Prayers needed for tcstoy please
01-05-2012, 09:10 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 05-30-2007
Location: Manhattan, Kansas
Posts: 506
Prayers needed for tcstoy please
Sorry this post is so long. I know I haven't posted much in quite a while.
Well …. it was a good ride while it lasted. Cancer simply will not be ignored. Tony has been struggling somewhat since the middle of November with increased fatigue and some unexplained back & neck pain. So off we went to have a consult with the dr. The PET scan and MRI confirmed what we suspected. The cancer is back and it isn’t playing nice. That was very evident by the doctor’s urgency to get us in to begin treatment toot sweet.
Tony has a tumor on his spinal cord at about vertebrae C5. Not good! C5 controls all sensation and motor function except for breathing. The biggest threat is the tumor cutting off the blood supply to his spinal cord. They want to do everything they can to prevent this from happening. The ugly and terrifying truth to that is that if that happens, he will be paralyzed from the neck down. We and the entire medical team want to do all we can to prevent this from happening.
If we do nothing, paralysis will be a definite. We don’t choose that option! Biopsy and surgery (most likely) are not an option because the risk of damaging the cord far outweighs the risk of treating it with radiation. Tony has opted to start radiation treatments. Those began today. He will receive 15 treatments -- one daily, M-F. We asked the doctor what the goal for radiation was and he said "It would be nice if we could stabilize the tumor and it would be nice if we could reduce it, but that is not the goal. The goal is to prevent paralysis." Gulp! Heavy stuff.
Tony was started on steroids today to help reduce any current swelling around the tumor and any that might be induced by radiation. We are hopeful this will be effective. We have requested a consultation with a neurosurgeon to follow radiation treatments and we intend to see that through. He already has a hook-up with a good one – the one that did his brain surgery.
Chemo is not out of the question for some other places that also lit up in his left chest wall but, at present, that is not priority. Chemo is not an option for this tumor because it does not cross the central nervous system.
Until radiation treatments are finished, the doctor has given Tony the rest of the month off from his part-time job. He also told him to take a few weeks off from driving. Ahhhh, sleeping in … relief from the daily onslaught of road rage … doctors orders for rest and healing … this could be a definite plus!
So we proceed from here today on a course of treatment that will hopefully be effective. We watch for signs and symptoms of things not going the way the doctor would like and pray we will never have to make that phone call.
We are so very blessed to have the care that we have here in Manhattan. We are further blessed to have a doctor who is willing to step up and zip into action when it is needed. We have faith in Tony’s medical team. We lean on God to give us courage and strength. We know He’s got this. Even so, if any of you wouldn’t mind hittin’ up the Big Guy upstairs, we would greatly appreciate you remembering us in prayer.
Val & Tony
Well …. it was a good ride while it lasted. Cancer simply will not be ignored. Tony has been struggling somewhat since the middle of November with increased fatigue and some unexplained back & neck pain. So off we went to have a consult with the dr. The PET scan and MRI confirmed what we suspected. The cancer is back and it isn’t playing nice. That was very evident by the doctor’s urgency to get us in to begin treatment toot sweet.
Tony has a tumor on his spinal cord at about vertebrae C5. Not good! C5 controls all sensation and motor function except for breathing. The biggest threat is the tumor cutting off the blood supply to his spinal cord. They want to do everything they can to prevent this from happening. The ugly and terrifying truth to that is that if that happens, he will be paralyzed from the neck down. We and the entire medical team want to do all we can to prevent this from happening.
If we do nothing, paralysis will be a definite. We don’t choose that option! Biopsy and surgery (most likely) are not an option because the risk of damaging the cord far outweighs the risk of treating it with radiation. Tony has opted to start radiation treatments. Those began today. He will receive 15 treatments -- one daily, M-F. We asked the doctor what the goal for radiation was and he said "It would be nice if we could stabilize the tumor and it would be nice if we could reduce it, but that is not the goal. The goal is to prevent paralysis." Gulp! Heavy stuff.
Tony was started on steroids today to help reduce any current swelling around the tumor and any that might be induced by radiation. We are hopeful this will be effective. We have requested a consultation with a neurosurgeon to follow radiation treatments and we intend to see that through. He already has a hook-up with a good one – the one that did his brain surgery.
Chemo is not out of the question for some other places that also lit up in his left chest wall but, at present, that is not priority. Chemo is not an option for this tumor because it does not cross the central nervous system.
Until radiation treatments are finished, the doctor has given Tony the rest of the month off from his part-time job. He also told him to take a few weeks off from driving. Ahhhh, sleeping in … relief from the daily onslaught of road rage … doctors orders for rest and healing … this could be a definite plus!
So we proceed from here today on a course of treatment that will hopefully be effective. We watch for signs and symptoms of things not going the way the doctor would like and pray we will never have to make that phone call.
We are so very blessed to have the care that we have here in Manhattan. We are further blessed to have a doctor who is willing to step up and zip into action when it is needed. We have faith in Tony’s medical team. We lean on God to give us courage and strength. We know He’s got this. Even so, if any of you wouldn’t mind hittin’ up the Big Guy upstairs, we would greatly appreciate you remembering us in prayer.
Val & Tony
01-06-2012, 07:37 AM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: 01-24-2008
Location: USA
Posts: 725
Tony and Val - You are in my thoughts and prayers for a total healing.
If I may tell you a story that is 100% true. My father in law left me a gold watch that has a value of about $5,000. I hadn't worn it for about two months and a couple of Fridays ago went to put it on - it wasn't where I keep it.
I went crazy looking all over for it - looked everywhere and it was nowhere to be found. I knew my wife would kill me if I ever lost it and I went into panic mode.
Saturday morning I drove to my office and looked through all of my stuff on the desks - it wasn't there. My tennant who is studying to be a minister came upstairs to do his laundry and I told him the story. He listened and then suddently said "let's pray".
He said something like "Lord, Andy has lost a watch - I know it's just a material thing, but it is important to him. Could you please help us find the watch?"
I thanked him and got in my car. I drove towards the house, which is about 5 minutes away. As I got about half-way home, my wife called me on the cell. "Andy, are you missing something?" I said "yeah, your father's watch"
She said "I just found it underneath the lamp. I don't know what made me look there". Unbelievable!
It had been missing for two months and in that five minute time period, she picked up that lamp and found it.
My point to both of you is that prayers really do work. Whether it is connecting with your higher power within you or from whatever you believe, you have the ability to make that connection.
Best wishes and thoughts for you.
Andy
If I may tell you a story that is 100% true. My father in law left me a gold watch that has a value of about $5,000. I hadn't worn it for about two months and a couple of Fridays ago went to put it on - it wasn't where I keep it.
I went crazy looking all over for it - looked everywhere and it was nowhere to be found. I knew my wife would kill me if I ever lost it and I went into panic mode.
Saturday morning I drove to my office and looked through all of my stuff on the desks - it wasn't there. My tennant who is studying to be a minister came upstairs to do his laundry and I told him the story. He listened and then suddently said "let's pray".
He said something like "Lord, Andy has lost a watch - I know it's just a material thing, but it is important to him. Could you please help us find the watch?"
I thanked him and got in my car. I drove towards the house, which is about 5 minutes away. As I got about half-way home, my wife called me on the cell. "Andy, are you missing something?" I said "yeah, your father's watch"
She said "I just found it underneath the lamp. I don't know what made me look there". Unbelievable!
It had been missing for two months and in that five minute time period, she picked up that lamp and found it.
My point to both of you is that prayers really do work. Whether it is connecting with your higher power within you or from whatever you believe, you have the ability to make that connection.
Best wishes and thoughts for you.
Andy
