Some Unexpected News

For those who have been reading our Blog, you may remember a posting about my swelling leg issue. Well, along with some other strange symptoms that we assumed were associated with recovering from my last surgery, Tera and I though we should probably contact my doctor and have things checked out. We did a bunch of blood work to look at everything and they had me go in for a PET/CT scan. These tests were Wednesday and Friday of last week. Yesterday, Tuesday, we had our appointment with Dr. Nibley to go over the results and to find out for sure what was gong on and to discuss a plan. Again, we considered my symptoms to be related to a slow recovery from my last surgery and nothing more. It turns out there is once again increased disease activity throughout my body. My tumor markers in my blood are really high and the scan shows activity basically from the base of my neck to the pelvic area and many places in between. In terms of treatments that have a good or proven chance of providing a cure, the last surgery was what the doctors were hoping would work. Now that it has come back yet again, and the typical methods used for recurrences of testicular cancer have been tried without full success, the goal for my oncologist has changed from trying obtain a cure of the cancer to prolonging my life as much as possible. (I know Dr. Nibley has consulted with oncologists at many institutes has he has worked to cure me, however Tera and I may go and visit with another doctor for a second opinion, if only to feel like we have used all the resources available to us.) However, Dr. Nibley told us of some chemotherapy drugs that are still in experimental stages that we may want to try. Studies involving similar cases to my own have shown about a 40% response to these drugs. I don't remember the percentage, but there were a portion of these 40% that were alive after 3 years (It seems 3 years was the extent of the study), and there was a small handful that actually went into remission. Tera and I feel that we should definitely try anything that might work, so we will probably go ahead with this option. In terms of side effects, I won't loose my hair, but there will be fatigue and my immune system will be compromised. Also, for a couple of days after receiving these drugs, anytime I come into contact with anything cold, it will feel like there is electricity shooting through me. It isn't supposed to be painful, just a pins and needles kind of feeling I guess. I would be given these drugs once every two weeks for a month and if I'm showing some response, they would continue for another month. If things are really going well, they would keep me on it for four months. Beyond that the side effects build up too much to make it worth it and could cause severe damage to my nervous system. Although scientifically this provides us with just a small chance of remission, that is where our faith and hope are at this time. We may even try out a few less 'clinical' ideas to see what happens. Moroni said that miracles only cease when there is no faith.

"And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.
Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth"