is Chicago's O'Hare Airport. What a day (and night!) we had getting home yesterday!
Our flight from Rochester was supposed to leave at 3:45, but the plane from Chicago didn't arrive until 4:15. We left Rochester at 5:00, landed in Chicago, and as we taxied to our gate I could see our plane from Chicago to Raleigh still at its gate. We hustled from G21 to K15, and it was gone. Missed it by maybe 10 minutes!
We were re-booked onto the next flight, went to that gate, waited 75 minutes, and it was cancelled. We were re-booked, went to the next gate, waited an hour, and it was cancelled. We were re-booked (familiar?) went to the next gate, and this one was delayed 45 minutes. This is, by the way, the last flight of the day to Raleigh. We finally boarded, and sat on the runway for an hour. Kids were all at home, alone, hoping to see us before bed (obviously did not happen). Rides from the airport have been called and re-worked several times (thanks Mike and Warren!) Did I mention that there were somewhere around 18 children under the age of 8 on the flight? Including the three age 5 and under directly behind us? We finally took off, arriving in Raleigh at 2:20 a.m., and got to bed at 3:15 a.m. My first patient today: 8:00! Welcome back!
Thank you all again for praying for us and the trip and her appointments and her health. All went very well, and we are very grateful. I posted an excerpt from Dave McCarty yesterday or the day before, in which he started by saying that "Today is perfect." I guess God wanted to see if I really believe that or not with the whole airport trip through Dante's Inferno and the crossing of the river Phlegethon!
Tony
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Heading Home
Greetings!
We just finished meeting with the Dr. Thompson substitute doc (Porterfield?), and the results of everything were, to summarize, "excellent." Praise God!
We continue to learn more about the disease with each encounter, so there was some education this time as well. The over-arching disease that has caused everything else is "atrophic gastritis." This autoimmune disease erodes the stomach lining, prevents B12 uptake, which leads to pernicious anemia; this perfect storm then gives rise to gastric carcinoids. The carcinoids are not the primary disease, they are merely the result of the cascade.
As such, they are expected to wax and wane over time. Some years will show less tumors, some years more. Some years the tumors will be larger, some years smaller. This year: smaller tumors and less of them. So, while that is obviously better than more and larger, it shouldn't be that huge a thing if next year there are more, or if some are larger. It is expected that they will sort of come and go a bit.
The only thing new this year was that her stomach lining overall seemed a bit more irritated, so they are putting her on a short course of a medication to calm that down. Again, not unexpected with the underlying atrophic gastritis primary disease, and no one is that terribly worried about this.
The other revelation, which we probably heard in the past but it just didn't register (I really need to concentrate on great patient education in my own office!), is that the carcinoids themselves are not the main reason for the yearly testing. They really are not worried about them doing anything "bad" at all. The reason for routine and close follow-up examinations is that the atrophic gastritis elevates the risk of adenocarcinoma, a truly bad cancer of the stomach. SHE DOES NOT HAVE THIS! They just want to watch closely due to the elevated risk. They did not have a good estimation of the % likelihood of this cancer, but it was not high.
So, another year here in charming Rochester is complete. It was 58 degrees here yesterday and today, so we're bracing ourselves for the 97 degree NC that will welcome us home later today. Thank you all for your continued steadfastness in lifting us before the throne of grace. His mercies are new every morning, and this morning that feels even more evident than usual.
It is a wondrous thing to be a part of the body of Christ. Thank you all for your prayers and love and care for us and our children. Let us know when and how we can be His hands and feet for you!
Tony
We just finished meeting with the Dr. Thompson substitute doc (Porterfield?), and the results of everything were, to summarize, "excellent." Praise God!
We continue to learn more about the disease with each encounter, so there was some education this time as well. The over-arching disease that has caused everything else is "atrophic gastritis." This autoimmune disease erodes the stomach lining, prevents B12 uptake, which leads to pernicious anemia; this perfect storm then gives rise to gastric carcinoids. The carcinoids are not the primary disease, they are merely the result of the cascade.
