Update #5 Dated November 19, 2011

Hi All,

Just wanted to give you a quick update.  I did not start chemo on Friday morning as planned.  The hospital where I had my biopsy done had not sent the pathology slides to MDA in time.  Even though they were requested a month ago, they did not arrive until Thursday morning, which was not enough time for the pathology department and my oncologist to read them.  He said he didn't want to prescribe chemo until he saw the slides himself and knew what he was dealing with.  I'm ok with that!  So the first chemo session has been scheduled for the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  I will get up early that morning and drive to Houston, have the chemo, and come back on Monday.  Vivian said she'd go with me again.  Bless her heart!

I know there is a reason for the delays.  I can feel that God is working but I have no idea what He's doing.  I am just following His lead and doing what I need to do.  I did meet another woman at the clinic on Thursday that has the same kind of cancer as I do and in the same places.  She was there for her initial visit and was scared and anxious.  I talked with her for a while and tried to ease her fears.  We're going to stay in touch.  Maybe that's why I was there Thursday, so I could help someone else to find the peace with this that I have.  Anyway....

I'm looking forward to a fun and tasty Thanksgiving now!  I even have a few days to enjoy the leftovers!  :-)  God is so good!!!

Thanks to everyone for your concern and prayers!  They're obviously working!  I'll let you know how the chemo goes when I get home.

Love to all,

Vaughn

Update #4 And So It Begins dated November 12, 2011

It's Saturday evening and I'm getting tired so this probably won't be very long.  As most of you know, I spent most of the week at MD Anderson in Houston.  I met with doctors, social workers, financial assistant people and even a dentist.  I really liked almost everyone I met with.  The exception was the dentist.  It wasn't a love connection.  I had another MRI, that they scheduled for 9:00 at night, which means it's really going to be 10:00 before you see anyone.  That was pretty much the way all the appointments ran.  But that's ok.  I had no where else to go!  :-)

On Thursday afternoon, my team of doctors met (the surgeon who is like my primary doctor, the medical oncologist, and the radiology oncologist) and discussed my case and what was going to be the best course of treatment.  The PA for my surgeon called me late Friday afternoon with the results of the meeting.  

They want to start out with what is called Induction Chemotherapy.  It will be 3 treatments of chemo, spaced 21 days apart.  The first one is scheduled for this coming Thursday.  After the third chemo treatment, they will do another scan to see how much the cancer in my nasopharnyx and lymph glands have shrunk.  Based on those findings, they'll either do radiation or radiation with chemo.  I suppose if the lymph glands haven't shrunk they could do surgery to remove them, but that's never really been discussed.  From what I've been told, the chemo usually works on the glands and kills the cancer in them.  I asked her "what if they found no cancer anywhere after the chemo (because I'm thinking God is going to make an appearance in a big way!)...would they still do radiation?"  She said she didn't know.  So, I'M praying that all the cancer is killed with the chemo!  I'm sure they'll still do some radiation, but I'm also praying that it won't be near as much or have near the side effects.

The chemo has side effects that could include nausea, low white and red blood cell counts, neuropathy, hearing loss, and kidney disease.  I have to drink a LOT of liquids with this chemo so as not to damage my kidneys.  If there is hearing loss, it will be permanent.  But he said that it would probably not be a big hearing loss...mainly I won't hear high pitched sounds.  Again, I'm trusting God to protect my hearing and for this chemo not to effect me that way.  I'm hoping that because I'm only having 3 rounds of chemo, the side effects won't be as bad as if I were having more.  Usually the side effects are what they call cumulative.

The radiologist had even less great news.  They will not be doing the proton radiation like I wanted.  The resident actually explained why to me better than the doctor did, but it's too long to go into in writing.  Plus I need to use my hands to explain lol.  Anyway, she said that my hearing would be damaged from that and it would not come back later on.  She said my salivary glands, sense of taste and sense of smell would be effected, but they should come back to some degree later on (maybe even a couple of years).  She said that my vocal chords might also sustain some damage but she felt like they would come back eventually too.

So, it appears that I am in for the ride of my life!  None of it sounds great except that I'll be alive and cured at the end of all of it.  But, I have a really big God and God trumps cancer every time!  So please pray that this will all be cured with the chemo, and if they do have to do radiation, it won't be as much or as long and won't do the damage they are saying it could do.  I know the Lord can do anything and fix anything, so this is my prayer.  Please join me.

I will be taking my chemo in Houston, so I will leave Wednesday, have the chemo Thursday, then stay overnight Thursday night (in a motel not the hospital) to make sure I don't have any adverse reactions.  My friend Vivian in going with me this time (bless her heart!) so I won't be alone.  They won't give it to me if I'm alone.  I have a that lives in Houston who went with me my first day (and took me to dinner one night) and she was a huge help, so I do have some support in Houston, including a couple of friends that live there.

This email probably doesn't sound too upbeat, but as I said, I'm tired and it's getting close to bedtime.  I am actually putting all my faith in God and just praying that He fixes everything.  I heard some amazing stories from people while I was at MDA and I can tell you without a doubt, God is alive and working!

Please pray for me that I get through this ordeal with everything still in good working order and that, of course, God gets the Glory.  I know there's a reason for all of this, I just don't know what it is.  And thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and good wishes so far.  I have never been more acutely aware of what a wonderful life I have, and what a great group of friends and family I have, than when I was at MDA.  I don't ever remember being happier to come home to my life than I was yesterday.  You are all very VERY loved!

Vaughn

P.S.  Ok I lied, it was not short.  Seriously.  Do you really think I could write a short email???  Hahahahaha!  Nite nite!

