Round 2

Sorry it's been a while between posts. Things have been slow, then all of a sudden we have appointments back to back! Today we are at UNC Lineberger Cancer Center receiving the first dose of oral chemotherapy. Keith qualified for a study with a new drug that is coupled with a steroid and another oral chemo (one that he has been on before), so there will be many trips to UNC over the next 6 months. Ultimately he can stay on this study as long as he does well, for longer than 6 months if it proves to be beneficial. Also we are looking at the possibility of another stem cell transplant in the future once we get this under control. According to our specialist, this combination of drugs should have the least amount of side effects and should get him in remission fairly quickly. There will be days he will be here 8 hours, days he will be here 1 hour, and days he won't be at UNC at all. All of these drugs are taken by mouth and can be taken at home, but on certain days they need to monitor him with labwork and EKGs so those days he will be in a small private room. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. So far he is tolerating everything just fine other than not being able to eat for 1 hour before and 2 hours after meds. They got started a little late today so he was starving! Thanks again everyone! Much love....

It's baaaacck.

Well, it's been a short 3 years. Keith has been in remission for the past 3 years but in September 2013 some routine labwork indicated that our visitor may be invading our lives once more. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed that multiple myleoma has once again become an unwanted member of our family. So to keep things simple, I decided to bring back the blog to those of you who aren't on facebook and to those of you who are, you can choose to read the blog instead of lengthy posts on my wall. Keith had an appointment at UNC last Friday and we met with a myeloma specialist who was totally awesome. After lots of big words and several really good options, we are awaiting some labwork to compare to the samples taken last month. Pending those results we will probably opt for an oral chemo cocktail followed by another stem cell transplant. The doctor mentioned to us about a new study that would include the oral chemo, steroids and another drug that we would have to travel to UNC several times per week for labwork and such. Honestly, I don't remember the details, but that's it in a nutshell. Because of Keith's age and good health, the doctor suggested a stem cell transplant sooner rather than later. UNC still has some cells left from last time, and they are viable for about 10 years. It has been 3, so the option to do it again would be a good one. I believe he would also stay on oral chemo regimen after transplant for as long as he does well. We all believe that this is his bet option at staying in remission the longest. We will go to his oncologist at Wakefield Tuesday morning to discuss things further and kind of keep everyone on the same page. We are so thankful to God for placing these awesome doctors and staff in our lives just when we need them. Also as much support as we had last time, I have no doubt we will get thru this obstacle with flying colors. Please be in prayer for us and especially Ben and Bella during this change. Ben is especially sensitive when it comes to cancer and losing my mom, we just don't want him to worry. And of course, Bella is also a worrier so we aren't sure how she will handle this. We just want to keep them as busy and happy as possible. I will update things as soon as we know more, but for now just keep us in your prayers! Big shout out to all of our peeps at Crossroads Church and family and friends from all around that are praying and already offering whatever we need in the future. Much love to everyone.