As such, they are expected to wax and wane over time. Some years will show less tumors, some years more. Some years the tumors will be larger, some years smaller. This year: smaller tumors and less of them. So, while that is obviously better than more and larger, it shouldn't be that huge a thing if next year there are more, or if some are larger. It is expected that they will sort of come and go a bit.
The only thing new this year was that her stomach lining overall seemed a bit more irritated, so they are putting her on a short course of a medication to calm that down. Again, not unexpected with the underlying atrophic gastritis primary disease, and no one is that terribly worried about this.
The other revelation, which we probably heard in the past but it just didn't register (I really need to concentrate on great patient education in my own office!), is that the carcinoids themselves are not the main reason for the yearly testing. They really are not worried about them doing anything "bad" at all. The reason for routine and close follow-up examinations is that the atrophic gastritis elevates the risk of adenocarcinoma, a truly bad cancer of the stomach. SHE DOES NOT HAVE THIS! They just want to watch closely due to the elevated risk. They did not have a good estimation of the % likelihood of this cancer, but it was not high.
So, another year here in charming Rochester is complete. It was 58 degrees here yesterday and today, so we're bracing ourselves for the 97 degree NC that will welcome us home later today. Thank you all for your continued steadfastness in lifting us before the throne of grace. His mercies are new every morning, and this morning that feels even more evident than usual.
It is a wondrous thing to be a part of the body of Christ. Thank you all for your prayers and love and care for us and our children. Let us know when and how we can be His hands and feet for you!
Tony
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
I love Dave McCarty
Every few days, amybe once a week, my friend Dave McCarty of GospelFriendships.com, sends me (and many others) an email of his thoughts concerning our relationship with a holy God. I had not intended to blog again today, but this was just so stinking perfect that I had to give you all at least a taste of it. He is one of the godliest and most humble men that I know, and has the ability to routinely point out the idols that my heart creates as I try to establish righteousness through effort and self-strength. Thank God for people in our lives, sent by God, to encourage us and to challenge us and to convict us through the Holy Spirit's leading!
"Everything about your life today, is perfect.
Nothing in your life today, could be more perfect. You do not know how to go about improving on things, changing things, for the remainder of this day, week, but He does, because He is perfect, and knows you perfectly, and has a perfect plan for your day, week, month, year, rest of your life....
He is the Lover of your soul, pursuing an intimate relationship with you. Perfectly. He has never made a mistake, and He never will. Suffering is His instrument, His gracious tool, to train you to bask in His unconditional love. So you operate more and more in out-of-character ways: instead of your normal idolatrous ways. Others wowed, you wowed."
You can check out Dave's site at gospelfriendships.com, and the emails are free (although he is entirely support-based in ministry). He is a great guy, and consistently hits the gospel of grace squarely on the head.
Tony
"Everything about your life today, is perfect.
Nothing in your life today, could be more perfect. You do not know how to go about improving on things, changing things, for the remainder of this day, week, but He does, because He is perfect, and knows you perfectly, and has a perfect plan for your day, week, month, year, rest of your life....
He is the Lover of your soul, pursuing an intimate relationship with you. Perfectly. He has never made a mistake, and He never will. Suffering is His instrument, His gracious tool, to train you to bask in His unconditional love. So you operate more and more in out-of-character ways: instead of your normal idolatrous ways. Others wowed, you wowed."
You can check out Dave's site at gospelfriendships.com, and the emails are free (although he is entirely support-based in ministry). He is a great guy, and consistently hits the gospel of grace squarely on the head.
Tony
Tuesday afternoon
Greetings all! We are here in rainy Rochester, and Dee Dee is sleeping comfortably after finishing today's tests. Biggest was the whole-body CT scan with dye. She had a little residual stomach discomfort, probably from yesterday's procedure, although it could have been a reaction to the IV dye today. No results yet.
I did email her original primary doc, Dr. Geoff Thompson, and offered our prayers and concern for whatever he and his family are going through, and asking if he would be willing to review things and at least email me his thoughts. He emailed back today, and after apologizing for his absence, promised to review everything and call me late this week or next week. We are very appreciative of his willingness to do this!
