Dan and Ashley are home in LA. After spending one night in the hospital Dan was released. Sunday they brought Toulouse, their new adorable kitten, by and watched the end of the 9er-Raider game ( first 9er win!) on their way south.
The game plan is for Dan to get his hip replacement done before the end of the year in LA and return to school in January to finish his teaching credential for high school math.
The doctor biopsied the tumors before frying them and NO CANCER CELLS were detected in the biposy. Hallelujah! The doctor was not hopeful that Dan's liver will grow back, however, we know the Creator who made Dan's liver in the first place and so we can ask Him to heal that liver so it could regenerate and prepare Dan for what lies ahead. These two brave young people who I love very much have been through so much. Please Lord, make their path smooth.
Isaiah 26:7-9
The way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.
Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, O LORD,
We have waited for You eagerly;
Your name, even Your memory, is the desire of our souls.
At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
This is Ashley's blog from last Friday:
Today, some of Dan's tumors got cooked.
We drove to the hospital early today and were greeted by amazing fog rolling over the Golden Gate. Despite the reasoning for the trip, it's so nice to be back home in Northern California.
Anyway, Dan got checked in, prepped, and was ready to go on time...too bad the anesthesiologist was not ready to go until 2 hours later. (I hope she had an emergency!) Finally, Dan got taken down to the procedure room and I was allowed to follow him until it came time for the anesthesia. He was already on the table when the docs let us know his blood levels were low (platelets 79, H&H 8.9-9.5). They were worried about needing to transfuse, but felt confident about proceeding.
After about 3 hours waiting, Dr. Sze came out to let us know everything went well. The 2 biggest tumors were fried/melted leaving some dead tissue to be resorbed by the liver eventually. His liver still hasn't grown much, so it seems like going with radio-frequency ablation (RFA) was a much better idea than surgery. Also, the last 2 tumors are very small (watermelon seed sized) and not growing. This means that Dan can wait a few months before another RFA cycle. To Dan's delight, he can probably get his hip replaced before he starts school. We'll have to scramble to find a surgeon, but it could happen.
Tonight, Dan will stay in the hospital for observation. His new wound is only a couple centimeters and covered with a big band aid, but there is still a chance for bleeding. The chance is low, but it's safer for him to be here tonight. Also, he can get the "good" pain meds. Though, he says it just feels like he got punched in the ribs. He has already talked the nurse into removing one of his IVs by mentioning that they could leave the bigger gauge in his hand so that the one is AC wouldn't beep at night. Good grief, he's a pro. He ate dinner fine and hopefully, it will stay down because he is already asking for more food!
Please be praying that Dan's liver heals fine and that there is no internal bleeding resulting from the procedure. Also, pray his good eating continues (he's halfway to his pre-Whipple weight!) and that his pain can be easily controlled. Finally, pray we can get some sleep tonight and get out of here safely tomorrow morning. We're hoping to drive to our apartment on Sunday with a healthy Dan :)
Finally, I know several people who are suffering and could use your prayers as well; two women with breast cancer, Kathy and Beth, and a young man, my brother-in-law's nephew, Patrick was in a serious accident and has brain damage and not doing well.
Also my friend Yang Chen passed into glory last Friday surrounded by family and close friends after battling with lung cancer for almost 3 years. His story is eloquently told on his website:
http://family.adoctorsjourneywithcancer.net/Default.aspx
He leaves behind his wife, 3 children, a ministry (http://www.gomets.org/), and many dear friends. He was always faithful to pray for Dan and we spoke several times regarding Dan since his specialty was gastroenterology.
