Keeping in touch...

09-18-2009 Home From Houston

2009-09-18T13:19:00.003-05:00

Hello to all. Dicky here for both of us. Thanks to Abby and her quick fingers for posting a quick shout-out yesterday as we were leaving M. D. Anderson in the heat of Houston rush-hour traffic. She and her mother worked out the basics on the cell phones and Abby filled in the gaps.

We made it safely back to Ruston in the 9:30 p.m. range and crashed hard.

This blog post contains the promised details from Abby’s overview yesterday. As I peruse the disparate list of those who wish to be reminded of a blog posting, I feel I should issue TWO reports for the two distinct types of folks on the list. After you read the first one and feel no need to read further you’ll know which group you are in. If you read further for more details, then, well, there you have it. We appreciate both types!

REPORT #1--the short version [think Reader’s Digest]:
· We saw Dr. Yao [on Thursday], who affirmed that Kim’s situation is “Stable, zero growth, good to continue in the clinical trial.” [You Report #1 readers will appreciate that he was in the examination room for maybe 4 minutes! He and we both talked very fast.]
· Kim received the first clinical trial injection of either the Lanreotide [the drug they are testing] or a placebo. This came after a 4 hour wait—we were scheduled to get the shot at noon and got it at 3:20 or so. Paperwork snafu.
· We drove back to Ruston.
· Fast.

Thanks for riding along with us!
……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….

REPORT #2--for you detail lovers [think War & Peace]:
· We got into an examination room to meet with Dr. Yao in world record time: we were in the room by 10:10 for a 10:00 a.m. appointment. Neither our girls nor we could believe it. I was texting them along the way.
· We met there with Michiko Iwasaki, Dr. Yao’s research assistant, for almost an hour. In that hour we covered more of the details of the clinical trial, as Michiko explained the reporting method that Kim is to use for all that goes on with her physically from day to day. Kim also filled out a questionnaire from the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer [EORTC], who evidently originated and/or oversees this trial. Michiko and Dr. Yao’s Physician’s Assistant did a basic physical exam of Kim as well as the ever-present taking of the vitals.
· Dr. Yao showed at 11:14 for about 4 minutes and answered our rapid-fire questions, assuring us that Kim was “stable, zero growth, and ready to proceed with the trial.” In there somewhere he explained [in answer to one of the questions] that the reason for the Ultrasound this week was to get a baseline mainly for the gall bladder—the drug in the trial has a tendency to increase the risk of gall stones, so they will check Kim regularly.
· At 11:30 we moved downstairs to an Ambulatory Treatment Center [ATC] Bed Unit for Kim to get her first clinical trial shot. It is the place the out-patient chemo patients come for their treatments. We waited a cool 2 hours and 40 minutes there because of flawed paperwork—no Yao signature, then a truncated date that read “09-17-20” instead of “09-17-09”. Don’t you just love computers?
· Along the way the lady arrived to take Kim’s blood, so we moved to a room where that could be done, while still waiting for that much-needed doctor’s signature and the corrected date. Michiko was a tireless worker and continued to help move things along. With no cell coverage in the ATC unit [a rarity for MDA which is WiFi campus-wide] we had to step out and find a signal to call Michiko, as well as to update the girls. Frustration did have a tendency to set in [he said in a very vague passively-worded sentence].
· We finally got in the day-clinic room at 2:20 to await the shot. As I was drifting off to sleep in the recliner there, a fellow showed up from the “Place of Wellness” in the MDA complex—a massage therapist on staff—who was circulating through the rooms of chemo patients and offering free foot massages [thus Abby’s reference yesterday to the foot-massage]. He worked on Kim’s feet while I drifted off to some soap opera on the TV.
· The injection arrived at 3:30 and because of the nature of the trial [and I guess the Europeans who started it] the nurse’s protocol seemed like she was establishing the correct codes for a nuclear launch. The shot came gently and without incident and we were dismissed. We flew out the door, back to our car, and waded through Houston traffic back to Ruston.

There you have the Tolstoy version. Thank you, you detail peeps, for caring about the small stuff. Your care for us is NOT small stuff to us.

Post-Clinic Report

2009-09-17T16:09:00.002-05:00

Hi All,

Abby blogging, once again, from Boston--about as far from the action as I can get, but just a quick phone call away.

Mom and dad have asked me to throw a few sentences up on the blog just to give all the worriers/pray-ers/interested parties a quick update. They plan to post their FAR more detailed account of the last 24 hours sometime tomorrow, so check back.

They want to say sorry for the delay in communication, but they got stuck waiting around MDA all day because of some paperwork snafus (a missing signature, an incorrect date...). They met with Yao briefly this morning and, according to my text message from dad at 10:18, Yao said, "zero growth ... stable. We are ready to go." With this green light, mom got prepped to start receiving The Shot.

And by "got prepped" I mean "waited a few hours to give blood and then get the shot." There was a foot massage involved, but you can ask her about that later.

She wanted me to say she had a prizewinning shot-giver with whom she felt very comfortable and she's "already feeling the shot go to work." Now they know the drill they will be reenacting every 28 days or so for the next 2 years. Mom has just had, as she put it, the first course of a 24-course meal. Mmmm.

So all that to say, welcome (all of us) to the clinical trial. More from K&D tomorrow.

Abby

09-16-09—LET THE “TRIAL” BEGIN

2009-09-16T11:09:00.002-05:00

WE ARE IN HOUSTON again for that time we’ve been waiting to kick off…

WE ARE FIRING UP THE BLOG for a couple of days at the request of our daughters, family and friends. Dicky is doing the typing with editorial oversight from Kim. It still seems a good way to get the most information to the most people in the shortest amount of time. It also allows us the opportunity to give the info to a typing daughter who can post when we can’t get to the keys.