We don't have any big, "Wow Mayo did another amazing thing" stories this time, but continue to marvel at their consistent, determined excellence. Even down to Dr. Thompson's very quick response to my email (I half wondered if I would get the generic "I am sorry that I will be unavailable ....." automated response), and his offer to work for his patient's behalf even when he is supposedly "off duty." They have a large plaque in the lobby of the Charleston Building, quoting John Wesley:
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
What a great sentiment and ideal for us all, and one that, thankfully, Dee Dee's doctors ascribe to wholeheartedly.
We meet with the substitute doc tomorrow morning, and then fly home in the early afternoon. No more tests are currently scheduled. We are thankful that the yucky stuff is over, and eager to hear good news tomorrow. Thanks for standing with us!
Tony
I did email her original primary doc, Dr. Geoff Thompson, and offered our prayers and concern for whatever he and his family are going through, and asking if he would be willing to review things and at least email me his thoughts. He emailed back today, and after apologizing for his absence, promised to review everything and call me late this week or next week. We are very appreciative of his willingness to do this!
We don't have any big, "Wow Mayo did another amazing thing" stories this time, but continue to marvel at their consistent, determined excellence. Even down to Dr. Thompson's very quick response to my email (I half wondered if I would get the generic "I am sorry that I will be unavailable ....." automated response), and his offer to work for his patient's behalf even when he is supposedly "off duty." They have a large plaque in the lobby of the Charleston Building, quoting John Wesley:
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
What a great sentiment and ideal for us all, and one that, thankfully, Dee Dee's doctors ascribe to wholeheartedly.
We meet with the substitute doc tomorrow morning, and then fly home in the early afternoon. No more tests are currently scheduled. We are thankful that the yucky stuff is over, and eager to hear good news tomorrow. Thanks for standing with us!
Tony
Monday, June 02, 2008
Monday Afternoon
So all the tests for today are complete. Dee Dee did well with the endoscopy, and I had an opportunity to discuss the procedure with the gastroenterologist (Dr. Mangam) afterward. He was very reassuring, which was great for both of us. He did remove 6 tumors, and so Dee Dee is having some pretty solid discomfort now.
Another good thing was that the blood work, scheduled for sometime after the endo procedure, and in another building altogether, was done in the recovery area after the endoscopy. They did this so that she would not have to fast longer, and to make it easier for her. Mayo just consistently gets it right!
Now for the disappointment. I got a call from our primary doc's secretary an hour ago. Dr. Thompson is unexpectedly not going to be seeing patients for the next two months, and that unfortunately includes Dee Dee. We do not know the reason, but due to the length of his absence I suspect it is pretty big, so our prayers are with him and his family. However, we are disappointed! Geoff Thompson is a big part of why we spend the time and money and effort to come to MN in the first place, so this has (temporarily, we pray) knocked us a bit off-center.
That's about it for today. Pray that our emotions and attitudes toward this doctor change would be God-centered and not man-centered. In other words, pray that we remember that our "hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name." He was not surprised by this last-minute change; He ordained it for our good. So, we are praying that this head-knowledge of His promises to us, and His faithfulness to His own glory would quickly transform our hearts as well.
Amen? Amen!
Tony
Another good thing was that the blood work, scheduled for sometime after the endo procedure, and in another building altogether, was done in the recovery area after the endoscopy. They did this so that she would not have to fast longer, and to make it easier for her. Mayo just consistently gets it right!
Now for the disappointment. I got a call from our primary doc's secretary an hour ago. Dr. Thompson is unexpectedly not going to be seeing patients for the next two months, and that unfortunately includes Dee Dee. We do not know the reason, but due to the length of his absence I suspect it is pretty big, so our prayers are with him and his family. However, we are disappointed! Geoff Thompson is a big part of why we spend the time and money and effort to come to MN in the first place, so this has (temporarily, we pray) knocked us a bit off-center.
That's about it for today. Pray that our emotions and attitudes toward this doctor change would be God-centered and not man-centered. In other words, pray that we remember that our "hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name." He was not surprised by this last-minute change; He ordained it for our good. So, we are praying that this head-knowledge of His promises to us, and His faithfulness to His own glory would quickly transform our hearts as well.
Amen? Amen!
