chemo next week on Tuesday so I need to take advantage of this time.

We are so blessed to have this mountain retreat and we thank God for it each time we come up here.

Please continue to pray for Linda and I.

God bless you all

Doug

Update for April 15th

I had my chemo treatment on Tuesday as planned. Everything went accordingly. We got to MSTI about 8:30 and and left about 3:30. It's an all day affair with not much to do but sit and watch TV or do word puzzles. I did get sick Wednesday morning and threw up several times, but now seem to have it under control. I am back on the schedule of treatments every two weeks until my next PET Scan in about three months. We are going back to doing 100% instead of the 75% we were doing before. I will be going back in today to remove the fusion ball that I have been carrying around with me since Tuesday.

Last Saturday I was able to give my testimony at our men's breakfast. It was exciting to tell my story and what the Lord has been doing in my life. After I was done all the men (about 70)gathered around me and prayed for Linda and I. It was really neat to have that kind of support from the men at the breakfast.

Well that's about all for now. Looks like we will finally get some nice days so I hope to get outside some. Maybe get to the cabin next week.

Please continue to pray for Linda and I as we go through this long hard journey. With these new test results (see last weeks blog) things don't look as good.

God bless you all for your continually concern and prayers for us. We love you all.

Update of PET Scan

Linda and I went to the doctor yesterday to find out the results of my PET/CT scan from last Friday. I'm afraid the results were not as good as we had hope for. There were five area's of concern. Let me give you the conclusion from the report:

1Multiple new subcentimeter lung nodules and increased activity within the larger left upper and lower lobe lung masses consistent with progression of metastatic disease.

2 Interval increase in activity and size of left parotid mass, consistent with progression of metastatic disease (this is the area behind my ear).

3 New left lateral segment liver lesion consistent with metastasis (this is a new spot in the liver).

4 Stable activity at the rectoanal junction, which is likely related to postsurgical changes, but residual or recurrent tumor in this region cannot be excluded.

5 Persistent activity in the right posterior 6th rib, consistent with skeletal metastasis.

As you can read there are several area's of concern from this report.

What's Next

We talked about several options and the doctor wanted to go back over my charts for the last 6 years to see if there was anything that we could try differently. He did mention a drug named Erbitux. This drug is classified as a "monoclonal antibody" and "signal transduction inhibitor" by binding to epidermal growth factor receptors. As for right now I was put back on the schedule to start up chemo next Tuesday. We will go back to 100 percent instead of the 75 percent that I had been getting. Of course all that could change after he has read through all my charts but for now that is the plan of attack.

Steve Camp wrote a song several years ago that I take a lot of comfort in, here is the chorus.

He Covers Me

Steve Camp

Chorus:

I know that some day I will be free

The weight of sin shall be released

But for now He covers me

And though the trials never end

I learn to take them as my friend

For each day He covers me

Saturday April 3rd

Linda and I were at the hospital bright and early yesterday to do my PET Scan. I was the first one in line to check in and the first appointment of the day. Everything went as planned except for the pain I had in the area's where I had had radiation done. Laying on my back really hurt. I made it through the scan and was relieved to get it over with. I was done about 9:30 and then it was off to breakfast.
I will find out the results of the scan on Tuesday when I meet with the doctor. We will go over the results of the scan and discuss further treatments. Please pray for good results and a good report from the doctor.

I hope everyone had a great spring break. Tomorrow is Easter. I pray that you will celebrate the day that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rose from the grave.

John 11:25 Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live."
Without the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Christianity would be just another empty religion. The resurrection is at the very foundation of our belief.

Happy Resurrection day!

Update for March 24th

I know that an update has been long over due so please accept my apology. As you know I have taken the month of March off from Chemo treatments. It has been wonderful not to have to go into MSTI every other week. I have really enjoyed the time off. As of right now I have a PET scan scheduled for April 2nd. Once I have that done I will meet with the doctor to go over the results. That is scheduled for April 6th. We will decide how to proceed from the test results.So please start praying for good test results. I am still having alot of pain in my shouder area. It makes it hard to sleep at night. Dr. Smith said it may take over a year for the bone where we did the radiation to heal itself.