THAT ALL SAID, we are not expecting anything out of the ordinary on this trip to M. D. Anderson, but since there are more tests and there is a meeting with Dr. Yao, we figured there would be more to tell. Thanks in advance for your prayers and your desire to keep up with this with us.

THIS TRIP is a combination of: [a] the last few tests prior to the starting of the clinical trial described thoroughly in earlier blog posts, [b] a meeting with Dr. Yao to get the results of the CT scan and Octreotide Scan from the August trip, and hopefully, [c] the first of the 24 Lanreotide shots for the clinical trial.

THE MDA SCHEDULE this week is as follows:
> Wednesday, September 16, 2009
· Ultrasound at 7:30 a.m. [NPO 8 hours prior to that—the reason for our arrival Tuesday night.]
· Resting EKG about an hour after that.
· “Fluid” collection is a 24-hour thing that started this morning at 7:00 a.m.

> Thursday, September 17, 2009
· Dr. Yao appointment at 10:00 a.m. , which normally is a 1- to 2-hour waiting thing.
· Lantreotide/Placebo shot at 12:00 noon. Remember we have a 50/50 chance that the shot Kim is getting is not the actual drug for the clinical trial.

We plan on returning to Ruston after the shot Thursday. This post is coming right after the Wednesday events were completed. All but the ongoing “collection process” is done for the day. Kim will be able to eat normally today, uh, except for the things off of the list for eating today—like tomatoes, avocado [goodbye Mexican food!], eggplant, plums, bananas, walnuts, pineapple and CHOCOLATE.

Thanks for your interest and your prayers. As always feel free to pass the blogspot on to anyone who might be interested, and feel free to post your thoughts here or to heaven or shoot an email to jrlove@gmail.com or kimclove@gmail.com. We are checking in at all those places!

We'll post something after our meetings tomorrow.

Clinical Trial R Us

2009-06-11T14:22:00.003-05:00

We thought we’d give you an update on the latest developments on the next treatment protocol for Kim. In our last post we had mentioned the possibility [and likelihood] of entering a clinical trial through M. D. Anderson.

Things have progressed more quickly than we thought they would. Kim called the Research Assistant [Michiko is her name] and left voicemail over this past weekend. Michiko called her back Monday and, before we knew it, we had appointments with her and Dr. Yao ON TUESDAY JUNE 9, as in the day before yesterday!

So we hit the road to Houston again this week and had a couple of hours with her and then a lengthy visit with Dr. Yao about the plusses and minuses of the trial and exactly what the parameters were for getting in and getting out of it. Getting in was not a problem because of Kim's qualification for it, as I described in the last post. Getting out is easy too. Dr. Yao will monitor the results of all the scans as he already does. There will be more scans and tests and more eyes will look at it all. Everything, it appears, starting with the blood work, gets sent to Germany for perusal by doctors there, who evidently oversee the research worldwide. If, at any time Dr. Yao thinks there is growth that needs further [or different] treatment, he will pull her from the trial and pursue other treatment.

For you medical types and Wikipedia researchers, the drug being researched is called Lanreotide Autogel, and it has been an effective treatment for a condition known as acromegaly—a disorder of growth hormones resulting from an over-active pituitary gland. TMI? The hope is that this drug will also be effective in retarding the growth endocrine tumors like the carciniods in Kim’s liver. That’s the long and short of it.

We have a tentative M. D. Anderson schedule for the rest of the year. We return on August 24 for multiple scans and then will go pretty-much every 28 days, usually around the middle of the month. Some of those trips are just to get the shot [with a 50/50 chance of it being the drug or a placebo]. Every 90 days there will be CT scans and meetings with Dr. Yao. So there you have it.

We would appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers. I have a good number of you in my “spam” email to tell you there has been a new post. For those of you who want notification, you ARE on the list if you got email notification of this posting. If you got to this blog without an email from me and want one, just send your email address to jrlove@gmail.com and tell me you want on the spam notification of new blog posts. If you got an email about the blog and want off the list, just send me that request as well.

Thanks for coming along with us…

POST-MDA POST

2009-06-06T09:48:00.002-05:00

We thought we’d make one more post before letting the blog go idle until next time, whenever that is. Thank you all for your sweet words and prayers in our behalf.

The “boat” [would that be the Love boat?] has stopped rocking as wildly as it was when we threw out the last blog [over the phone with Abby] in a rush to: [1] get Carrie to the airport in Houston, [2] get us back home to Ruston, and [3] get word to our watching and waiting friends and family. Thanks to Abby for typing through her self-proclaimed Eeyore fingers and getting the word out. Thanks to Carrie for taking three precious-few vacation days and coming to join the waiting at MDA. The presence of both girls through the Houston ordeal has been a great blessing.

In these last 48 hours or so back home we have had time to gather our wits and a bit more information in order to make a more informed decision about which way to head. We have heard [via voicemail] from Dr. Yao’s research assistant that Kim is “qualified” to be in the clinical trial that Abby mentioned in the previous post. The qualifications appear to be the combination of “where” her tumors are located and the fact that they are slow-growing and that she is not experiencing any of the carcinoid syndrome symptoms. It is a drug that has been used in other treatments, but never studied as an option for retarding growth of endocrine tumors. Since there is a limit of 200 participants worldwide, and no more than 20 from M. D. Anderson, we consider it a rare privilege to get to participate.

