Pioneer Sandy

Much of the proposed treatment for bile duct cancer is based on the experiences of others who have been diagnosed with the same disease. For the most part, patients follow one of several paths which are fairly well known to doctors. Sandy, however, continues to break the mold. Nobody seems quite sure what to do with her next! While that can be frustrating, it is also a continual reminder of how God has preserved her life. This is a good time to not follow standard procedure!

Sandy will have labs done this week, as she does now every week. One drain had been draining but has now all but stopped, and the other one had been very slowly filling up but now is filling more quickly. She will likely have a scan soon to determine whether those changes are indicative of blockages or of healing. 

Last week she had a procedure to take care of the bile duct that had ruptured. She continues to deal with low energy and less stamina than she prefers, but she is glad to report that she has had several consecutive days without a fever!

She spent some time this weekend preparing Easter baskets and color coded eggs for the great egg hunt of 2018, complete with one empty egg for each grandchild to help them remember that we celebrate Easter because of the empty tomb. Jesus is alive! And He alone is the reason we have any good thing. 

Sandy returns to the classroom on Monday, and she is looking forward to (finally) turning in that big project we asked you to pray about. Who knew that crisp, brightly colored folders and a nifty label maker could make such a big difference? :)

We wish each of you a very Happy Easter, and encourage you to thank God for the gift of Jesus overcoming death, providing a way for us to not only have hope here on this earth but also to have the promise of eternal life - complete with perfect joy, peace, health, and probably copious amounts of Dove chocolate.

Freedom!

It has been quite a week. Our "routine" ER visit kept going and going. Let's call it the Energizer Bunny Visit. That makes it sound much more fun.

Sandy's fevers were very uncooperative this week. Despite numerous medications, her temperature kept spiking and pain was fairly constant.

Several tests were administered. A drain, the type she had several months ago, was placed to remove biliary fluid that could not drain through the bile ducts because they were occluded. The next day both stents were removed because they were blocked, and later a second, smaller drain was placed since one of the tests showed a pocket of fluid that needed to be removed.

Based on the cholangiogram, it seems that the drain is servicing both ducts. A repeat cholangiogram will be performed within the next week to make sure the drain is still effective.

Sandy will have follow up appointments with the oncologist, the infections disease doctor, and the interventional radiologist. 

She's been instructed to rest. Rod told the doctors that doesn't happen - when she's released, she returns to work. However, they have convinced her to actually stay home and rest this time. Spring break is next week, which will help with that.

There are many unknowns. Please pray that pain is minimal, drains continue to work, and that doctors agree on a plan going forward.

Same Song, New Verse

Sandy is currently visiting her friends at Wesley, this time from a bed in the CCU. She had both stents replaced during a hospital stay last week, but continued having fevers and pressure, resulting in Thursday's trip to the hospital. Late Thursday night she had a procedure to insert a drain because the stents were not handling the bile fluid appropriately. Right now the drain is connected to an external bag, which ought to be removed once the infection has cleared and things are back to "normal." Since we had such problems with drain exchanges causing infections in the past, we are somewhat concerned, though clearly the stents are resulting in similar problems right now, so it's perhaps just part of the journey. Sandy has had quite a bit of discomfort today, so she has been instructed to rest and stay on top of pain meds. Everyone there knows by now that she's planning a family lunch this weekend and needs to be home...hopefully things will go as she desires. There has been some concern about her blood pressure being on the low side, which is part of why she is in the CCU instead of on a "regular" floor. Please pray for healing, rest, and continued optimism. As many of you know, continually dealing with illness and/or pain can be exhausting, and the mind battle can become intense. Thankfully we serve a God who is bigger than all of that.