Health Update -- Chemo & Immunotherapy

This morning was my final chemo treatment (#4).  After this, treatments will continue with infusions for immunotherapy.  They will still be every 3rd Monday, but the duration of the infusion will be much shorter than the chemo treatments (2 hours vs. 5-6 hours).  

The immunotherapy treatments will endure for a year.  It remains to be seen what kind of reactions I will have.  I have been told that some have developed a rash.  Others have nausea.  Others get fatigued.  I guess I will have to learn by experience what effects I will face, but I am hoping that it will be minimal and that my schedule will not need to be altered because of it.

I had a PET scan back on September 20, and the results were very good.  My oncologist, Dr. Manam, said that they were not only improved, but much improved.  I am grateful for that.  Since I never felt bad to begin with, it was hard to know if I was getting better.  According to Dr. Manam, things are better.

I am grateful that the Lord has spared me from some rather difficult treatments and after-effects that are common in many others.  I am grateful for doctors who pursued their concerns and caught everything early so that my condition was not beyond help.  I am grateful for so many who have expressed their concerns and offered up their prayers.  And I am hoping that these treatments will allow me to continue to in my various vocations for many years to come.  But even if everything falls apart health-wise, I am still in God's hands, and that is a good place to be.

Health Update -- New schedule

A trip to the oncologist this past Thursday revealed a new schedule (at least, new to me).  What was scheduled to be six weeks of chemotherapy has been reduced to four weeks.  So, I am halfway through, which is nice.

That was followed by the oncologist saying that I will have infusions for immunotherapy every third week for a year.  A year.  Okay.

I am guessing that the infusions will not be as debilitating as chemo has been.  At least, I hope so.  

I will be having a PET scan in mid-September to see what three treatments of chemo have accomplished so far.  Radiation is not out of the question, but that depends on what the PET scan shows.

Is this all good news?  I suppose so, but for me is just what is on the schedule for the coming year.  There are still some questions, but they will be answered as we progress.  No matter what, I am in God's hands, and that is a good place to be.

Health Update -- Has the pattern been set?

My second chemo treatment was completed on Monday, August 19.  Everything went well.  I felt going in and coming out.

The hiccups returned on Tuesday, although not as bad as the first time.  Some meds also helped to curtail the hiccups and allowed for better sleep.  

But, it seems the pattern will be that I will be utterly useless on Wednesday and into Thursday following the chemo treatment.  I avoided the fever this time, which also meant I avoided the hospital stay.  But once the fatigue kicked in, it seems that I will need a good 48 hours to feel human again.

One additional challenge to this round of treatment was that Peter needed to go through testing for a optical nerve.  That involved and MRI and an MRV.  That was followed up by a spinal tap because of spinal fluid putting pressure on his head.  So, while I was crashed out, Laura and Peter were in the hospital for an overnight stay.  That also meant Laura missed the first day of school at St. Paul's.

But Peter came home Wednesday night and Laura was able to get to school today.  And I am almost human.  So, things are looking up.  God be praised.

Health Update: Set-back #1

The first round of chemo on Monday, July 29 went very well.  I felt great going in, and great coming out.  In fact, I felt great into Tuesday.  Then, on Tuesday evening, I hit my first set-back.

We were told that if I had a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, I needed to go to the ER.  Tuesday had me at 102, and later in the hospital at 102.4.  The concern, of course, was with infection.  So, I was admitted to a room about 3 AM on Wednesday, July 31.  They began antibiotics and drew blood for lab work to find out where the infection might be.  As for me, Wednesday was a lot of sleeping in between all the fuss they made over me.

By Thursday morning, the fever had broke and I was feeling much better -- except for hiccups that ran for about 24 straight hours.  Every four seconds (yes, I timed it), a hiccup would come.  While a rare side effect, it is not unheard of.  It was not painful, but it surely was annoying and made getting back to sleep more difficult.

As Thursday rolled into Friday, all tests for infection proved negative.  To be cautious, they kept me hooked up to anti-biotics until Saturday.  Finally, I was discharged around 4:00 PM, although my patience was taking a beating by that time.  I was ready to go about 10:00 AM, and then wait, wait, wait.......

So, now I am home.  The levels of caution the doctors told me to have vary a bit.  One doctor would like me isolated until about Christmas.  I don't see that as an option.  I was told to avoid crowds.  That is understandable.  But what about nursing home chapels?  Shut-in visits?  Hospital visits?  Conducting a funeral?  For some activities, I should still be able to maintain a distance from people.  I keep a good six feet or better between me and others while conducting a service or teaching a Bible Class.  Perhaps I will not be able to greet people with handshakes or hugs for a while, even though that makes me feel cold and distant.  And (sigh) I may have to mask up again in some places.