Kim is leaning strongly in that direction and probably will give Yao’s office the nod early next week. It will mean a trip to Houston every 28 days for a shot that may or may not be the drug—only 50% of the participants get the real thing. There will be several trips early on to get baseline tests, including another CT scan, an Octreoscan [full body radioactive scan] and lots of blood work. The clinical trial will last for 2 years and will include not only the monthly shots, but CT scans every 12 weeks. Dr. Yao said that if at any time there was any unexpected growth, he would pull her out of the trial and “un-blind” the process for Kim, in order to do whatever treatment he deemed necessary.

We have read the 20-page consent form and it is full of all the scary things that consent forms warn you of….things like HIGH blood pressure or LOW blood pressure, or all sorts of options in the lower intestine region that I won’t gag you with in this blog.

All in all, Kim is agreeing to be a lab rat, and she has a 50/50 chance of getting a drug that has shown some promise in retarding the growth of endocrine tumors. Either way it will help speed this drug to the market, if it proves to be effective. Kim wants all of you to keep praying and join her now in praying for success in this new treatment option for her and other “carriers” of this rare form of cancer. This will be our last post until MDA looms again.

We will notify you by email when more is posted, so you don’t have to keep checking. Let me [Dicky] know if you want to be on that email list [jrlove@gmail.com]

June 4 Report

2009-06-04T13:58:00.004-05:00

Hey friends,

I'm bummed to report a little bit of growth measured in today's visit with Yao. Three of the carcinoids on mom's liver have been busy; two grew about 4 mm and one grew 5mm. (The other five held steady.) We had just gotten so used to "no significant growth," that we were all a bit stunned and deflated when we got this news.

Reassuringly, Dr. Yao called it "very, very little" growth (that's two 'very's), but he did recommend taking some action instead of just waiting around, which has heretofore been our game plan. He told us about two potential drugs that mom can opt for:

(1) An FDA-approved hormone that is most often prescribed to carcinoid patients when they start to exhibit symptoms from carcinoid syndrome. Thankfully, mom is not yet having any symptoms, which means she doesn't have the syndrome. The idea is that this hormone retards the growth of the tumors, though the nice RN who was doing the explaining (Yao's research assistant) didn't have any hard data on it at the time.

(2) A drug that's in clinical trials. This would be a two-year program for which mom would get the meds -- or potentially a placebo, which is part of how the trial works -- and hopefully retard the growth of her tumors. The same nice nurse, Michi, said the drug has had success in doing just that. Mom would have a shot once a month, be closely monitored, and Yao could pull her out at any time if he wanted to go a different direction with her treatment.

Either way, Kimmie's back on a three-month schedule of visits to MDA because of today's measurements. To be very honest, we are a little sad, a little scared, and in need of wisdom on how/what/when to pursue treatment. Mom said to be sure to say we are "disappointed but regrouping" and "not despairing." She says she is looking at this as us (ok, her) finally getting a chance to do something about fighting this cancer, instead of just waiting for it to grow. "Getting out in front of it" was her exact phrase.

So now I guess we're entering a new phase of this whole cancer thing. I have to say, I'm not really jazzed up for it. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe they should have had Tigger (that would be Carrie) do this post instead of Eyeore (that would be me)...

At any rate, we covet your prayers/well-wishes/kind words, those we've already gotten and those sure to come. Mom also says thanks for the shower of love and support she feels from all of you.

I think I changed the settings on "Comments", so maybe those of you who have had trouble leaving notes (which are much, much appreciated) in the past, may be able to do so now? But dad says if anyone's having trouble/intimidated by the blog, you can email him or mom: jrlove@gmail.com and kimclove@gmail.com.

Thank you again to everyone for being friends to us and especially to mom,

Abby

How Kimbo spent her summer vacation...

2009-06-02T22:20:00.002-05:00

Hey all!

Abby here. Sorry it's been so long since my last blog post -- eh, wait, no I'm not! It's been six glorious months since our last trip to M.D. Anderson, but here we find ourselves again for mom's latest check up. I will be reporting on all the exciting events because I am here, in sunny Houston, where the weather is hot, the oil derricks are flowin', and the world's largest Chinese man plays basketball.

Ok, actually, only most of that last sentence is true. I will be reporting, but from approximately 1,846 miles away -- where the weather is mild, the molasses is flowin' (how do you think we make the beans?), and the world's GREATEST baseball team is busy being great. Apparently all the other members of my family are lazy and blog-shy, so believe it or not I have been enlisted FROM BOSTON to keep you -- you who are probably closer to Houston than I am -- informed of the proceedings.

So far: Kim and Dicky left Ruston early this morning, swung through Bush airport and picked up Carrie, then slid into MDA in time for Kimbo's blood tests around 1:30. Kim fearlessly (ok, there was a little fear) sucked down her banana-flavored chemistry shake and underwent the big scan. She says there was actually less to drink this time around, for whatever reason. We don't ask questions; we're just grateful. She is now relieved because the hardest (physical) part is over. Now she gets to exercise her most fine-tuned and favorite virtue, the one she so graciously passed on to her two daughters...patience.

And now it's off to real food for the first time since about 10:30 this morning. For the people in Houston anyway. I just get a call as they're squealing into the restaurant: "Do the blog, would you? We've got to go order."

As always, thanks for your prayers, thoughts, kind words, and well wishes. Keep 'em coming.

YAO-ZA!!!

