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Temple Christian School
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We had our visit with Pat's doctor today(6/22). Her multiple myeloma cancer is stage II of three stages. Multiple Myeloma is a rare generalized cancer of the bone morrow. It is not confined to a tumor site. In this way it is similar to leukemia. The doctor is trying her on several pills for the next two weeks to see if they might work. There is a one in 3 chance they will. If they do, she will continue on them at least for awhile. If not, she will begin chemotherapy in the hospital the first or second week of July. She would be in the hospital for four days.

If successful, the in-hospital treatment should eliminate 90% of the cancer after the first treatment and 99% after the second. Four or five treatments would be used. If in remission, the remission could last from 6 months to several years. Current median survival time for multiple myeloma is 7 years (one half of the patients die before 7 years and one half after 7 years)

Chemo. can be used twice at least. After that, stem cell transplant (taken from her own blood) is usually used. None of these is a cure. The only possible cure for multiple myeloma is bone marrow transplant. This procedure either kills the patient or cures them. 50% die and 50% are cured. So, they leave this until the last option. Close relatives will be asked to go ahead with a simple blood test ( HLA typing) to determine if they are potential donors later on down the line. Siblings are best, children next, and others last.

Pat's lungs, kidneys and heart are strong and able to withstand chemo. Her bones are not involved at present. One of the common effects of MM is eating away of bone mass. Of the 4 characteristics of the disease Pat is good on three and not good on one (amount of protein in the blood).

The doctor said there shouldn't be any great side effects of the chemo - other than loss of hair and weight gain - both of which are Pat's biggest hang-ups.

We continue to covet your prayers. Right now we would like to see the pills have a positive effect so she might be spared the hospital treatments once each month. But, mostly, we just desire that God's will be done and , if possible, that will be that Pat may be able to live a long life. Thank you so much for all of your prayers, love and concern over the past two weeks. Your outpouring of love has overwhelmed us. We will continue to keep you updated on her progress.

Pat had her first calcium treatment. This is a 2-hour infusion of calcium into the blood stream to help prevent bone loss or damage. She came through this fine. This treatment was given through the port she had installed last week. She has begun on oral chemo pills and thalidomide. She is working long hours - or at least as long as she can - at the school's fireworks warehouse and is a bit tired. Cindy is flying in July 2.

Pat returned to the doctor today to discuss treatment options. Because she was having some side effects to one of the pills she has been taking the doctor decided to go ahead and take her off the pills and start traditional chemotherapy. She will go in Arlington Memorial Hospital in Arlington to begin her first treatment tomorrow ( Wednesday). She is in room 3211. According to the doctor there may well be minimal side effects to the initial treatments. If any show up it will be in about a week. Side effects are more common as the therapy continues over the course of the six monthly treatments. The doctor is looking into some newer medicines for treatment in the future.

Pat is out of the hospital after 4 days of chemo. She felt great during the treatment when she was being given steroids. The day after her release she was very exhausted and could do very little. This seems to be improving slowly. The day after her release she was given a shot for anemia, so we are hoping this will help her regain her strength. Cindy has been here for a week and will leave on Thursday.

After feeling very weak the first three days out of the hospital, Pat has regained good strength and is back to work. She works a slightly shorter day but generally feels good. Her Monday blood test revealed good progress in her blood count. She will go back in for chemo treatment #2 the first of August. We are so grateful for all the prayers and support over the past few weeks.

Pat is in the hospital beginning her second round of chemo. She have felt very good for the past two weeks - better than she has in some time. She is doing fine in the hospital. People seem to have different reactions as the chemo treatments go on. We are hoping she will find the effects tapering off. Monday blood test looked very positive with significant improvement in all areas.

Following her second round of chemo, Pat is out of the hospital. She was weak and not feeling too well the first 3 days but her strength is returning. She plans on being back at work part time by Thursday or Friday of this week. Blood tests continue to look better.