Tony
Monday Morning
Well, I hope that you all had a great Lord's Day yesterday, and are enjoying the start of a new week today.
We had a great Sabbath yesterday. We:
*Rested - just hung out in the hotel, read, napped, took a walk kind of day.
*Reflected - talked about God's goodness and provision for her regarding the cancer, but also concerning our whole family over the 20+ years we've been married.
*Read - Desiring God (Piper) and The Hidden Face of God (Michael Card), as well as Psalms.
*Ran - we had a nice 2-mile run along the river here in Rochester.
*(I need an "R" word for watching a John Piper sermon on the computer!) - we watched Piper's first sermon in a series he is doing on the intellect and emotion of God as seen in the Psalms. Great stuff!
Dee Dee is back in the labyrinth of hallways and procedure rooms in the Gonda Building here at Mayo, having the first big test of the week. In essence, this is the big test of the trip - endoscopy with ultrasound. This 2-1/2 hour procedure allows them to directly look at the tumors, and to measure their size, number, and depth into the stomach wall. We pray that the number of tumors has either lessened or remained at 22; that their size has decreased, particularly the one larger one that was almost 2 cm on the last visit (above 2 or 2-1/2 cm would point to the stomach surgery); and that they arenot projecting any further into the stomach wall.
She should be done by lunch or thereabouts today. I am praying that she feels well, and that she tolerates the procedures today without nausea. She has fasted since last night, so hopefully will be able to handle some food when we are done here today.
Thank you all for praying for us as we are here. My prayer this morning was not that God would remove our valleys, but that He would give us grace and faith and courage to walk through the valleys as children of the King would walk through the valleys of the Kingdom - without fear, and with a great sense of purpose. Psalm 23 does not say, "The valley of the shadow will be done away with." Rather, it says, "Yea, though I WALK through teh valley...." We all have valleys to trod; let us fear no evil, for He is our guide, He is our comfort, He is our shepherd.
Tony
We had a great Sabbath yesterday. We:
*Rested - just hung out in the hotel, read, napped, took a walk kind of day.
*Reflected - talked about God's goodness and provision for her regarding the cancer, but also concerning our whole family over the 20+ years we've been married.
*Read - Desiring God (Piper) and The Hidden Face of God (Michael Card), as well as Psalms.
*Ran - we had a nice 2-mile run along the river here in Rochester.
*(I need an "R" word for watching a John Piper sermon on the computer!) - we watched Piper's first sermon in a series he is doing on the intellect and emotion of God as seen in the Psalms. Great stuff!
Dee Dee is back in the labyrinth of hallways and procedure rooms in the Gonda Building here at Mayo, having the first big test of the week. In essence, this is the big test of the trip - endoscopy with ultrasound. This 2-1/2 hour procedure allows them to directly look at the tumors, and to measure their size, number, and depth into the stomach wall. We pray that the number of tumors has either lessened or remained at 22; that their size has decreased, particularly the one larger one that was almost 2 cm on the last visit (above 2 or 2-1/2 cm would point to the stomach surgery); and that they arenot projecting any further into the stomach wall.
She should be done by lunch or thereabouts today. I am praying that she feels well, and that she tolerates the procedures today without nausea. She has fasted since last night, so hopefully will be able to handle some food when we are done here today.
Thank you all for praying for us as we are here. My prayer this morning was not that God would remove our valleys, but that He would give us grace and faith and courage to walk through the valleys as children of the King would walk through the valleys of the Kingdom - without fear, and with a great sense of purpose. Psalm 23 does not say, "The valley of the shadow will be done away with." Rather, it says, "Yea, though I WALK through teh valley...." We all have valleys to trod; let us fear no evil, for He is our guide, He is our comfort, He is our shepherd.
Tony
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Update
Okay, before most of you even had a chance to read the last post about Samara, we just got the call that she is doing well and heading home. God is good! She was surrounded by friends, received quick care, and all seems well.
Our day, other than this recent excitement, was fairly uneventful. The flights were smooth, we got here and checked in with no problems. We found a new restaurant her in Rochester, a tapas place called Sontes. Very good, and would be a great success back home!