I started taking a new alternative drug last week, its called Naltrexone. If you have some time you can read about it at www.lowdosenaltrexone.org

I hope everything is going well with everybody. I know that Spring Break is going on in several places. I hope that it will be time well spent with family.

God Bless you all

Have a great Spring Break

Update for March 3rd

On Tuesday Linda and I went to MSTI Nampa to get back on the chemo treatments. I have been going in to MSTI every week day for radiation for the past 2 months now. I think Dr Fiorentino could see that I was tried of coming in, so he suggested that I take some time off. I quickly agreed (while jumping up and down inside) for some extra time off. So I will be doing no chemo for the month of March. We went ahead and scheduled a PET/CT Scan for April 2nd and then a follow up with Dr Fiorentino on April 6th. This way we can see where things are at and which direction to go.

I am looking forward to the time off of chemo and will be doing more vitamin C IV's in March, in fact I will have one tomorrow afternoon. This way I can get myself built back up and ready to go if needed. Looking back over the year, I had a brain tumor removed in January 09 then radiation to my head for several weeks. Then chemo since April of 09 through Dec of 09. Then it was more radiation for two months which brings us up to today. Now you know why I'm looking forward to a little time off.

Pray for Linda and I during this time to rejuvenate and get some much needed rest. We will probably head to the cabin sometime soon. It's the ultimate place to go and rest.

We Love You All,

God Bless you

Doug

Update for February 24th

Time to update the blog.

I just returned from my 12th radiation to the back of my ear lobe, only 2 more to go. I will finish radiation on Friday. Everything has been going good except for some redness around the area we are radiating. I have a cream for that. Everything else seems to be going according to plans. I will probably start back on the chemo treatments starting next Tuesday, at least that's when it is scheduled. I have been feeling pretty good lately but I haven't had any chemo since Jan. 5th so I am assuming that's the reason for feeling better.

I don't know about you but I sure am ready for some nicer (spring) weather. Hope everyone is doing well and making the most of life. We only go around once and it seems to go by so quickly. Take every opportunity to tell those loved ones in your life that you really love them. It's very important that they hear it from you.

Once again thank you for praying for Linda and I. You will never know how much it means to us. Life's journey has some rocks and curves in the way but with your prayers we are managing pretty well.

We love you all

God Bless

"And whatever you do or say, do it as a Representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father." Colossians 3:17

Servants Heart

Servants Heart

By Jim Cole

Another rainy Monday morning

I'm in a hurry once again

A beggar held a sign

With trembling hands

I tried not to notice him

It's not that I don't have compassion

It's just that I don't understand

How can I really make a difference to

An ordinary man

Lord give us your heart

That we might serve others

No one can survive all by themselves

The love that we share

Along the way

Might be the very love

We'll need someday

My brother called me

Just the other day

We hadn't spoken for awhile

I longed to say the words

I love you

But I did not know how

I've heard it said

That life's a journey

A road where time will slip away

And no one's guaranteed tomorrow

For what needs said today

Lord give us your heart

That we might serve others

No one can survive all by themselves

The love that we share

Along the way

Might be the very love

We'll need someday

Update for February 10th

I just got done with my second radiation treatment to the lymph node behind my left ear. So far so good. I am still taking pain meds to keep the pain down until the tumor shrinks and the pain goes away, which I hope won't be too long. The count down has already began, 2 down and 12 to go. The worst part is having to wear that full mask that is strapped to the table.

I am so blessed to have all of you praying for me. I pray that God will show you just how much He loves you, and how that love drove His Son Jesus to the cross, to take upon himself our sin.

Romans 5:10 "For while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."

Romans 5:1 "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Thank you Lord.