2008-12-04T11:21:00.002-06:00

Hey all,

Good news from Dr. Yao--or rather, Dr. Tiffany Avery, our new favorite doctor on the PLANET. Dr. Avery is running Yao's interference, we guess. She's on a fellowship at MDA and she came in before him to give us the run down on everything.

She said mom's labs were "perfect" (perfect!) and that the radiology reports were "stable overall" showing maybe only "1 or 2 millimeters" growth since January. When she percieved our slight discomfort with what felt like a somewhat ambiguous report, she says, "Do you want to see it?"

WHAT?

This is the moment when today became our coolest visit to date. Dr. Avery pulled up mom's scans, one from today, and one from August. She clicked through them and showed us mom's INSIDES, from her lungs down to her colon, pausing on the liver and demonstrating how they measure the tumors. Sure enough those pesky spots were still there, but we also got to see how much healthy liver mom has, which was (in my humble opinion) a reassuring blessing. Dr. Avery says, "Overall I think you're doing great."

Enter Dr. Yao, who becomes more friendly every time we meet. Here are the highlights of the notes I made: "Everything essentially looks good," "I don't see any significant change since January," and "Since you don't have any new symptoms, we don't need to scan as frequently." Now that we've completed a full year's worth of measurements, we get to scale it back. And with that, we were given six whole months until our next visit! (Notice how I use "we" like Carrie, Dad and I do anything at all.)

So that's the news from the highway between MDA and the airport. Carrie and I fly out in about an hour, and Kim and Dicky will hit the road. Pray for all of our safe travels, if you will, and praise praise praise the Lord for no significant growth!

Christmastime in Houston

2008-12-02T15:57:00.006-06:00

Well, the halls are decked here at M.D. Anderson and it is just so darn cheerful that we've almost forgotten why we're here! (Trying out an exercise in extreme optimism...) Abby flew in from Boston late last night, and Carrie arrived earlier today, so we're all assembled and settled comfortably in one of this hospital's seemingly infinite waiting rooms. With twinkle lights, of course.

As we speak mom is choking down here favorite quarterly meal: milk of magnesia, the chemical edition. She's only on the first bottle of two she has to drink, so if anyone is reading this between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, please pray that God--in his great mercy and kindness--will strike her tastebuds temporarily dead. For those of you who are wondering if it's really that bad, I'll simply tell you that under her breath, mom just said, "Gotta get my head game on." To fight the tumors on her liver? No. To get the Barium Sulfate down. Mmm, mmm, good.

By now we've got the schedule down pat. Blood tests, then beverage hour, then CT scan on Tuesday. Then we wait for Yao to give us the good news on Thursday. In the meantime, all four of us are incredibly grateful for your prayers, encouragements, and kind words. (Seriously, y'all should see her face right now with the Barium. Keep 'em coming.)

We'll let you know when we have more.
Love, love, love, the Loves (and the Love-Smith)

NO (significant) GROWTH!

2008-08-28T10:55:00.002-05:00

Hello again from Houston,

We are happy to report a positive meeting with Yao. Compared to the scan Kim had in January, the tumors show what he called "no significant change" overall. Unfortunately, a couple of those pesky lesions are putting up 1-2 millimeters, but most are holding strong with "absolutely no change" (I took notes, hence the quotes). Her other, nearby organ functions are completely normal--great news for a cancer whose danger potential includes secretions that damage innocent bystanders (i.e. kidneys and such). Yao's estimation was a less-than-5% change.

You may be thinking to yourself, "Ok, I know no growth at all is ideal, but no *significant* growth, how am I supposed to feel about that?" Here is the collective Love family answer: you should feel great. In the big scheme of things, and over eight months, this growth is tiny. In fact, Yao used the underwhelming and painfully clinical phrase "what one would expect." Having just left a place filled with folks whose cancers grow 100% in two weeks, we feel lucky, blessed, and closely guarded by a great and watchful Someone.

Since we've gotten a good report, Kim gets another 4 months before returning to Houston, and if (when!?!) that report is good, she gets bumped up to six months. Still no action to take besides waiting, but then again, we are becoming very, very good at that.

Thank you all again for your love, support, words and prayers.

Round Three

2008-08-26T20:14:00.003-05:00

Hello All,

Abby here. We wanted to give everyone an update on this, Kim's latest rockstar tour through M.D. Anderson. We girls both flew in so all four of us could be a part of this visit. So far, there's been lots of nerves, plenty of laughter, a little anxiousness--and what I now understand to be standard fare around here--a good bit of waiting around. Here's the recap...

Day 1: Weather in Atlanta on Monday delays Abby's arrival into Shreveport, which turns into Abby's arrival into Monroe, which turns into Abby's arrival into Houston. Kim and Dicky race to pick her up. Thanks to Gloria the shuttle driver (whose cats, Elvis and Priscilla, were tragically misnamed according to their respective genders…don’t care? Neither did I…) Abby arrives safely at the Holiday Inn Express and is united soon thereafter with road warriors Kim and Dicky.

Day 2: Carrie texts at 4:45 a.m. to let us know she has made her first flight. Phew. We were all dreaming about being awake and being concerned about that. The Hot, Hot, Hot (their phrase, not mine) Holiday Inn breakfast renewed our spirits. We scoop up Carrie at Hobby and head for meal number two and Kim’s last sustenance of the day before her tests begin: Mexican! Ole!

1:00 arrival at M.D. Anderson and straight to Kim’s first appointment. She gives them blood and an x-ray glimpse of her insides. We try very hard to be the most fun people in the waiting room so mom (and we) all forget for a minute why we’re there.

