Thankful

We had a very nice Thanksgiving.  We spent a couple days with family- relaxing, playing games and just enjoying time together.  We are thankful that side effects have been minimal and Nate has stayed healthy so far.  Nate shaved his head this weekend as he was told his hair would begin falling out around day 13 after chemo.  Our brother in law, Ben also shaved his head in a show of solidarity.  The kids had great fun helping with the head shaving.

Nate does not have any medical appointments this week and we hope it stays that way!  Please continue to pray for health- that Nate will not catch any colds or illnesses.

We meet with the oncologist on Monday, just to check in after this first round of chemo.  Then Nate will be in the hospital next week Tuesday-Thursday for the next chemo treatment.

We do read all of the notes and emails we receive- and they are so appreciated. Thank you!

-Stacy

Week One

Seems like I ought to put up some kind of update after last week.  Treatment #1 seemed to go well.  The side effects have been minimal so far.  I feel stronger this week.  I even took the two older boys to the gym on Sunday to shoot hoops.  The steroid crash that was predicted was avoided.  I think the biggest concern this week is my severely reduced immune system.  Days 7-10 are supposed to be the weakest.  I'm a little worried about church and family gatherings where germs get spread quickly and easily.  There will just have to be lots of hand washing around us for a while.  I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends. We plan to spend the holidays with the Jongsma family.

-Nate

One down

Nate had his first chemo treatment on Tuesday.  It was a long day, but everything went smoothly.  We are thankful his body didn't have any odd reactions to the drugs.  He has gone to work the past two days and feels okay.  The nurses said he might feel worse later this week.  In other good news, Nate slept in bed last night.  He's been sleeping in a recliner because of back pain, but that pain has been lessening- hopefully that means cancer cells are dying!

We are thankful for people who have cleaned our house, raked leaves, hung Christmas lights, watched our kids and brought meals.  We are grateful for our community!

Here we go...

The past couple days have been mentally and emotionally draining.  We went into our appointment with our oncologist yesterday almost positive we knew what treatment to pursue.  We talked with our doctor about Mayo and what they recommended.  We discussed with our doctor the treatment regimen he recommended originally and why he recommended it.  And then we didn't know what to do.  The reality of MCL is that there is no standard of care- no treatment regimen that data has shown to be the gold standard.  The reality is there are a number of treatment options and they all work in some degree to get to the goal of a remission.  Basically there is no right answer.  And that is so frustrating.  And our doctor understands our frustration, that when it comes down to it- we have to do something and we just need to pick a treatment path and go for it.  As my friend said, medicine is an art form.  It is based on science, but it is an art form.  Cancer acts differently and responds differently to medication in every person, you just make the best decisions you can along the way.  We so very much want someone to tell us- this is what you should do and everything will be okay. But, that is not reality.  So we spent yesterday evening praying and talking thru our options.  And praying for peace about our decision.  Because we want to make a decision, have peace about it and move forward.

Nate is going to do the nordic regimen and he begins Tuesday.  The regimen will be one day of outpatient chemo here in Holland.  Three weeks after that he will go to Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids, stay for 2-3 days and receive a chemo treatment.  Three weeks after that he has outpatient chemo and repeats this rotation for about 4 months?  He will then have a stem cell transplant.  

We feel at peace with the decision, but emotions are all over the place.  This is all going to become quite real next week.

Please pray for treatment to work, that side effects are minimal.  Please pray for us as we parent our kids.  It is challenging to be present and not let our frustration/stress spill over into parenting.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support, it means so very much to us.

-Stacy

Mayo Follow Up

Mayo called and confirmed the mantle cell lymphoma diagnosis.  There is an unusual characteristic to Nate's cancer but, it is unclear if or how this characteristic will affect response to treatment.  So we continue to move forward.  We meet with the local doctor tomorrow to determine the treatment plan and probably begin chemotherapy next week?

-Stacy

Mayo

Nate had his Mayo appointment today. The doctor told us what treatment regimen Mayo recommends for someone Nate's age. The Mayo pathology department is going to read Nate's biopsy slides to verify the diagnosis. The Mayo doctor will call sometime next week with the pathology results. We are done with appointments at Mayo and will head home tomorrow. We are thankful for a short stay! Once we hear back from Mayo we will meet with our local hematologist oncologist and decide on a treatment regimen.
We are glad we got a second opinion at Mayo and are satisfied with our experience here. Please continue to pray for wisdom this upcoming week as we make a final decision about treatment.
-Stacy