Update for Febuary 6th

More Radiation! Let me explain. Last Thursday I finished up the radiation to my rib area. That night I begin to have a lot of pain from the tumor behind my left ear. The pain was constant and would not go away. I went in on Tuesday to see about receiving my Chemo treatment and talk about all this pain I was having. We have decided to radiate this new area behind my left ear to get rid of the pain. Since Dr. Smith the radiation oncologist in Nampa was gone for the week they sent me downtown to MSTI Boise to see a Dr Dorn so we can get the ball rolling faster. Then today (Wednesday) I went in to MSTI Nampa to do the mapping for the treatment. I will again have to wear the same mask from when I did radiation treatment to my head last year. We talked about doing 14 treatments but that could always change. Once again I will put the chemo treatments on hold while I do the radiation which will probably start on Monday the 8th.

Please pray everything will go good with these new radiation treatments. I don't know what kind of side effects I am going to have. Please pray that they will be minimal.

God bless you all for your constant and continual prayers.

Update for January 27th

Just one more radiation treatment to go. I just finished my 13th treatment and will complete things tomorrow. I will have received 14 radiation treatments as of tomorrow. Dr. Smith said that the radiation would continue to react for several months even after the last treatment. He would like to do a follow up in late March after I have had another PET/CT Scan. We really will not know how successful the treatments were until then. So next week (Tuesday) it's back to the Chemo treatments again.

I also went yesterday (Tuesday) and got another vitamin C IV. This time I took it a lot slower so I wouldn't get sick. Instead of 30 minutes it took 2 1/2 hours. I did not have the reaction that I did last time so that was good.

It was one year ago today, January 27, 2009 that I went in the hospital for brain surgery. It doesn't seem possible that it has been a year already. The Lord has done some amazing things over the last year and I am so grateful to still be alive right now.

Well that's about it for this update. I hope everything is going good with everyone. We are about to finish off the first month of the new year and it has gone by real fast. There are so many things going on around the world that point to the soon return of Jesus Christ that we need to be aware of Biblical Prophecy and where we are in these end times. Jesus is coming soon and we want to be ready.

We love you all and ask that you continue to pray for Linda and I.

We are "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us...." Titus 2:13

Update for January 20th

Just finished my 8th radiation treatment. I met with the doctor yesterday and he wants to go for 15 total treatments. I have the rest of this week and then all of next week. We are radiating the sixth posterior right rib where there is a tumor that has been bothering me. We hope to eliminate this tumor. So far so good, I haven't had any side effects. They will probably show up at the end of this week or beginning of next week. Once I get done with the radiation treatments I will go back to getting chemo treatments.

I also went in for a vitamin C IV on Monday. I ended up getting the IV too fast and it kinda made me sick for a while. I have scheduled another vitamin C IV for next Tuesday afternoon, this time I will make sure to slow the IV down so it doesn't make me sick. Well that's about it for reporting on my battle with cancer.

Thank you all for your continual prayers for Linda and I. I hope everything is going well with all of you. Keep looking up until He comes back for us.

Maranatha!

Update for January 12th

I just finished my second radiation treatment and all seems to be going well. Yesterdays treatment was delayed a bit because of computer problems, but after waiting a bit longer then usual I was still done in no time. It takes me longer to drive to MSTI Nampa then to get the treatment. At least I don't have to wear that mask over my face this time. Right now I am scheduled for 12 treatments but all that could change depending on how things go. I am not doing any chemo while I go through the radiation treatments. I will resume the chemo after radiation.

I am so grateful to those of you who are praying for Linda and I. It means the world to us that so many people care.

I am praying that 2010 will be a great year for all of you.

God Bless

"As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving."
Colossians 2:6,7

New Update for 2010

Well I was able to receive my chemo treatment yesterday (Tuesday the 5th). It's always a hard day to go through. I will start Radiation treatments next Monday and they will go for about 3 weeks. I managed to talk my Dr. into not doing any chemo treatments during the radiation. I felt like it would be to much to do both treatments at the same time. We will be radiating just below my right shoulder blade.

Please pray that everything will go good with these treatments and I will have no or very little side affects.

I pray that everyone had a great New Year's and are getting settled back into the old routine of school, work and the daily things. I look forward to a great 2010. I know that God is in control and what ever happens will be His will. To God be the glory.

God Bless all of you who continue to pray for Linda and I.