Category Archives: Our Story

May 2015 Update for Tammy

Hello everyone

Just wanted to post a little update on Tammy.  We met with doctor in Houston today.  The spots in her lungs have grown minimally which we were some what excpecting.  Her CEA level (cancer level in blood) has slowely been rising over the last few months which has concerned us but not the doctors so much as they would rather go by what the scans show as it is more reliable.  They do have a area in her abdomen that they are concerned about.  As of right now, what they can see is inconclusive and so we are once again in a waiting game.  Doctor is wanting to be proactive and they are switching tammys chemo drugs around.  She will go back on FUL-FOX treatments, which is the same drugs except that irrenotecan will be replaced by oxyplaten.  They will add avastin back in now with new regiment.  Biggest side affect with oxyplaten is neuopothy.  Basically it messes with your nerve endings.  She will be very sensitive to cold, with tingling in her hands and feet.  She generally can not eat or drink anything cold.  So Ice cream and ice cubes are out. 

Next week she has an appt at Northwestern University in Chicago.  Through a family connection, we were hooked up with the doctors up there.  This has been in the works for a while.  We are excited to go up there and see what they have to offer.  We are hoping that there could be some options up there that are not different from MD Anderson, but just have a chance to get into the trials sooner than we can at MD.  Everyone that we have been in contact with up there has been great and we are looking forward to going.

Once again, thank you all for your unending support of Tammy.  As we move into our forth year of dealing with cancer we are so thankful for everything you have done and continue to do to help us along the way.  I have tried to write something to say thank you on many occasions and every time my words seem so very inadequate.  Each one of you have blessed us in so many ways.  We know that everyone has their own problems and challenges to deal with.  For all of you to take the time, money, and energy to help us with ours is so humbling and so special to us.  Because I do not know what else to say,  THANK YOU!!

March 2015 Update for Tammy

We met with Doctors today and overall it was a good appointment.  There has been some growth but it is still pretty minimal.  Her CEA levels have increased somewhat too.  All this was expected as she has had only one chemo treatment in the last two months.  We are very thankful that nothing really significant happened while Tammy had surgery and is recovering.  Treatment will stay the same for now and we will come back down in two months instead of three just to make sure that she is staying stable.  Thank you all for the prayers, thoughts and support. We are truly humbled by all of you, and are so thankful for each and every one of you. 

January 2015 Update for Tammy

Hi everyone, just a little update on Tammy as I’m sure word has started to spread about whats going on with her.  She has been struggling with some issues and been in some pretty substantial pain for a couple of months and she has been trying to get some answers.  We met with an OB in Wichita who has a specialty in oncology last Thursday.  Today we met with a surgeon down in Wichita.  The consensus from both of them was that Tammy needed a colostomy.  This might sound like not a good thing, but we are actually really excited and can’t wait for this to happen.  We are hopeful that this will solve a lot of issues that Tammy has been enduring for quite some time and vastly improve her quality of life.  We are hoping to retire the phrase “coming in hot” from our family vocabulary.

She will have to be off all Chemo for a total of 10 weeks, that scares us, but overall we know that this is the best for her and her quality of life.  One of the drugs that she is on is avastin which really affects how the body heals,  the surgeon will not touch he for at least five weeks after stopping avastin.  The drug irrenotecan really affects her white blood count and they want her to have all the white blood cells she can to combat infection.  This is a major surgery, (we were informed that any surgery on her is major) she will more than likely spend a week in the hospital and will more than likely be down for four to six weeks after.

Once she is recovered we will meet with oncology doctors and figure out where we are with cancer.  Since her stage four diagnosis, she has never fully stopped chemo so we have no clue what to expect as far as how the cancer will react.  Please keep her in your prayers as we walk down this new road.  If you happen to see her out and about, you have my permission to stop and give her a great big hug.  I’m lucky I can get one from her whenever I want one.  Thank you for all the continued thoughts and prayers.  We are truly blessed in this life with everyone around us.

Her surgery is Scheduled for February 16 at 2:30 pm