Favorable & Optimistic

We have a date: Karl's appointment with Dr. Y at the Mayo Clinic is Thursday, June 12 at 1 p.m. We have so many questions and we're hopeful they will be answered when we meet with Dr. Y. We will let you know how it goes, but until then, here's a Karl update:

Last week, Chemo Sabe beat Karl up pretty well...but then again, we expected that. He looked like a typical chemo patient...tired, bald, dark circles under the eyes. But this week he's feeling better and has less pain than before. I should tell you that Karl shaved his head because it was very splotchy in terms or hair growth. His head now has the characteristics of Velcro -- he has a fun time removing shirts and hats because they cling to the very short whiskers of hair on his head. It's almost like he's wrestling with himself and I must say, is pretty comical at times.

But aside from how Karl is feeling, there is other news. After his last CT scan and MRI, we were told the cancer still had not spread. FANTASTIC! We were also told the MRI had revealed the tumor had not changed in size, but it had changed in structure. Dr. Scheutze must have sensed the deep concern on our faces because he quickly added, "That's favorable." He added that he did not expect the tumor to shrink at this point, but the fact that tumor had changed in structure was a very good sign. We later learned from the nurses that tumors often die from the inside out. We're assuming that's what is happening. Dr. Scheutze, who is generally a very serious physician, was joking with Karl and ended the conversation by saying, "I'm optimistic." Now, from my experience with oncologists and others who work in the cancer field, they try to stay away from encouraging words -- not to discourage patients or their families, but mainly to cover their own rear-ends. So, when an oncologist says the words, "favorable" and "optimistic" in terms of Karl's tumor, I take it to mean we can all be truly optimistic.

There's a sidebar to this particular report. The morning of Karl's appointment, I had written a prayer and emailed it to myself. In it, I had asked God for a long list of specific requests including: "...that today's report with Dr. Schuetze is favorable and optimistic." I feel it's pretty important for me to bear witness that God answered my prayer. I don't think it's a coincidence that Dr. Schuetze used the same exact words I used in my prayer, do you?

The underlying message here is PRAYER WORKS! KEEP IT UP!

Blessings,

Kerry

And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day's need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and there is no other.

1 Kings 8:59-60