Pat has had several rough days since her second treatment. We hope this will ease after future sessions. They have been somewhat discouraging to her. She is undergoing a 3 hour calcium treatment today and will re-enter the hospital for treatment number 3 one week from today. The school and church held a blood drive in her behalf (thanks to school counselor Kem Kidwell) last Saturday and the response was tremendous. Thanks so much to all who had a part in that effort.

Pat re-entered the hospital today to begin her third round of chemo. She has been feeling fair, although very tired. Her weekly blood tests are as the doctor expected. She is in Arlington Memorial, Room 3225.

Pat is home from her third treatment. She had a few difficult times yesterday but seems to be doing better. Cindy is arriving tonight to care for her for a few days. Thanks for so many who continue to support her, visit while she's in the hospital and pray.

Pat is doing much better following this 3rd chemo treatment than after the initial 2. Thanks for your prayers.

Pat went in for her check-up prior to entering the hospital tomorrow for the fourth round of chemo. They found she was running a slight temperature and also found a "noise" in her heart which makes them concerned her heart may not be tolerating the chemo. She will go ahead and check into the hospital tomorrow and a heart specialist will examine her to see if she is able to go ahead with this treatment. Should he feel she is not she will be put on a milder, outpatient chemo every two weeks. This type will take longer to effect a remission, but is tolerated better. Her blood tests continue to show progress in working toward remission.

Pat has been given three heart tests over the past 18 hours. All came back OK. They began this fourth round of chemo last night in the hospital.

Pat had a somewhat rougher time this chemo session. They neglected to prescribe an anti-nausea medicine when chemo began and her stomach was upset much of the time. She is at home and beginning to feel better. She has two more chemo sessions to go. Blood tests are continuing to progress well toward the doctor's target levels.

Pat will go in the hospital this Wednesday for her fifth - of six - round of chemo. She talked to the doctor today and he was pleased with the blood tests and their progress. If she does not show to be in complete remission at the conclusion of the 6 treatments, she will be put on an outpatient chemo and go in every two weeks for treatment. This will be a milder form of chemo. As long as she is stable or improving a maintenance treatment will be used. Should the myeloma begin to return the next step would be stem cell treatment. Our prayers are that she will go into remission and remain there for some years.

Pat is feeling very well while in the hospital for her fifth treatment. Her doctor says she is making steady - all be it slow - progress. He said this is generally a good sign. People who go into complete remission very quickly tend to have the remission not last as long as those who slowly go into remission. For the first time, he mentioned perhaps extending the chemo treatments if her protein count is not at "0" after the first six (it is .7 at present). He indicated her heart and other functions are holding up very well and he was sure there would be no reason she could not tolerate further treatments if needed. He indicated "good" remission for this type of cancer today is 5-7 years; medium is 3-4 years, and poor is 1 1/2 years. He said one of the keys was that there be no complications that would cause the course of the chemo treatments to be delayed.

Pat is out of the hospital and feeling very well. She had a good session in the hospital this time with no sickness as she has, at times, experienced before. Her last, we hope, treatment will be over Thanksgiving.

Pat is in Arlington Memorial again for what is, hopefully, her last treatment of this series (Room 3217). She went in Wednesday and will be out Sunday. Her doctor is encouraged by test results so far. Her protein level is way down but must be at "0" for her to be in remission. Her last test was before treatment #5, so we are praying her next two tests will show it down to "0". If and when it is she will be put on a maintenance medication. If not, the doctor will consider either 2 more treatments identical to the current series; outpatient chemo in his office every two weeks; or a new form of Thalidomide coming on the market in early 2005 specifically designed for myeloma patients. Pat has felt very good and strong between her last two treatments and has returned to work about 1/2 time and it back working with the cheerleaders. We, of course, hope this will continue. Since Pat was going into the hospital on Wednesday, we had Thanksgiving with our children on Tuesday and "grandma" got to keep her grandbaby for two days before then.

Pat is out of the hospital and feeling very good. She will have some definitive tests in about 6 weeks to determine the course of future treatment.

Pat continues to gain strength and be able to work longer hours. She plans on a busy crafts, fireworks, and other activity over the holidays.