It remains to be seen just how cautions I should be, and I don't have an answer for that, yet.

Chemo treatments will continue as scheduled.  The next one will be Monday, August 19.  I hope that my reaction from the first treatment is not what is to be expected for all subsequent treatments.  But if so, at least everyone will know what to expect the rest of the way.

Thanks to those who arranged me getting the Sunday service covered today.  I know Pastor Gibbons was excited to preach a sermon again after retirement kept him on the sidelines for seven months.  I hope he enjoyed his well-earned afternoon nap.

Again, I am ever grateful for the prayers and willingness to help with ministry as much as others can.  The evidence of Christian love and concern is evident, and I want to be sure to acknowledge it.  If I ever am slow to express thankfulness, please accept my apologies.

God bless and keep you.

In Christ,
Pastor Schroeder

Health Update: Chemo begins

It has been a while since I have posted a health update, so here is the most recent news to share.

On Wednesday, July 24, I had a port put in my chest to make treatments easier to receive.  It is quite attractive, if I do say so myself.  (I am lying.)

Tomorrow, July 29, I begin chemotherapy treatments.  I will be at the Assarian Cancer Center in Novi.  Treatments will be a six-hour day, and they are scheduled every three weeks.  The Monday treatments are strategic, assuming that I will feel fairly normal by the time next Sunday rolls around.  I do not know how it will affect me during the week.  Nausea?  Fatigue?  Other?  The only consistent answer I get is that "it is different for everyone."  So, while I appreciate the advice I am begin given by people who have experienced it before, they also acknowledge that it may not work that way for me.  This is uncharted territory.

The most frustrating part of this is not knowing if or when I will be able to serve in my various duties.  I will try to be available and retain as normal a schedule as I can, but I don't know if my body will allow for anything close to that--at least for the first week after the chemo treatments.  I am hoping weeks two and three will be able to be somewhat normal.

Right now, I am still feeling good.  I suspect that will change shortly.

I am grateful for so many people who are praying for me.  God bless and keep you all.

In Christ,
Pastor Thomas E. Schroeder

Health Update: From June 13 appointment

Yesterday, we met the oncologist to determine what the next course of action will be regarding my Stage 3 lung cancer.  I had a PET scan taken on June 4.  We were to learn the results of that.  The hacking of the Ascension Hospital system is still making everything slow, so the doctor did not have access to the PET scan.  He told us that he would read it later that afternoon and inform us about it.  As of this writing, that still has not happened.

What I was able to do was to have some blood tests, one of which tests for cell mutation.  We scheduled an appointment with a radiation oncologist for next week.  We also have an order put in for an MRI on my brain which may or may not happen, depending on the reading of the PET scan.  If it does happen, the order was marked "Stat," so that could happen next week, too.

There is no concrete plan regarding treatments, either what they will be or when they will begin.  We anticipate that there will be no treatments until after July 4.

For now, we still wait for more results and for more questions to be answered.

I am still in God's hands, and that is a good place to be.

Updates will continue as there is any information to pass along.

Biopsy results

The following letter was sent out as an email to the members of Good Shepherd and other groups as well.  Since this is now public knowledge, I will leave it here for the cyberworld.

Late afternoon yesterday (May 29), I had the consultation regarding my biopsy from two weeks ago.  I suspect that the hack at Ascension Hospital delayed things a bit.  Even yesterday, the doctor had to make calls to get the results to him.  (If the biopsy comes as news to you, I did not bother to say anything until there were results to report.)

In short, the results are not good.  I was informed that the biopsy reveals that I have squamous cell carcinoma, which is a form of lung cancer.  It is rarely seen in people who do not smoke.  He informed me that it is Stage 3, which may have more to do with where the lymph node is than how much it has spread.  To determine how much it has spread or to find its origins, I am scheduling a full body PET scan (still trying to contact the scheduling department; I left one message so far this morning).

There have been no discussions regarding treatment yet, other than being told that surgery will not be an option.  I suppose scheduling treatments will come after the PET scan.

For now, I feel fine.  I have an occasional coughing fit, but even those occur less frequently than before.  I don't anticipate any change in my schedule until treatments start getting penned into my calendar.  The slower summer schedule will help.

I thank you in advance for your prayers.