It is with great disappointment that I share these news. Tim's Oncologist reported "no change." The tumor as quoted in the impression is: "8.4 x 10.2 x 14 cm posterior mediastinal/anterior paraspinal mass in the mid and lower chest, displacing mediastinal structures anteriorly and resulting in cortical destruction of the T8, T9 and T10 vertebral bodies."
So what's next? A total of four more treatments of Etoposide and Ifex. However, they will have to wait until Tim is stronger. A follow-up appointment on August 3 will determine when treatments will begin.
We were left with two possible explanations of why the tumor's size is unchanged: 1) there may be scar tissue due to radiation or 2) the chemo is merely containing it. Tim will be rescanned after two treatments and if there are no signs of regression, the last two treatments will follow. After the four treatments are completed, Tim will be rescanned once more and monitored for any traces of cancer.
What this all means? Your guess is as good as mine! Neither good or bad news, I guess. We left the appointment feeling disappointed and confused. However, even though we did not obtain the good news we were hoping for, news that would give us the needed strength and encouragement to continue the journey, we remain faithful that it will all be OK at the end. We have nowhere else to go then forward. With that in mind I will end my post this way:
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| Katie turned 11 on Friday! |
Beach Cities Relay For Life Cancer Walk 2011
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| Dancing! |
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| A lap in support of Daddy |
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| Fight Cancer! |
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| Words of encouragement! |
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| Go Tim! |
Luminarias
Thank you to all of you who have stuck with us and taken the time to support us and encourage us despite your busy schedules and the hustles of everyday life! It means more than words could say.
Dear Fowler's,
ReplyDeleteI remember part of my study in 1998/1999 was for spinal cord injury; basically paralysis. The reason I am going to mention this because your situation paralleled my field of study at one time, and some of my experience may provide some light. However, no conclusive results have been formulated yet:
When patients had spinal cord injury with nerve damage, there were 3 categories, pinched (sheath still intact), partial severed (nerve inside the sheath is damaged, but can recover within years), and fully severed (the nerve is completely cut with slim to no possibilities of regeneration. For the completely severed nerve, one of the difficulties facing doctors was the formulation of scar tissue around the nerve ending, not allowing it to reconnect or regenerate with the other nerve ending. However, steroids have been used to prevent the build up of scar tissue on the nerve endings, so that the nerves can reconnect/regenerate, fixing the paralysis situation. But as of now, not sure if there has been a cure yet...
The pics are beautiful and all of your smiles places a big smile on face!! Keep working as a team and never give up:)
Tim, hope you recover and get well soon. Stay strong!!
Love Raphael
Fowler Family,
ReplyDeleteI know that things were not exactly what you wanted to hear. It is hard and you think "why us" I know because I am right there in the shoes you are walking right now.
After going for through a week of the my me's, I came to the reality that I am blessed that I still have my husband beside me. Every morning that we can wake up and I put my feet on the floor I ask the good lord for Serenity, for the thing I can not change and to give me the widsom and the courage to change the things I can.
It is nice to see the pictures of Tim with a smile on his face enjoying time with his beautiful girls and if I'm not mistaken it looked like he was even able to get out to enjoy part of the Relay for Life event.
I will continue to keep you all in my prayers and thoughts.
Hugs from my heart
Naomi