Pat had her final tests today to determine if the cancer is in full remission. We will go in next Tuesday to get the report from the doctor and see what he plans for the future. (Test Report has been delayed until Monday, January 17)

Pat went in for her evaluation results yesterday. The doctor said she was doing about average for someone with her type of cancer. Her protein level is still not down to "0" and the in-hospital chemo seems to be losing its effectiveness. So he is going to try to keep the level coming down by using an out patient chemo which will be administered in his office every two weeks. After 8 weeks he will evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment. All other physical tests were very good and show she is holding up to the chemo treatments very well.

Pat tolerated the first of the new chemo treatments very well with no apparent side effects. We are hoping this will continue.

Pat worked today for the first time in about 10 days. She contracted the flu and with her resistance weak it took quite a toll on her. She has begun to recover well now. Because of the flu they could not give her the regularly scheduled chemo treatment last Wednesday, so they will try to do this tomorrow.

Pat went in today for her last chemo treatment in this series of 8. She has tolerated these treatments very well and has been feeling much better. We have an appointment next Monday to review the results and see how effective the new treatments were. We are praying she may now be able to go on a maintenance program for the foreseeable future. She is planning on making the trip to North Carolina with the cheerleading squad. They will be competing in the National Tournament and will leave Wednesday and return Sunday.

Pat went in for her 8 week check-up. Her protein count had come down 2 points - still at .4. Her doctor wants her to talk with a stem cell transplant surgeon and let him determine if she should continue on the current series of treatments, change to a different chemo, or consider stem cell transplant at the present time. We will be going to Baylor, Dallas, for that appointment. She will have the appointment within the next 10 days or so. At that point we will have a much better take on what the near-term treatment options are and the long-term schedule.

Pat developed a persistent and troublesome cough. She finally called her doctor on Sunday and he sent her to the emergency room for a chest X-ray. They found a lung infection (not pneumonia) and decided to admit her to they could administer antibiotics with an IV. She is in room 3220 at Arlington Memorial Hospital. Her appointment with the specialist at Baylor Dallas if for tomorrow but it is doubtful she will be able to keep it so it may have to be postponed. LATER UPDATE - they have now decided Pat has pneumonia. They are bringing in a specialist to treat her lungs. Her thyroid is also acting up so a specialist will also be in the examine that.

Pat's pneumonia seems to be improving but her doctor says he may keep her the rest of this week. He will try to get her appointment with the stem cell specialist for next week. Her most recent blood test revealed that the current chemo treatments she has been taking are not working as they had hoped, so some alternative treatment will be planned.

We visited Baylor Hospital, Dallas today and had an appointment with the Director of their transplant program. He sat with us for over 90 minutes explaining everything in detail and all the options. We now feel we know much more about the disease and options than ever before. He recommends we go ahead with a stem cell transplant. Pat will be at Baylor for two days next week for a full battery of tests basically repeating those she has had over the past 6 months. They will do this to be sure of diagnosis and stage the cancer is in. After approval from the insurance company (transplant is a $150,000 procedure) they will schedule her for the transplant. She will go in daily for a couple weeks to prepare for the transplant and will have another port inserted to handle the new procedures. They will give her medicine to increase the production of white cells, then harvest and freeze them. She will then receive a 15 minute dose of very high potency chemotherapy. This is designed to kill the cancer cells but also kills many of her healthy ones. She should feel OK for about a week then feel weak and bad for about another week and 1/2. A few days after the chemo they will transplant her harvested white cells back into her body. She will need about a month to fully recover from this. This transplant of one's own cells is very safe and the only real problem could be infection. Its success rate is also very good. There is another type of transplant where cells are taken from close relatives. This type is left as a last resort because of a much higher risk of serious problems. Pat will be staying during most of this time in a apartment adjacent to Baylor. I will commute between there and home and school. Cindy also plans to come for a time. With modern procedures there is a very short period where Pat cannot be around others (just a few days). We continue to covet your prayers and are so thankful for all those who have been so supportive to us already. We Praise the Lord for the blessing He has given us during this time. He is there when you need Him.