Thanks for your love, support and prayers. They mean so much to us. You mean so much to us.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Oct 15, 2010
Fri, October 15, 2010 3:31:33 PM
report on Dan
From:
Jaime Howen
View Contact
To: Jim Adams; marty arismendi ; Don Blythe ; bob ; missi brown ; BARBARA CARILLO ; Carolyn ... more
Cc: Stefanie Appelmann; Marty Arismendi ; nellie borges ; freddie buhr ; Fred Carvalho ; Pam Chacon ... more
Dear Ones,
Dan is out of his RFA procedure (radio frequency ablation) or otherwise known as "microwave on a stick" and it went very well! Praise the Lord! Two tumors were cooked and the two that remain are very small "football shaped" watermelon-seed sized collapsing tumors that may very well be all dead anyway. We all laughed when the dr said "football shaped". Only Dan would have football shaped ones! So there is no hurry to attack them at this point, maybe in a few months. On the other hand Dan may choose to proceed with his needed hip replacement before dealing with these two spots. He is still in the recovery room at this point and will be spending the night here at Stanford. His platelet count is low, which may be his "normal". Please pray for the Lord to raise the platelet count and grant a speedy recovery from this procedure. Thanks so much!
So praises and prayers!
Psalm 34:1-9
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
report on Dan
From:
Jaime Howen
View Contact
To: Jim Adams
Cc: Stefanie Appelmann
Dear Ones,
Dan is out of his RFA procedure (radio frequency ablation) or otherwise known as "microwave on a stick" and it went very well! Praise the Lord! Two tumors were cooked and the two that remain are very small "football shaped" watermelon-seed sized collapsing tumors that may very well be all dead anyway. We all laughed when the dr said "football shaped". Only Dan would have football shaped ones! So there is no hurry to attack them at this point, maybe in a few months. On the other hand Dan may choose to proceed with his needed hip replacement before dealing with these two spots. He is still in the recovery room at this point and will be spending the night here at Stanford. His platelet count is low, which may be his "normal". Please pray for the Lord to raise the platelet count and grant a speedy recovery from this procedure. Thanks so much!
So praises and prayers!
Psalm 34:1-9
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Oct 3 update
I can't believe I have been "blog silent" for over a month! Dan now has a date for the radio frequency ablation procedure: October 15! The road ahead looks like he will probably have one procedure done in October and one in November, which will be followed by his hip replacement, done in time for him to continue his credential program in January. Ashley is doing fine in her job at Whittier Pres and may even be changing from nights to the day shift. I am looking forward to seeing them this next weekend as I head south.
Thanks so much for all your prayers. I am constantly reminded of your faithfulness as I talk with many of you who encourage me with their "we are still praying daily for Dan" and that does a mother's heart good.
Life truly can be challenging and journeying through it with the Lord Jesus in your life is my recommendation.
Words to ponder:
1 Chronicles 16:
8 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to him; sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
11 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
13 O offspring of Israel his servant,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
14 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
17 which he confirmed as a statute to Jacob,
as an everlasting covenant to Israel,
18 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan,
as your portion for an inheritance."
19 When you were few in number,
and of little account, and sojourners in it,
20 wandering from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another people,
21 he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their account,
22 saying, "Touch not my anointed ones,
do my prophets no harm!"
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and he is to be held in awe above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his place.
28 Ascribe to the Lord, O clans of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
30 tremble before him, all the earth;
yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!"
32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
34 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Thanks so much for all your prayers. I am constantly reminded of your faithfulness as I talk with many of you who encourage me with their "we are still praying daily for Dan" and that does a mother's heart good.
Life truly can be challenging and journeying through it with the Lord Jesus in your life is my recommendation.
Words to ponder:
1 Chronicles 16:
8 Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to him; sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
11 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
13 O offspring of Israel his servant,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
14 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
17 which he confirmed as a statute to Jacob,
as an everlasting covenant to Israel,
18 saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan,
as your portion for an inheritance."
19 When you were few in number,
and of little account, and sojourners in it,
20 wandering from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another people,
21 he allowed no one to oppress them;
he rebuked kings on their account,
22 saying, "Touch not my anointed ones,
do my prophets no harm!"
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and he is to be held in awe above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his place.
28 Ascribe to the Lord, O clans of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
30 tremble before him, all the earth;
yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!"
32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
34 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Dan's words from August
monday, august 30, 2010
Breakfast
So apparently we've been sleeping for a month and a half and we're just now waking up. Ok, that's not really true. But there hasn't been a lot going on. Well there has. But we just haven't blogged about it. I will try and catch everyone up.