3:00 CAT scan. Kim drinks the Koolaid (a.k.a. radioactive Mylanta) with a brave, brave, verge-of-regurg look on her face. She’s called in for the scan, during which time she amiably asks the nurse what complicated and surely fascinating chemical interaction takes place between that iodine in the IV and her blood to make her feel so warm? Kindly he puts it in laymen’s terms, “We heat the idodine.”

5:30 Kim is returned to us after having been poked, prodded, and perused. Watching a bit of news, we discover that Carrie just narrowly missed an FAA implosion and all breathe a silent “thank you JESUS” that a computer glitch didn’t strand her along with thousands of others in Atlanta. In celebration, we hit the buffet. All is right with the world once we’re fed.

Ok, now that you’re caught up, you can join us in waiting, the official leisure activity of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. We meet with Dr. Yao on Thursday morning so he can read the results. I am fully expecting him to pronounce a clean bill of health, but if y’all want to keep praying, I won’t argue.

Kim/Mom wants to make sure everyone knows how much she appreciates your calls, texts, prayers, and emails. For some crazy reason this woman forgets how WONDERFUL she is and marvels that so many other wonderful people care for her deeply. Don’t worry—we are sure to remind her with frequency—but it’s great when other people do too.

More later. We thank the Lord for the encouragement and love of his sweet community.

ZERO GROWTH

2008-04-29T18:58:00.004-05:00

We are just in from Houston and the news is good. Thank you for your prayers.

We met with Dr. Yao today around noon and he said there is "zero growth" of the tumors on the liver and we do not have to come back for 4 months. If there is not growth then, it will be one more 4-month visit, and then possibly go for 6 months at a time. He seemed happy with the results of the tests.

We had an informative exchange about the behavior of carcinoid tumors. It is good to talk to somebody who really knows them and could give us more solid insight into what we are dealing with.

Of course many were hoping and praying for the absence of ANY tumors, but this is not totally bad news. Dr. Yao assures us that future CT scans will discover tumor growth and that there is treatment protocol once that happens. He was, of course, knowledgeable on what treatments might be available--I am pretty sure most of the cutting-edge treatments come from his laboratory. There are no known treatments that "kill" the tumor, but some that can arrest its growth or stop it altogether.

Thanks for your prayers. Knowing that you were there with us means the world...

From when we got up this morning until we got back, even though we are in different zip codes and time zones, God's Spirit brought your presence and prayers to carry us through. Thanks doesn't even seem to touch the depth of what we feel from your love and support.

Dicky [and Kim]

April 29 Launch

2008-04-29T05:01:00.002-05:00

We are headed to Houston today for the big meeting. We would appreciate your prayers. Our generous nephew Jason Bullock and family are providing an airplane out of Monroe to fly us to Houston's Hobby airport which is not far from M. D. Anderson.

Our appointment is at 11:00 a.m. and we'll leave Monroe by 8:00 a.m. We are hoping that the wait time is not the 3 hours that it was last time, but, as my friend Chad puts it, the "M. D." stands for "Make it a Day."

It will be quite a day for us. We are more-than-a-bit nervous. We know we have a good God, but are not sure what his kingdom-come-Your-will-be-done wishes are at this point.

We'll keep you posted.

Home From Houston

2008-04-23T21:59:00.002-05:00

We had an uneventful journey home from Houston today. We left, as expected, with NO results from yesterday's tests. We had asked, but were told we would have to wait on Dr. Yao.

Our solace was in serious Mexican food for lunch and serious SAME for supper. We eat on all occasions and in all emotions. We might be Jewish.

The big meeting we expected tomorrow has been--as most of you already know--postponed until 11:00 a.m. next Tuesday [April 29]. We will meet with Dr. Yao at that time, who is, as we understand it, one of the country's top specialists in carcinoid tumors.

We will scoot back to Houston next week for that all-important meeting and would appreciate prayers pointed toward that time. Thank you all for your prayers to get us so far. We are hoping for some real insights into "where we are" next week.

This will be the last blog posting for this week. I will fire it up Sunday or Monday and for sure keep you "posted" on the events of next Tuesday. Thanks for checking in.

Dicky

Late Night Post

2008-04-23T04:44:00.003-05:00

OK, Dicky fell asleep at the keys.

The post was lost.

Oops. Long day.

Kim survived the CT scan. She had a first IV [iodine] that sort of exploded in her arm so they shifted arms and the other one took okay. Other than that the CT scan and chest xray were uneventful. She was starving post scan, having not eaten since before noon. She wanted "out of this place" [as nice as it is], so we went out to dinner at a place not too far away.

We don't expect any results today and plan on easing toward Ruston after a few hours with our friend who flew down from Nashville to be with us.

Thanks for your continued prayers. I'll write you something when I have it.

Waiting Rooms

2008-04-22T15:54:00.003-05:00

Hello to all...just a quick update, since one of the things you do have at M. D. Anderson is lots of waiting room time. We made the trip fine this morning, just in time to check in and race to the first test at 2:00.

We are in our 2nd waiting room, the first being the blood work. Kim is sipping on her not-so-delicious "berry smoothie" in anticipation of a 4-something CT scan with a chest X-ray following. A friend sent me a Dave Barry piece that described this concoction more colorfully than I can:

"It tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon."

All is well so far. Kim's got "game"...and we are in a room with about 50 other people, many of whom are very sick and need your prayers as well. We anticipate being all wrapped up by 6:00 or so. I'll get back on later tonight.