Pat spent the last two days undergoing a full battery of tests at Baylor, Dallas. We have not received any results from these, but we assume we will be called in for a report in the near future. It is probable that a plan and schedule for treatment will be outlined for us at that time. Pat is a bit exhausted from all the tests, but doing OK.

Pat has been feeling well and working every day. We have now heard from the doctors at Baylor. Her schedule will be:

June 22 Check into Baylor, Dallas, to begin a series of chemo treatments preparing for stem cell transplant. She will be an outpatient staying in an apartment provided by Baylor. This series should take about 2-3 weeks.

Aug. 3 (approximate) Into Baylor for transplant. She will be there for 10 days to 2 weeks. Following that will be a time of recovery at home.

We sincerely appreciate all the prayers and concern expressed to us. May God bless each of you.

We had our appointment with Baylor Dallas today to discuss test results and her treatment schedule. The tests came out very good in most areas but were not as positive in the important area of number of myeloma cells. She will go in next Wednesday, June 22 to have a larger port installed and begin 5 days of medium level chemo. She will stay in apartments at Baylor during this time and for about 10 days after to regain her strength and for daily tests. Toward the end of this period she will have her stem cells harvested to prepare for the transplant.
She will then go home for 2 weeks to regain some strength and return to Baylor after that. She will then be given a massive dose of chemo for 15 minutes to kill as many cells as possible. Following that she will have the stem cells transplanted and remain at Baylor for about 10 more days.
Cindy is coming home to be with her throughout this time and I will commute between home, work and Baylor. She should be off work for about 2 months.
Pat has been looking and feeling very well and has her strength back. She had expected the test results to be more positive, but the treatment would have been the same no matter what these results.
We continue to covet your prayer during this time.

We returned to Baylor for tests they neglected to do last week. The surgeon's nurse visited with us and told us since Pat's cancer cell count has risen so rapidly the doctor had decided to do more aggressive chemo, combining two forms. We both noted our surprise since she has been feeling and looking so well. The nurse said the cancer in the bone marrow had shown an increase from 20% to 90%. This increase was during her initial chemo. She gave us a schedule of Pat going into the hospital on Wednesday and having the catheter implanted. She will actually begin chemo on Tuesday of next week. She will be staying in an apartment at Baylor during the two weeks of treatments. Cindy and I will one or both be with her.
After both of us being disappointed at the test results, the nurse called back and said she too have begun wondering about the results and had checked again. It turned out the doctor had turned the two results around and she began treatment at 90% and is now at 20%. Needless to say, Pat was very relieved and both of us were praising the Lord for the good news. The doctor is switching to a less aggressive chemo for the treatments leading up to the stem cell transplant..

Pat is at Baylor staying in the complex's apartments. She will remain there for 3 weeks, be home for 3 and return for 3. She had the catheter implanted yesterday and everything went fine. She will begin actual chemo treatments on Saturday and will receive two types for a total of 5 days. After that she will receive injections of a substance to stimulate her bones to produce stem cells. The stem cells will be "harvested" and stored to use in the stem cell transplant at the beginning of the third 3 week period. If desired, mail may be sent to her at 2732 Gaston Ave., apt. 215, Dallas 75226. She is available in the early evenings via her cell phone.

Pat has finished with the chemo for this first round. So far she has done amazingly well and only had a few brief bouts with nausea. She credits prayer for the good reports so far. She has now begun the treatments to build up her white cell count to prepare to harvest the stem cells. This entire process should take about two weeks. Thanks so much for the continued thoughts, prayers and kindnesses shown.

Pat is still at Baylor. She had a rough week but is now on the recovery side. They should be harvesting the stem cells this week and will then send her home for 3 weeks prior to the actual infusion of the cells. She has been running a fever, chilling and had an upset stomach, but all of these are beginning to subside. Worst of all for her was that this time around she actually did loose her hair. She had escaped that in prior treatments. We're hoping she may be out of Baylor by mid to late week. Cindy will remain here until she is out of the hospital.