Ashley passed her boards and got a job at Whittier Presbyterian. She is now working 12 hour shifts after going through orientation, which was arduous. The 12 hour shifts are long, but it's nice to work only 3 days a week. She will soon be switching to night shifts, which will be interesting. We'll see how it goes. The extra $8 an hour will be nice.
We celebrated 2 years of marriage by going out to some nice restaurants and Ashley going to work. 2 down, 58 to go.
I had a CT to see how well the embolization worked (and if the liver was big enough to handle surgery). Long story short, the liver did not grow as much as expected. I still have pretty good liver function, but it would not be good at this time to further insult it with a surgery. So the plan as of a few days ago is to do Radio Frequency Ablation, which is colloquially called 'Microwave on a Stick'. The radiologist will insert probes into my liver with the tips in the middle of the tumors. The tips will get really hot and melt/burn the tumors. It's a lot less invasive than surgery and still holds a good success rate. The procedure will happen in two parts a month apart (hospital stay is likely minimal- just overnight for observation). I'll let you all know when it is scheduled. Hopefully I can also get my hip done before UCI starts in January.
We got a kitten from Ashley's friend Katie. He is gray, tiny, precocious, ferocious, and his name is Toulouse. He likes naps, meowing when we're not around, going into the refrigerator, and climbing.
While Ashley is at work, I watch movies on Netflix Instant Watch, do chores and errands, read the Bible, read the Book of Mormon (I am almost finished!), keep an eye on Toulouse, eat, and play PS3.
Football is coming up. I am very excited. Predictions are in: I think the 49ers will win the division, but the Super Bowl will be San Diego over New Orleans. Disclaimer: it is very very difficult to predict the Super Bowl before the season starts.
Our new apartment is awesome. If you google IL Pompeii La Habra, you can take a look around.
This last one is not new: God is good. Also, I am hungry.
Breakfast
So apparently we've been sleeping for a month and a half and we're just now waking up. Ok, that's not really true. But there hasn't been a lot going on. Well there has. But we just haven't blogged about it. I will try and catch everyone up.
Ashley passed her boards and got a job at Whittier Presbyterian. She is now working 12 hour shifts after going through orientation, which was arduous. The 12 hour shifts are long, but it's nice to work only 3 days a week. She will soon be switching to night shifts, which will be interesting. We'll see how it goes. The extra $8 an hour will be nice.
We celebrated 2 years of marriage by going out to some nice restaurants and Ashley going to work. 2 down, 58 to go.
I had a CT to see how well the embolization worked (and if the liver was big enough to handle surgery). Long story short, the liver did not grow as much as expected. I still have pretty good liver function, but it would not be good at this time to further insult it with a surgery. So the plan as of a few days ago is to do Radio Frequency Ablation, which is colloquially called 'Microwave on a Stick'. The radiologist will insert probes into my liver with the tips in the middle of the tumors. The tips will get really hot and melt/burn the tumors. It's a lot less invasive than surgery and still holds a good success rate. The procedure will happen in two parts a month apart (hospital stay is likely minimal- just overnight for observation). I'll let you all know when it is scheduled. Hopefully I can also get my hip done before UCI starts in January.
We got a kitten from Ashley's friend Katie. He is gray, tiny, precocious, ferocious, and his name is Toulouse. He likes naps, meowing when we're not around, going into the refrigerator, and climbing.
While Ashley is at work, I watch movies on Netflix Instant Watch, do chores and errands, read the Bible, read the Book of Mormon (I am almost finished!), keep an eye on Toulouse, eat, and play PS3.
Football is coming up. I am very excited. Predictions are in: I think the 49ers will win the division, but the Super Bowl will be San Diego over New Orleans. Disclaimer: it is very very difficult to predict the Super Bowl before the season starts.
Our new apartment is awesome. If you google IL Pompeii La Habra, you can take a look around.
This last one is not new: God is good. Also, I am hungry.
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