As most of you know, our appointment with the major doctor dude, which was scheduled for this coming Thursday, has been postponed until next Tuesday. We asked his nurse today if anyone else in the practice could give us any of today's results and she said no. So...we'll probably move back toward Ruston late tomorrow and come back next week.

Thanks for your prayers. We'll keep you posted.

We're off to see the Wizard...

2008-04-21T20:14:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow [Tuesday] we cruise to Houston, M. D. Anderson, for our follow-up visit. We have [OK, KIM has] tests starting at 2:00 p.m. and going through 5:40 p.m.

The original schedule had us meeting with the renowned Dr. Yao on Thursday. That was all changed a week ago, and we have to go back next Tuesday [April 29] to find him.

Our sweet friend Gail Pitt is coming from Nashville to join us. She will give us her Wednesday.

Thank you all for your prayers. I will post updates as I have them. I think this week is a testing "no-brainer" and the bigtime fireworks will be after next Tuesday [April 29] after our visit with Dr. Yao.

You are so kind to even visit this blog...and to send up your fragrant prayers is a gift beyond what I know how to express. Thank you.

Dicky

A Closing Post from Kim

2008-02-04T19:26:00.000-06:00

Hey Sweet Praying Loving Friends,

Dicky is so right about me being glad I am finished with "procedures" for a while. I wish I could put into words how much your remarks, verses, and prayer-assurances on the blog lifted my soul.

I truly experienced the Body of Christ taking my burden and making it part of your load. I never felt overcome or alone. I always was able to know without a doubt that I was being lifted into the presence of the God of all comfort and peace.

There were many times I know Jesus was right there with me, mostly when I was in a machine or waiting in a hospital gown to do the next procedure...right behind Jesus were all these people, your faces and smiles...I took with me after reading what you wrote. Only a few times did I slip into momentary insecurity...but your prayers swept them away like a vapor.

To borrow the old lyrics from a song "How Can I Say Thanks?"...I am humbled and grateful to you all, but mostly I hope, 'to God be the glory.'

I love you all,

Kim

P.S. I am still praying for NO TUMORS in my May visit.

Oops...I didn't make a post on Friday

2008-02-04T17:36:00.000-06:00

...or Saturday or Sunday. Sorry for the lack of info, but the world of Ruston arrived with a flurry, and then there was a Sunday in there. Of course we saw most of you at church Sunday morning. Thanks for all your interest and kindness and concern.

All is well with our reinjection into Ruston and Christ Community Church. Kim is feeling well and is glad for no new "procedures". She has a follow-up with her surgeon tomorrow morning [Tuesday] and then we think we are through with docs and CT scans and waiting rooms until our follow-up with M D Anderson in 90 days or so.

We have so appreciated your attention to our travels and travails and this blog. I know some of your are a bit "freaked out" by being dragged into a blog, and worried that you can't figure out how to participate. Don't feel obligated to blog. Send me an email for goodness sake. I still check it!

This is my last blog for a while. We will fire it all back up when necessity dictates. I think Kim has a post coming sometime this evening, which I will send for her.

Otherwise we are back to the old email system.
Mine is: jrlove@gmail.com
Hers is: kimclove@gmail.com

We both check regularly, although I am more "regular" at it than she.

You all have been so sweet to come along with us on this rather frightening journey. We are encouraged that we serve a great God who is not confused by cancer--carcinoid or otherwise. We are grateful that we are surrounded by His people who love us and lift us up and stand at-the-ready to do anything. We so know that.

Thank you,

Dicky

12:35 a.m. Friday wee hours...

2008-02-01T00:35:00.000-06:00

We made the trek from MDACC to 1102 Hunt Lane unscathed. No rain for the first time in THREE Houston transits. It is "crash mode" here. I'll write more tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers.

Dicky

At long last....a report from Dr. Yao!

2008-01-31T17:54:00.001-06:00

Abby again. This time I'll be much more informative, I promise. I'm currently on the phone with Kim and Dicky, who are stuck in Houston traffic (which means they're on their way home). They asked me if I'd type as they dictate and update. Here goes:

"Thanks for the answered prayer about Dr. Yao (that we would feel like we could ask him questions and understand everything he said). All of that was totally answered above and beyond. Even though we got there at 2:00 and didn't see him till 5:00--when we finally did, he was personable, patient, sat with us and was willing to answer questions.

Basically, the report is pretty much what it was when we left Ruston. There are still cardinoid tumors on my liver, but the liver function is normal and all the blood work came back good, meaning none of my other organs are affected. Since this type of tumor isn't responsive to certain treatments and they tend to be very slow growing, Dr. Yao just recommends watching them. Starting 3 months from now, we'll schedule another appointment, do another CAT scan (don't worry, nothing nuclear) and as long as they haven't grown, we can probably go another 4 months from then, and so on.

Meanwhile, THANK YOU for your prayers. It really helped during three hours of waiting, just knowing that ya'll were praying. Dr. Yao seemed relatively unconcerned--for a person that has extensively studied carcinoid tumors--which makes me feel better. This trip established our baseline, and everything after that will be reevaluated. If they're not growing, we'll go longer between visits. If they are, we'll take it from there.

All that being said, we can still pray for them to GO AWAY! But right now, God's answer is just to watch and wait. Thank you again for all your trucking with us during all this."

Hooray! 1st Thursday Prayer Answered

2008-01-31T12:27:00.000-06:00

Hello Hello,
It's Kim saying Thank you for all the prayers for my scan this A.M.. Don't worry about any "rays' coming at you I asked the cute tech, from Gonzales, La(I recognized his accent). He said You have to be closer than 6 ft. for more than 30 min. but it does last for 5 or so days. The glorious answer to your prayers is that the part of the scan the passed over my head felt like it only lasted half as long AND I was able to open my eyes several times so that helped alot. Also, they only had to do the scan once over instead of a second run like yesterday. Maybe it is because there wasn't anything to see, right?