Pat's white blood cell count had begun to very slowly bounce back. She went this morning and in one day it had multiplied many times over - from .2 to 2.4. When the doctor saw the report he rushed her in to harvest as many cells as he could get. This is a process which usually takes several days. The minimum they must harvest is 2 million cells. He told us they would like to shoot for 4 million but might not be able to get that many. With 4 million they can freeze half in case she might need them in the future. The doctor promised to call as soon as he knew how many cells they collected today. When he called he said they had collected 14 million today - which must be some kind of a record for someone her size. They will keep all unused cells for the rest of her life in case she might need them. At present she is hoping to be released to come home by tomorrow evening. We praise the Lord for the good report.

Pat is home from Baylor and happy to be here. She is slowly gaining strength, but it will take awhile. Cindy will be leaving in the next few days. Pat will return to Baylor in approximately 3 weeks for the transplant.

Pat is back at Baylor to prepare for the actual transplant. She will receive the very potent chemo on Saturday and the actual transplant on Monday. She should be at Baylor for approximately 3 weeks. Her address is 2732 Gaston Avenue, Bldg. 321, Dallas 75226. Phone to the apartment is (214) 747-1883.

Pat had her stem cell transplant today. She is weak and nauseated much of the time, but otherwise is doing well. She will remain at Baylor for 2-3 weeks as her white blood cell count recovers.

Pat has had a rough week battling nausea each day. At times she feels very well; very sick at others. According to the medical staff at Baylor this will last for about another week before it begins to improve.

Pat has continued to be very weak and nauseated. Her mouth and throat are broken out so she has trouble eating and swallowing. After resisting the idea for about a week she told the doctor today she was ready to be checked into the hospital for full time care. Hopefully, a few days of this will put her on the road to regaining strength. She was originally told to expect to feel very bad for one to two weeks after the chemo but she did not expect to feel this bad. Next Monday will be two weeks. We continue to appreciate all the prayers and support from so many people.

Pat is being released from the hospital today. She is feeling much better and stronger. She will return to the apartment for a few days and they anticipate releasing her to return home at the end of the week. She continues to have some problems eating but otherwise is feeling very good.

Pat continues to feel very well. She will have her infusion port removed Thursday and following that plans on coming home with follow-up visits for the next few weeks. Eventually, she will be returned to the supervision of her Ft. Worth physician and not have to make the trips to Baylor.

Pat is home in Burleson and feeling very well. She has been out shopping and is slowly recovering her appetite. She seems to feel much better and hopefully is on the way back to feeling normal.

Pat had her first post hospital doctor visit yesterday. They were very encouraged that all her blood counts had returned to normal. They took the first post treatment myeloma test and will have the results next week. Pat is still battling an occasional fever and persistent cough. Otherwise, she is feeling much better.

Baylor called yesterday and said there was a shadow on Pat's lung and to be safe in case if was developing pneumonia they wanted here to come to Dallas for 5 consecutive days for anti-biotic treatments. She continues to feel fairly well so we feel it is probably nothing too serious.

Pat returned to Baylor today for her post transplant check-up and consultation. Her doctor said all her blood counts were now normal. He reminded us that multiple myeloma is not diagnosed by one test but by evaluating a number of them. Last week they ran a total of 10 myeloma tests on her. He said 9 of them came back normal or in many cases better than normal. One test did not show normal, but he noted that test had been abnormal for as long as she had been having tests done and had changed little over time. Because of this he said he put little importance on that one test. He has released her back to her Ft. Worth oncologist. She will be tested monthly for some time to come alternating testing between Baylor and Ft. Worth. He has taken her off the majority of her medications. Multiple Myeloma is never regarded as completely cured but long term remission is the early goal. There are some people in which it never returns. She will probably always be on some medication and regular testing. Her doctor commented that as a stem cell transplant patient her results were "A+". Needless to say we are Praising the Lord for such a great report. Thanks again for all the prayers and support of so many of you scattered across the nation. They have meant more than you will ever know. We ask that you continue to hold Pat up in prayer that this not be something she would have to battle again anytime in the near future if at all.

