"It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear" Isaiah 65:24
Bobby had an appointment with the vascular surgeon regarding the blood clots in his arms, particularly the right arm. The doctor said the clots should clear up on their own (yea). The right arm had become stiff and was difficult to straighten but during the last few days, it has improved significantly. The physical therapist told him it would probably be 6 mths of therapy but seems he's a wonder child and is doing very well, he expects everything to be fine in a couple of weeks.
He had an extended appointment with the radiation oncologist, Dr. Miyawaki, on September 30th. Dr. Miyawaki and Dr. Eisenberg, as well as the "hotshot" (Dr. Eisenberg's words) in Canada, are all recommending 7 weeks of radiation and chemo once every three weeks during that time. That is the protocol for this type of cancer. The three rounds of chemo that he has had were done because the cancer had spread to the bone and they wanted to address that first. Since Bobby had a clean PET scan in August, the question had to be asked, "what if I did nothing? What's the bottom line?" That question hadn't been asked before. The answer.....1-3 years with the full treatment or 1-2 years if nothing more is done. They also add that there is a slight chance of a cure if he does the full treatment. I for one find it impossible to wrap my head/heart around those statistics. However, I know those statistics don't take into consideration the plans of God.
Bobby has sent his medical records to two other oncologists. We don't expect a different answer, but it does make sense to get a second opinion or two.
Bobby is taking this week to get ready for this next step. He is in Yosemite. He wanted to go to his canyon in Arizona (the big one) but was a little concerned that if he managed the hike down into the canyon he might not have the strength to get back out so, Yosemite will do for now.
This is another time of waiting. This news is somewhat of a surprise, I think, to all of us but nothing that happens is a surprise to God. He has sustained us this far and will sustain us as we continue on this journey. It's comforting to know that God answers before we ask and that He hears our calls.
Bobby said he was a little concerned that people aren't praying for him anymore because he did so well during the chemo treatments and they might think he doesn't need anymore prayer. He is being told that the radiation and additional chemo will be much more difficult than what he's already experienced. That may be, but then again, he is pretty amazing and God willing, he will surprise the doctors and everyone else during this treatment as well. I assured him that I know for a fact that there are many people praying for him. So, once again thank you for your prayers on our behalf.