Update #3 dated October 28, 2011

All,

I just got off the phone with MD Anderson and my financial aid application has been accepted!!!!  I am going to be able to get my treatment at MD Anderson!!!  If they treat my cancer like they have other peoples that have the same type, it will be MUCH better, in terms of side effects and quality of life after the treatment.  My first Dr. appointment with them is November 8th.  I'm not sure if I have to go and stay and them start treatment immediately, or if I will come home then go back for the duration when I start my treatment.

Thank you ALL for praying for me and for this situation.  He heard our prayers and answered.  He is an awesome God and I am humbled by His love and kindness.  I am blessed.  

As I know more, I'll keep you all informed.  Thank you again!

Love to all,

Vaughn

Update #2 dated October 12, 2011

All, 

Just a quick update and some big PRAISE!  First of all, my sister, Valerie, who has been taking chemo for 18 weeks for breast cancer, had her mastectomy yesterday.  When she was diagnosed back in May, the PET scan showed she had a tumor in her breast and it had spread to lymph nodes.  Yesterday, when the doctor biopsied those lymph nodes during the surgery, they came back negative!!!!  The cancer was killed in those lymph nodes by the chemo.  Well, it was killed by God, but He used chemo I think.  :-)

And then today, I went to the radiology oncologist and he had the results of my scans.  PRAISE GOD, the cancer has not metastasized past the lymph nodes that we already knew about!!!  GREAT NEWS!!!  All the prayers you've prayed for me were heard and answered!  When I was told it was negative it felt like a 10 ton weight had been lifted off me.  And of course, I cried. 

I am still going through the process of trying to get into MD Anderson, and think I'll know something within a week.  I'm cautiously optimistic.  

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support!  They are OBVIOUSLY working!!!

Love,

Vaughn

The First Update

I have been sending out update emails to a group of friends and family who tell me they want to know what's going on with me.  As I continue to update them, I realize that these emails are getting long and cumbersome.  So in the interests of time (and keeping friends!), I decided to repost these emails to this blog and, going forward, will put all my updates on this site instead of sending out long winded emails.  That way people can check them at their leisure.  So here is the first update I sent:

September 26, 2011

All,

I apologize for not getting this out sooner.  After my meeting last Wednesday with the oncologist, I was completely overwhelmed and honestly just could not vocalize my thoughts.  It's taken a couple of days to wrap my head around all of this.  But in essence, this is where I am right now and this is what the oncologist told me...

The standard treatment for this type of cancer is chemo and radiation.  The chemo is 3 treatments, each 3 weeks apart.  The radiation is 5 days a week for 7 weeks.  I do them both together.  Then I'll have another 3 rounds of chemo (once every 3 weeks)  after I'm done with radiation.  The chemo comes with the normal side effects (nausea and vomiting, fatigue) but also comes with some issues with low red blood cell count, so they will have to take my blood every week and I may have to have blood transfusions.  

Everyone that has this radiation has side effects that affect your quality of life, but the degree of the effects is different for each person.  Generally, people lose their sense of taste and smell.  They lose the ability to produce saliva which brings a whole host of other problems with it.  If your mouth isn't constantly moist, bacteria grows in it and causes tooth decay and all kinds of problems with your teeth and mouth in general.  Because of this, I have to get my teeth cleaned and checked and have any dental work done that is necessary (cavities being filled, teeth being pulled, etc) prior to starting treatment.  After about the 2nd week of radiation treatment, my throat is going to become so sore (and dry) that swallowing and eating will be very painful, so a lot of times they insert a feeding tube into your stomach so you can get nourishment.  People usually lose a lot of weight with this treatment (the bright side for me!  I've always been a "glass half full" kinda girl!  Haha!).  

Because of the harsh side effects of the radiation, I'm going to try to get into MD Anderson for treatment.  They have a different kind of radiation, Proton radiation, and it has a much finer beam to pinpoint the cancer and cause less damage to surrounding tissue.  I have been told that they may not accept me if I am on a county medical plan (which they are trying to set me up for for my dental procedures).  I have to be accepted for treatment first (I should know something by Wednesday), then I go through the financial aid process.  I hope this is God's will.  I have a friend who has volunteered to live in my house and take care of my animals for the 2 months I'd have to be gone.  

All of the above treatment plan is based on the assumption the cancer has not spread.  They are trying to schedule a CT scan, bone scan, and MRI for me to determine this, but I have not heard back from them for an appt. date or time yet.  If the cancer has spread, I'm sure treatment will be much more aggressive.

I'm NOT looking forward to any of this!  I guess my prayer request would be to pray for the cancer to not have spread and for MD Anderson to grant aid and care so that I can have the less harsh treatment and the side effects will be less severe.

I know this is going to be a hard road but I also know that there is a plan and, while it may not seem very good right now, in the big scheme of things, it's going to be perfect.  God is sovereign.  He can't make a mistake.  So, I'm doing everything in my power to keep my faith strong and keep moving forward.

Again, I'm so sorry I have not sent something out sooner.  Between the cancer and all that that encompasses, the financial aid for the cancer, the hoops at MD Anderson, and just trying to figure out how to pay the bills from day to day, I've got a lot of moving pieces in my life right now and it gets kind of overwhelming sometimes.  But as things develop, I'll let you know.

I want to thank all of you who have emailed and called and offered to help and already done so much for me.  You have no idea how much it helps and how much it means to me!  Without you, I don't know how I'd be doing this.  I know God is here and He shows Himself to me through all of you every single day.

I love you all!