Pat continues to do very well. She is rapidly gaining strength, is eating normally and feeling very good most of the time. She is gradually easing back into her schedule. We learned so many lessons during this time. Two of the ladies who were in Baylor with Pat receiving cancer treatment for similar diseases have passed away since Pat left Baylor. Only now after the past year can we begin to realize what families go through leading up to, and during times like these. We feel very fortunate and blessed.

Pat continues to do great. She is back working part time most days and shopping, etc. Her initial blood tests by her primary care physician looked great. We will return to Baylor Nov. 8 for definitive tests there. Once again, thanks so much for all your prayers and support.

Pat had her first major check-up since the transplant. Her doctor at Baylor said she was in remission and was doing as well as anyone could do after such a transplant. He has released her to return for quarterly check-ups at Baylor beginning in January. We are so appreciative of all the prayers, love and support we have received from so many. Your love will not be forgotten. We praise the Lord for his blessing on us. We ask you continue to remember Pat in prayer that this remission may be an extended one.

Pat has contracted a fairly serious case of pneumonia. Since Baylor does not want any other hospital to treat transplant patients, she has been readmitted over there. She is in Jonnson Hospital, Room 715. They are doing a thorough work-up on her condition but do not feel it is directly related to her cancer treatments (she has had this two times before). Baylor is nothing if they are not thorough! She is resting well and hopefully will be out in 3 days or so. She had returned to working each day and was doing much better until about two weeks ago.

Pat is still at Baylor. Pneumonia is much better but she is still having trouble with her ears. A specialist was in today and told her she needed tubes put in her ears, so we will be having that done in the next week or so - just an "in-office" procedure. He noted to her, "You have little grandchildren don't you? When she said she did, he said, "And I bet they've had runny noses - that's where you are getting this." Since she's not going to stay away from the grandkid, tubes seem to be the only solution. She is struggling a bit with nausea, but otherwise is hoping to get out of the hospital in the next day or so. (Speaking of grandchildren, she is thrilled that she is going to have another - Cindy is due in July).

Pat is at home and is feeling better. She is still on medication for the pneumonia. The ear doctor put the tubes in without knocking her out - big mistake! He had trouble getting the one in the sorest ear to go in so he had to cut two openings and force the tube in. Pat was in extreme pain during most of the procedure which took almost 30 minutes. The doctor barely escaped with his life. He kept saying he was sorry it was hurting so much but that was little consolation. She is hearing better and the pressure relief will be good for her.

Pat returned to Baylor, Dallas, for her monthly check-up. The doctor said all tests results were normal or better and everything looked excellent. She will not have to return until late July or early August when, on the anniversary of her stem cell transplant, more extensive tests will be done. She continues to have problems with hearing in one ear and will see a specialist in Ft. Worth this week.

Pat went to Baylor for blood work. One of the doctor's assistants had noticed one area of testing was slightly elevated from previous test. These results will be in in a few days. We ran into her primary doctor and he wondered why she was there, saying he saw the reports and didn't see anything "scary" in them but it was OK to be safe. He said if he had been concerned we would have heard from him. Anyway, he will be reviewing results of most recent tests. Her next regular appointment is the end of July.

Baylor called today and said all of her recent tests looked great and they did not need to see her again until July. We are Praising the Lord for the continued good reports.

Pat returned to Baylor for her regular check-up. Initial results look great and indicate she continues in remission. We praise the Lord for this good report. Her doctor will now see her four times a year and told her to go out and live a normal life. Humorously - to others - the stem cell transplant procedure wiped out all her past immunizations, etc. so they began giving her a series of "baby shots". She will complete the entire series in a month. Pat just returned from two weeks with Cindy and her new arrival - Miller. Pat felt fine and has regained much of her strength.

Pat continues to feel very well, for which we continue to praise the Lord. She returns for her next series of tests the first of February.

