We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas season and a quiet month, praise God!  Thank you all so much for your continued prayers on our behalf.  

I had a PET scan in early January and on Thursday we discussed the results and the plan moving forward with Dr. M.  The scan results weren't terribly surprising, because I haven't had treatment since November. There is still a decrease in activity in my upper body and some increase in activity in my pelvic/groin area.  Dr. M and the team of doctors that discuss patient cases at the tumor board (including the "new Dr. G" who was my last oncologist in Salt Lake) believe the best choice for me right now is to return to having Nivolumab immunotherapy only and dropping the second immunotherapy drug.  So, yesterday, I received a half dose of that.  Kind Dr. M said that IF I'm going to react to the Nivolumab (which is only a 30% chance since I have never had an issue with it before), it should happen before I head out for a fantastic trip in February (more later on that). 

Steroids update-as I have been weaning down from my steroid dose, my sleep has slowly become more normal, praise God!  Although, I enjoyed all the extra hours of productivity being wide awake, it was starting to take a toll on my body.  Unfortunately, along with the reduction of steroid dose, my pelvic/goin/leg pain has returned.  I have been awakened several times a night with pain and it has been causing my sleep to be a little broken up...which is making me tired.  So, true to my MO of yo-yo health, I have gone from awake and alert a lot, to normal sleep, to awake and in some pain...all since I last posted.    Praise God, Dr. M had some suggestions and prescriptions to resolve that, so just pray for wisdom and endurance for me while I figure out the best course for me.

In addition, remember the iron infusions I had about a year ago to get my energy level back again? Well, I have been experiencing some fatigue lately and labs confirmed that I'm due for some more iron again.  Interesting because my "old Dr. G" said those infusions from last January would last me about a year...and here we are!  So, pray those go well and are effective...preferably quickly...because of our trip.

So, the big trip I'm referring to, is C. R. and I are headed to Florida (God-willing) on February 5 (as long as we test negative for Covid on February 4) and boarding the Royal Caribbean: Harmony of the Seas cruise ship to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary along with Family Life Ministries! Click on the link if you want to know more OR if you want to be spontaneous and go with your spouse. They are offering CRAZY low prices in an effort to book more of the ship.  Actually, if you decide to go, message me before registering and I'll give you our group name.  They give us a bonus on board the ship if someone registers under our group and we'll just pass it on to you!  We have been looking forward to this for MONTHS, all the while knowing that God can make it happen if it's His will.  Obviously, my potential side-effects are a bit of a hurdle, and as you know the negative Covid test will be a complete act of God's sovereignty, considering the high transmissibility of Omicron.  So, do please pray with us for God to show His will, but we are humbly  asking God to spare me side-effects and protect us from Omicron.

The week I return, I will receive a full dose of Nivolumab and then scan in March to see if it's working.  If it doesn't seem to be working, we will reevaluate the plan at that point.

My Bible reading has me in the early Old Testament right now and these verses were such a comforting reminder that MY GOD has compassion and He sees the suffering of His children and He remembers His promises.  God isn't some impersonal being, who doesn't care-He knows when I hurt and am tired and uncertain about what is to come.  

"So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.”
~‭‭Exodus‬ ‭2:24-25‬ ‭NASB 

Thanks in advance for your prayers!

Praise God for:

• No issues with potassium, eating, nausea or anything else that was an issue in the hospital.
• The swelling in my leg is down probably as far as it will go with the cancer that is still in my lymph nodes.
• More normal sleep due to steroid dose reduced.
• Getting muscle and strength back.

Pray for:

• No return of side-effects now that I'm resuming treatment.
• The treatment to be effective.
• Pain control.
• Successful iron infusions with no side effects.
• A negative Covid test on 2/4, so if it's God's will we can still go on our cruise.
• If it's God's will, that He would eradicate every cancer cell with my immunotherapy treatment.
• God to be glorified in everything that is going on.