Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Have a Plan.

Hello all,

Well "chemo class" is over with and he is scheduled for his treatments. His first treatment will be Wednesday the 18th and will be every two weeks for 6 months. He will be receiving Fulfox 6 which is a combination of three drugs. They will start his infusion at the clinic. It will run for approximately three hours and then he will be hooked up to a pump for the next two days. On Friday he will go back to be disconnected. The "chemo class" was mostly education regarding the effects and side effects of these three drugs and ideas for coping with those. We have friends who have been on both ends of the spectrum of side effects from these treatments, so we are well aware of how challenging it can be as well as how functional it can be. Mark still has a great attitude and is prepared to do what it takes to make the best of this. We already have the days marked on several calendars and we are excited to start marking them off, one by one. We even found out how blessed we were once again. There are already some big dates on our calendar of events that we would like to enjoy. We had been wondering how many of our "good times"might be affected by all of this. Almost every one of them fall on the "off" week of his treatments, meaning that he will have the best chance at feeling well for most of them. How lucky is that?!
If everything goes as planned, his last treatment will be on July 22nd.

Also, we have an appointment on Tuesday the 17th with another oncologist in the metroplex, Dr. Weisberg for a second opinion. We were referred to him by Dr. Crim and are looking forward to hearing another perspective and are hoping that every one's plan concurs. In addition, many people have been asking about Mark's heart. He will have another CAT scan next month to follow the aneurysm. We are also supposed to contact Dr. Kourlis again when we are halfway through his chemotherapy treatments. He has had not complications or symptoms related to his heart through all of this . Praise God!

God has definitely provided for us through all of this. He has given us each other, our kids, and all of you every step of the way. We are so blessed!

We love you all, Missy

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lifting you up in prayer as you begin this next leg of the race! We're cheering for you every step of the way!

Our love to all of you,
Teresa, Montie, Kayla and Kameron

Anonymous said...

missy and mark,
you are in my thoughts and prayers.
thanks for taking the time to update everyone.
betty

Anonymous said...

Mark, we will be praying the treatments have the least amount of effects on you. Stay strong and lifted up, all of you!!

love, aunt peggy & uncle larry

Anonymous said...

Praying for you all. You can kick this part. Hang in there!! we love ya. Please don;t hesitate to let us know what we can do.

the dunford's

Anonymous said...

We have a plan-- We have THE HAND, that has led you all the way , even when you were not aware of it. "He " will be there . We will be there in a few days. Love Mom & Dad

Anonymous said...

Mark,Missy,
We are keeping you in our prayers.You have already come a long way.I know you can beat this.

Our love,
Uncle Bill & Aunt Donna

Anonymous said...

Mark
i just heard from Salwa. What was going on. My family is praying for you and your family. I was sharing with my family about you and our years at MHS.

In Christ Love, Michael,Eva(Escamilla), Hannah, Caleb, Chloe

Anonymous said...

LOVE YOU GUYS ! ! !

THAT'S IT... REALLY..THAT'S IT..

YOU CAN NEVER BE TOLD TOOOOO OFTEN


IN MY HEART IN MY THOUGHTS AND
IN MY PRAYERS,

NELDA : ) : )

Anonymous said...

Hi Mark,
I'm Cathy Cartwright Trepte and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Sept 08. I am almost complete with my chemotherapy and understand you are entering this phase. Please know that I am here to get you through this time like everyone else will!! I know that each chemo is different, but I would be happy to share my experiences with you. The best advice I can give is to try to stay hydrated. I still struggle with that. Give in to the fatigue and rest, chemo is mean. They make prescription mouthwashes for mouth sores, BIOTENE toothpaste and mouthwash from Walgreens is EXCELLENT for the dry mouth! Eat whatever sounds good to you. If you are nausea prone, stay up on your nausea meds, do not let nausea overtake you! I also have hydration from Home Health every night for 5 nights after my big chemo sessions to stay hydrated. my email is txtrepte@att.net if you would like to talk! God is delivering us and healing us!

In Him,
Cathy Cartwright Trepte

Anonymous said...

Hi Mark,
I'm Cathy Cartwright Trepte and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Sept 08. I had surgery on 10/3/08 and have been in chemo since then. My last chemo is scheduled for this Tuesday. If you ever want to talk or discuss, I would be happy to! I know you have tons of resources but I thought I would share some of my personal ones...try to stay hydrated, I still struggle with this so Home Health provides saline hydration for 5 nights following Big Chemo. Water is the best hydration. Extreme fatigue -go with it, lay down, rest, chemo is mean. Eat what you can when you can - protein is always better but sometimes it is just about getting something in your tummy. Prescription mouthwashes are made for mouth, tongue and throat sores. Constriction and extreme sore throat are also common for me. BIOTENE is a brand of toothpaste and mouthwash at Walgreens that is fantastic for chemo dry mouth. If you are nausea prone, stay up on your nausea meds, do not let nausea overtake you. Constipation is a problem as well - ask your doctor what he recommends as mine said miralax.
WE BOTH ARE SO BLESSED AND GOD IS DELIVERYING US! Please take care, let family and friends take care of you. My email is txtrepte@att.net if you ever would like to "talk", I am here!!!

Cathy Cartwright Trepte