Pat returned for her 3 month check-up on 2/5. The doctor said she was still in remission; the tests were perfect as they had been for over a year, and they now needed to think about doing some things "assuming you are going to live a long time". (routine tests, etc. not connected with her cancer). She will now drop to two check-ups per year. Pat got well acquainted with 3 others who were undergoing similar transplants as hers while she was in the hospital. Two have since passed on, and the third was put into remission from lymphoma, but has now developed leukemia and has had to have a bone marrow transplant. So, we are especially thanking the Lord for Pat's continued great progress and her feeling so great. We covet your continued prayers.

Pat had her 6 month check-up yesterday. Her doctor said the blood and Myeloma tests were "fantastic" and that she was still in remission. He will see her again in 6 months.

Pat's Myeloma tests continue great. No evidence of any reoccurrence. She has, however, come down with a very painful attack of "Shingles". Apparently, this is not as serious as just very painful and prolonged. She is trying to tough it out but, at times, it gets the best of her.

Pat began having serious problems with her ears and hearing. The doctor scheduled her for surgery but ran an EKG to be sure she was strong enough. He interpreted the EKG as abnormal and sent her to a heart specialist for a complete battery of tests. The heart specialist could find no problems so Pat underwent surgery on her ears and sinuses on the 13th. She is sore and in some discomfort but recovering well.

Pat had her 6 month check-up and the doctor said all blood counts looked fantastic. Myeloma tests must be sent off but he said if there was any serious problems it would have shown up in her blood. We Praise the Lord for the great report!

Pat's doctor called and said her myeloma tests were up 15%. We are not sure what this means, but it is not what we hoped to hear. She will return to Dallas this Friday, Feb. 1, for bone morrow and MRI testing to determine what course of action is needed. Once again, we covet your prayers on her behalf. Thanks so much for all the prayers over the past few years.

We returned to Baylor on 2/1. Pat is no longer in remission but her doctor seemed confident that, pending test results, he could put her on medication that would probably return her to remission. She had the bone marrow test and we are returning to Dallas on 2/05 for the results of that. He said unless that was worse than he expected it to be he was 95% certain he would put her on a fairly new medicine that was proving effective against myeloma. It is a newer form of Thalidomide, without some of the side effects. She still has to go through an "act of Congress" to get it - phone interviews, etc. but he feels this is the best next step. The downside of the medicine is that, according to him, it is the most expensive medicine produced today. She will take one pill a day for three weeks and then be off one week before the next cycle of 3 weeks. The pills are $300 each. We are praying our insurance - which has been a life saver for us so far - will take care of a good portion of this. We should know the status of that next week. The insurance had not approved the scheduled MRI so, hopefully, that will be done Tuesday and the results of that will be available in a few days. Thanks so much for your continued prayer support.

Pat’s doctor visit yesterday went well. We are so appreciative of all the prayers, love and support all have shown. The results of her bone marrow tests were not all in but the doctor said he was confident from the results he had to go ahead with the medication he had planned on using. The insurance is still balking at the MRI, but the hospital feels they can get that straightened out. We will have to go back over for that and in 2 weeks to see how she is doing on the new medications. One of the medications was over $8,200 for a one pill a day, 3 week supply - as the Doctor had told us. However, we Praise the Lord that is appears our insurance will cover a great part of that! She will be on this mediation for 3 weeks, off for one, on for 3, etc. for from 4-6 months. The doctor is confident that this should put her into remission again. Again, thanks so much for your support and we covet your continued prayers.

Pat's latest report indicates the new medicine is working. She is still not back in remission but the negative counts are coming down. She is having some pain from the myeloma but the doctor is confident this will dissipate.

Pat's blood tests continue to indicate the medicine is helping bring bad counts down. She is experiencing some additional discomfort. She had a spinal MRI about two weeks ago, but they have not notified us of results as yet.

The spinal MRI revealed some spots on her spine but no worse than the MRI taken a few years ago. Her blood work shows she is continuing to progress toward remission. She will have to remain on her very potent medicines for awhile longer.

Pat returned to Baylor for her monthly tests. Her two most important measurements of myeloma are now in the normal range. We praise the Lord for that. One test is not normal, but the doctor feels it is not accurate considering the other tests. She will continue chemotherapy medication for a couple more months.

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