Dicky is packing because he spoke to the nurse in the Dr.'s office and she thought there wouldn't be anymore to do on this trip. We are waiting for the official words from Dr. Yao at 2:30.

Those middle-of-the-nighters who have told us you were praying, thank you. We have had restful nights which helps a ton the next day to face so many new directions. Kacey B. came by this morning and found a weepy Kim, but I have experienced God's comfort and assurance constantly. When I came out of my scan I saw two ladies hugging [staff, not patients] and I asked if one needed a hug. She hugged me thinking I asked for a hug, and said everything would be all right. When I walked away she said, "No everything IS all right. And I said "Yes."

When I walked out to the front, I hugged her and said, "We serve a mighty God." And she smiled and looked up to heaven. And I felt Jesus there.

Keep praying for this afternoon. Y'all are awesome.

I love you,

Kim

Immediate Prayer Requests--Thursday Morning

2008-01-31T09:11:00.000-06:00

Kim has asked me to get her [and OUR] two most urgent prayer requests out you praying people:

[1] FOR CALM: In the claustrophobic space of this octreotide scan at 11:00 today, that she could keep her calm, especially for the 6-8 minutes it is an inch or so in her face, and

[2] FOR COURAGE: For the visit with Dr. Yao at 2:30 today. He now has a lot more info than he did two days ago and we are both feeling more-than-a-little angst for what he now knows and what lies ahead for her [and us]. We want the courage to address whatever it is and the faith to believe that God's best is wrapped up in this.

Thanks for checking in. You don't need to blog back, but we do need the prayer.

I'll check in after both of these "events".

Dicky

Still radioactive after all these years.

2008-01-30T17:45:00.000-06:00

Kim is back from her first "octreotide" scan. She is still loaded with the radioactive isotope of said name and I am keeping my laptop and my cell phone and my self at a safe distance. [Just teasin']

Today was an easier day in the sense that it was not hurry, hurry, hurry to the next procedure, ...AND Kim got to eat anything she wanted [uh...though no bananas, berries, pineapple, plums, avocadoes, eggplant, tomatoes and nuts]. This latter prohibited list was part of another 24-hour procedure that I will not elaborate on. Just trust me.

As to CCC-ers from days gone by: I had a fun cellphone visit today with Kacey Stubblefield Boagni, who lives here with her husband Rob and a pair of daughters I am pretty-sure we won't recognize. We have been in regular contact with Kacey's sister-in-law, Monique Boagni Nilsson [Rob Boagni's sister], who works at MDA. Monique is another former CCC collegiate married to another former CCC collegiate, Chris Nilsson. We love these extra necks to hug and are so indescribably grateful for all the love that gets poured our way.

We are in search of things to eat that are legal for Kim and--on a simpler dieting front--for me. I suspect neither of us are long for the conscious world tonight. Thank you for logging on and reading and caring. We are overwhelmed with your love and ongoing affirmation. If you are not comfortable with the public aspect of blogging, just email me at jrlove@gmail.com and I'll find it.

If you are of the praying sort, we'd love to have you pray for us to be cancer-free, cancer-nuke-able, or that all this testing will give us definitive information for a clear, obvious next step.

That's where we are. We have another octreotide scan in the morning at 11:00 [it is a little scary that I can type that word without looking at a piece of paper somewhere]...this is what cancer "does" for you. So many who are reading this blog are far-too-familiar with the drill. Thank you for enduring your hard journey on this front and coming along with us on ours.

We are grateful for LIFE today and for friends to enjoy it with. Thank you,

Dicky

NOT from Dicky....sorry

2008-01-30T16:05:00.000-06:00

Hi all, Abby here. I've been instructed to don the blog-mantle between Dad's oh-so-informative posts. After reading all your comments--especially those that say new posts remind them to pray--I'm wondering why we haven't been doing this every four minutes.

Unfortunately, I'm not in Houston, but I am in frequent contact with those who are. Radioactive life is going pretty smoothly, according to D&K's last report. And by that, of course, I mean mom is glowing like Obi Wan's light saber zapping mosquitoes in July at twilight. I'm picturing something like a nuclear pinball machine that lights up every time it passes a carcinoid.

Actually, only part of that is true (you can guess which part...s). Mom got the goods this morning, then they take one reading this evening and another tomorrow. Waiting aside, MDA has been a pleasantly patient-o-centric place. But we're all anxious to hear what Dr. Yao has to say tomorrow.

I know this post isn't anything close to informative, but I really just wanted to take a minute to say something to everyone reading (and posting on) this blog: Thank you. Thank you, thank you. I recently told a colleague of mine about mom, and she was very empathetic (having lost her own mother to cancer several years ago). One of her first questions was, "Does your mom have a support system?" It took me a minute to answer because it had never occurred to me that someone wouldn't have a support system, never mind the incredible one that you all comprise.

I also know you can't help yourselves, because my parents are pretty amazing, and even if you feel for them only a fraction of what Carrie and I do, that's quite a bit. I just wanted you all to know that an anxious daughter in Boston (and another in NYC) are afforded a little bit of peace knowing they have such a vast safety net. And when Dad says how much they appreciate you all, they really really really mean it.

And so do I.

