Surprises and Decisions and Requests

Friends,

I apologize for not updating you for the past two weeks, but a lot has happened.

The first surprise was that as I followed up on my "over 50" physical I went to a cardiologist to have a routine ekg stress test done on Nov. 21. Both the Dr. and I were surprised that it showed significant abnormality in my heart, and he strongly suggested that I have an angiogram done ASAP. That was done this past Tuesday, Nov. 29 and showed that my heart is fine. He said that 20% of the time the stress test abnormalities are false. Whew!!! That was a major bullet dodged. Thank the Lord, I can now throw away my nitro glycerin tablets I was carrying around in my pocket!

The second was on Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We got Deb's blood work back showing that the cancer marker was still the same as in September when she got off the steroid treatment. If only it had increased or decreased we would have known what action to take - either hold the alternative treatment course if the number was decreasing or get back on the steroid treatment if it showed the cancer progressing.

After praying and thinking through it all, on Sunday (Nov 27) we decided to put her back on the steroid therapy which suppresses the cancer (along with the bad side effect of suppressing her immune system) in the hope that it will bring her into complete remission and getting the M protein cancer marker down from 0.1 to 0.0. (Keep in mind that in June it was 6.4, July was 4.8 and 1.4 in August, and it has been stuck at 0.1 since September, so she has come a long ways.)

The reason for this decision, we think, is really two fold. First, even though the cancer is barely active, there is so much of it in her bones that it is making her system acidic such that the alkalinity we are trying to achieve is offset by the cancer's spewing out acid into her system. She has not been able to get ahead of it. If the steroid will completely suppress the cancer down to 0.0, then that will help her achieve alkalinity in her system, which we believe will keep the cancer suppressed indefinitely, and that gives us great hope and confidence in a healing.

The second reason was a time factor. Her spine is weakened (and beginning to hurt a bit more) from the advanced state of MM at diagnosis and the presence of the tumors in her spine such that we were concerned about it causing more compression fractures as it continues to nibble away at her vertebras. We just didn't feel that we could put her spine at further risk by spending another month much less several months combating this monster naturally as we had been. Her body needed a boost, a reinforcement, to knock the MM down to 0.0 ASAP. So we resorted back to the medical community's recommended steroid treatment, in spite of all its side effects. We think the trade offs are worth it at the present time.

Here are some special prayer requests along this line:

1. Ask God to bless this steroid treatment into suppressing the Multiple Myeloma into complete remission soon, i.e no cancer activity detected, so that no further compression fractures occur.

2. Ask that Debbie then be able to get her body into an alkaline state and keep it there.

3. Ask that her bones rebuild and get stronger during the complete remission

4. Ask that she not get sick during this time of a weakened immune system

5. Ask that her faith and confidence remain strong and her attitude stay very positive

6. Now stretch your faith in our God who heals and ask that her alkaline state be permanent and keep the cancer from returning for 20 + years. (Yes, I know how many of you were raised and taught about limiting God, but our God is the God who often does the impossible. So grow your faith some more. "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." Mt. 7:7)

Debbie is one of the most disciplined people I have ever known, and I believe she is disciplined enough, by God's grace, to be able to stay alkaline with her vegan diet and supplements. She has an admirable faith to ask for great things, and an indomitable spirit to fight for healing. We all admire her.

Thank you and may God bless you,

Duane