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16 months in…

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  Thank you all for your fervent prayers for Jon. God is continuing to answer your requests and I’m happy to report his CEA today is 4.6, a point down from last month and indicative of continued success with this treatment regime! He will receive his infusion over the next couple of hours, and then he will be set for the next month until his scan at the end of April (no date yet). The scan will give us more info in choosing the next step, which we pray will just be more of the current treatment as he has handled it so incredibly well.  He has had NO treatment-related fatigue, nausea, weight loss, pain, depression, colostomy complications, diet restrictions, or difficulty concentrating (important for an engineer). While the cyclical rash you see does flare angrily shortly after treatment, it doesn’t bother him much and is gone in a couple weeks. His health compared to a year ago is nearly unbelievable, except that God is his Great Physician. He alone chooses to bless means or withhold t
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Bite the Bullet

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"Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good." -2 Sam 10:12 [View from Table Rock on a recent hiking/camping trip] High Level Process Update Liver surgery was performed Nov 9 without incident (that I'm aware of). I resumed chemo this past Mon, Jan 9. The regimen as of now is only Panitumumab (Vectibix), the monoclonal antibody I've had before that causes the skin rash, which is technically not chemo. The plan is to take another CT scan around April and determine whether this maintenance regimen of one infusion every 4 weeks is enough to maintain status quo. CEA is 9.2 (up from 7.2 a few weeks ago, which was up from 4.9 before liver surgery - not very bad). Why Liver Surgery? In the past we were debating on whether liver surgery was a good idea or not. Oncologists we saw from Duke and the Mayo Clinic did not recommend it because it is risky and statistically does not prolong life
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Build on Success

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 "The LORD was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the LORD." -Is 38:20 [Running with my brother Eric (I'm in the gray shirt). You can only see part of the full-length rainbow.] High-Level Process Update I started a chemo again on Jul 11. Surgery recovery was much longer than I expected it to be, but for all practical purposes I am fully recovered. My abdomen stopped shrinking a few weeks ago, which doesn't bother the surgeon or oncologist at all. I, on the other hand, don't appreciate having the "dad bod" back that I worked so hard to get rid of several years ago. And then stick a giant colostomy bag on the front of it - but not centered, just over to the left side. But if this is what I'm complaining about, life must be pretty good...  Surgery Recap and Overall Status You might remember back in May I had emergency surgery to remove the primary colon mass because it h
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Take No Thought for the Morrow

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"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." -Matt 6:34 [View of Paris Mountain from hospital room] High Level Process Update Several decisions have been made for me by kind Providence since I last wrote, and there has been much mercy involved that I will share with you. When I last wrote, I had just been assured by X-Ray analysis that I was suffering from a bit of constipation and not a colon obstruction. This diagnosis turned out to be a little off base... Long story short, I ended up in the ER the next evening (Fri, May 6) with an obvious colon obstruction, and required near-emergency surgery the following Monday. In this open-abdominal surgery the primary tumor in the colon was removed and I was given a colostomy. I was in the hospital until this past Tuesday, May 24, but am now recovering at home. Well that didn't go as planned... True, this is not a step I was exp
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Rule Your Thoughts

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 "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." -Phil 4:8 High-Level Process Update Chemo rounds 8 and 9 were endured not so cheerfully since I last wrote, and then I had enough. My last infusion was Apr 4, and since then we've been in a holding pattern debating on what to do next, and seeking additional opinions. My PET scan on Apr 29 didn't look so bad, but clearly I don't need to be taking a very long break before starting chemo again. Despite that, it has been great to feel normal again for the past couple of weeks! Physically and mentally. More Options We have gotten a couple of additional opinions. The first was from Cancer Treatment Centers of America. The overall view was that we've done the right thing so far with chemo, but
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Take the Front Row When You Can

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"He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry.  He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.  The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." -Ps 147:11 [Photo: Andrew Peterson in Augusta. The front row was empty for some reason. He closed with "Is He Worthy?"] High Level Process Update Chemo rounds 6 and 7 have passed since I last wrote. I was the sickest so far in round 6, and I was sick or otherwise nonfunctional the longest in round 7. I worked from home as much as I could, and only went into the office one day this week. I lost 13 lb from my peak last week, and haven't lifted weights at all. I will not be able to maintain weight for five more rounds of this if, despite all medications, I can't eat or retain any nutrients. On the much brighter side, I had my 3-month CT scan. The report sounded ominous - additional area of unknown growth found on my liv
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Make Your Faith Rewardable

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"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." -Heb 12:1-2 [Photo: Amphitheater in downtown August, GA on the bank of the Savana River. I know it's a stage and not a track.] High Level Process Update Round 4 and Round 5 of chemo have passed since I last wrote. I should have felt at least a little bad for the past couple of days, but I haven't. Thank you for your prayers - the Lord hears and answers! With Round 4 my biggest complaint was stomach cramps for a few days. This time I have a different strategy with meds, so we will see how it goes. Some of you have asked about my weight... It goes like this: No weigh
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