Wednesday Morning

2008-01-30T07:40:00.000-06:00

Good morning, fellow bloggers,

It is 7:44 on a cold, clear, crisp Houston morning. Thanks for the prayers and posts. It was a quiet night and Kim is still sleeping. I was up early to call the radiation lab [by 6:30 a.m.] to confirm we would be there at 11:00 a.m. and get the protocols for the test today. Looks like Kim can eat anything she wants today [with a few exceptions], so she won't be on the "no food" program.

Looks like we will have a bit of a less harried day today, too, and a better fed one for the patient. The only things scheduled [so far] for the day are a "Octreotide Administration" at 11:00 and an "Octreotide scan" at 3:00 p.m. The "administration" is simply an injection of a radioactive element that is more conducive to absorption by carcenoid tumors. She'll get a scan 4 hours after and a scan 24 hours after.

We'll be around, EATING, and waiting to see what else pops up on the patient schedule.

Thanks for finding us...and, for you virgin bloggers, thanks for trying it out. It is fun to find your comments and encouraging to hear from so many that have "come" with us here.

We love you,

Dicky [for the both of us]

Late night CT scan

2008-01-29T21:16:00.000-06:00

I am sitting here in the dwindling CT scan waiting room which had 40 people in it when we got here at 7:15 and has dwindled to just 4 of us. The "jumbotron" on the wall tells me that Kim's scan is done and she should appear soon...laden yet again with barium. Tomorrow she gets the radiated stuff. I'm giving my electronic gear wide berth!

Thought I would send while still coherent. The 3:45 a.m. wake-up this morning combined with being up WAAAY past my normal bedtime [it is 9:20 for goodness sake!], means this will be my last post of the day.

I'll be up early but don't expect "tested girl" to be too chatty. If we have anything, I'll pass it on. We have to make a phone call to the nuclear lab at 6:30 and show up for the "administration" of the glowing stuff at 11:00. Pictures at 3:00 and at 11:00 on Thursday. Plan at this point is to meet again with the doctor on Thursday and all is unclear from that point on.

We'll keep you posted. Thanks again for your sweet words. It means the world...

G'nite. We love you.

Dicky

Tuesday breather [of sorts] for a bit...

2008-01-29T16:31:00.000-06:00

Hello Friends,

We are finished with PART ONE of our first day at M D Anderson and are in a small break before we head to PART TWO in a couple of hours. Kim's CT scan is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. tonight and [with the prep work] will last till about 9:00.

We scurried from pillar to post and for you guys who said MDA is all about waiting, I did not have time to open the laptop today before somebody came for Kim or both of us, before it could spool up! I actually banged out the noon blog and was called away before Icould post it. On a passing phone call with Carrie about 2:30 she offered to post it and did.

We met with our main doc about 1:30 [after meetings with the "front person," the nurse, the Physicians Assistant...all of whom were wonderful]. He was willing to answer our questions and we discussed it all quite candidly. We have an appointment with him on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. to assess it all after he reviews the results of the testing between now and then, and we decide on future treatment. I'll send updates as I have information and the opportunity to send them.

We have so loved your posts to the blog and feel like we are in touch with home and those that love us. We check the blog regularly and so appreciate your coming there and praying. If I can keep my head up, I'll send something after tonight's CT scan. Otherwise, I will be up early and I know there are at least EIGHT GUYS who will be up working on their memory verses!

We love and appreciate you all,

Dicky

We hit the ground runnin...

2008-01-29T12:01:00.000-06:00

We're here. Made the trip in less than 5 hours [in the rain again!] , checked in across the street at the Rotary House[a Marriott-run hotel at MDA] and raced across the walk-way to get registered. We have already run into FOUR former or current Christ Community Church members!

We have somewhat of a schedule so far. Kim is getting her blood taken as I type and is headed from there to x-ray. We have our first appointment with our main doc--Dr. Yao--at 1:00 p.m. today and a CT scan starting at 7:10 tonight, lasting till about 9:00. Dicky plans on a nap sometime in there. Actually Dicky will have a nap, whether he finds a place to lie down or not.

Tomorrow something starts at 6:30 a.m. [the schedule is unclear what it is] and then Kim begins prepararion for a series of scans called an "Octreotide Scan." We spend the day tomorrow in "Nuclear Medicine" at the Mays Clinic, which I haven't found yet. This Octreotide scan goes on through Thursday morning. So far nothing else has been scheduled, but we'll know more when we've seen the doc.

By the way, as I typed the patient rearrived from blood work and we are waiting her turn in X-ray. I'll have time to give another shout out this afternoon between doctor visit and CT scan. There's a patient orientation somewhere in there and a move into our room, which was not ready when we got here. I am sure Kim will try to eat a bite in there somewhere, since she had nothing this morning prior to bloodwork and can't eat anything 3 hours prior to CT scan.

I'll keep you posted. Thanks for coming along...

Dicky

We are off...

2008-01-28T20:50:00.000-06:00

This is my first "post" to the blog site that Carrie created. I am a bit new to it, but I am convinced that it is a great way to keep you all posted [pardon the pun] and give you a chance to give us your thoughts and prayers and such.

Here is the deal as far as we know it. We leave tomorrow morning [Tuesday, January 29] around 4:30 a.m. to get signed in to M. D. Anderson in Houston by 11:00 a.m.

Kim will be "mostly" NPO after midnight tonight for her bloodwork at 1:00 p.m. and CT scan around 4:00 p.m.

The rest we are waiting to find out about. Be assured...by this time tomorrow Dicky will have a lay of the land and we will know at least a little more about our schedule. Carrie or Abby or I will be posting updates regularly.