So, thanks for your prayers and love, and I'll write again tomorrow.
Tony
Our day, other than this recent excitement, was fairly uneventful. The flights were smooth, we got here and checked in with no problems. We found a new restaurant her in Rochester, a tapas place called Sontes. Very good, and would be a great success back home!
So, thanks for your prayers and love, and I'll write again tomorrow.
Tony
PRAY!!!!!!!!!
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PLEASE PRAY! After an uneventful day, we just got a call from our pastor, Warren Harvey. The Harveys and all the Clark kids went to the NC State Baseball game tonight, and Samara has had a pretty bad asthma attack. The EMTs at the field treated her, and feel that she is unstable enough that she is now on an ambulance to the hospital (Rex or Western Wake, we have conflictng reports). Warren is with her in the ambulance. We don't know any more right now, and that is NOT GREAT!
So, pray for Samara and her health and her emotions; these episodes are quite scary for her. And, pray for her Mom and Dad here in Minnesota, worried and wishing that we were there and not here for about 1000 reasons. It is already an emotional time for us here, so pray for Dee Dee's heart as the cancer prevents her from being "Mother" during a true Mother moment.
Thanks,
Tony
Friday, May 30, 2008
'Twas the night before....
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Okay, I know, it is actually very early the morning of, but let's not be so picky!
Just a quick note as we pack up for our next Mayo Clinic voyage. Maybe it's just another excuse to put pics of our N. Africa trip on the blog! One of these is the pic of our whole GAiN (Global Aide Network) team, and the other is of Dee Dee, Samara and me with one of our favorite translators, Achraf.
Due to the quirks of air travel in the US, we were not able to get a flight on Sunday; so even though her testing does not really begin until Monday, we fly up north tomorrow (er, today). We'll do some version of John Piper church Sunday morning (still trying, vainly, to find a ride to Minneapolis), and then everything starts on Monday.
Please pray:
1) That our children would be well, and that the worry does not affect them too badly. Nerves have been a bit frayed here in the Clark house this week, and sleep not so good for some.
2) That Dee Dee tolerates all the tests very well. She has endoscopy (anesthesia on empty stomach); multiple blood draws; full-body CT with and without contrast (nasty nuclear medicine stuff on an empty stomach); and maybe MRI. The octreatide scan, which is her least favorite, is only going to be done if other tests indicate the necessity.
3) That she is healed (which I still have trouble praying for myself).
4) That in absence of true healing, she will be perfectly stable. She was at 22 tumors last year, with the largest being just under 2 centimeters. We need no significant increase in number, and no progression in size to over 2 centimeters; otherwise we will have to do the stomach-removal surgery.
5) That there would be NO SPREAD! Any spread is, we have been told, terminal. Worst would be liver/lungs/pancreas. Let's have none of that!
Thanks everyone!
By the way, our new niece (Lainey - adopted from China by my baby brother and his eternally patient and understanding wife) had surgery yesterday (Thursday) for her cleft palate, and things are going well. While you're praying, why not pray for her as well? God won't get confused, so go ahead - try it!
Tony
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Here we go again
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Hello all! The time has come for us to head off to Mayo again, and so I thought I'd kick-start the ol' blog again. This one will be short, and more will follow.
We leave NC on Saturday 5/31 for Minnesota, and return on Wednesday 6/04. Basically the same run of testing that Dee Dee has had before, with one deletion (yay!). Ongoing prayer is for little-to-no change in tumor number or size, and no spread. Dee Dee had two friends die in the past two weeks from cancer, so it is made more fresh and a bit more scary for us because of the reminder of how things can change, and how painful this walk can sometimes be.
One of the reasons that the psychological/emotional impact has been lessened this year, or at least deferred until now, is that Dee Dee, Samara and I went to North Africa on a humanitarian aid trip recently. We saw over 1000 poor children, dispensed nearly 600 pairs of glasses, and diagnosed several serious diseases (one was life-threatening). We also joined with 28 other brothers and sisters, and were privileged to serve with them for these folks who need it so badly. It was a life-experience trip, and we'd love to talk more with you about it sometime. Here are some pictures to whet your appetite!
Because of grace,
Tony
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