Waiting for a Surgery Date

Hello, Dear Family and Friends Who Love Us,

After a nice chit-chat last Friday with Dr. Pierre Theodore of the UCSF Medical Center, Thoracic Surgery/Oncology, there is a chance that DJ's surgical procedure will be scheduled for next week sometime, perhaps May the 8th or the 9th.  We are waiting to hear this week from the surgery coordinator for the specifics.  Perhaps Dr. Theodore will take only the lower two of the 3 lobes of DJ's right lung, a bi-lobectomy; perhaps he will remove the lung in its entirety, a full pneumonectomy.  He plans to meet tomorrow with his own tumor board and to discuss DJ's case then. 


http://top.ucsf.edu/meet-the-team/thoracic-surgeons/pierre-r-theodore,-md.aspx

Thank you for loving us!  We love you back!  :-)  xoxoxo

Off We Go to the UCSF

Hello, Friends and Family!

I am happy to report that as the days are passing and as I am choosing by God's grace to live one day at a time, I've gotten my peace back!  What I mean is that I am feeling peaceful and hopeful and grateful and cheerful during this waiting time.  I am "studying for my tests"; I am rehearsing every day the things that I believe to be true about the nature and existence of my God, I am exercising my faith muscles and consciously choosing to turn to Jesus; and in return, I am blessed with peace and hope and joy and gratitude.  Yahoo!!  (That's not to say that dark, sad, lonely, painful and whatever-else-may-be times are not ahead; but I hope that by turning to Jesus when life is good, I will continue to turn to Him when things are not so good.  Et cetera).

Regarding DJ's treatment, his surgeon and oncologist and radiation oncologist are in agreement that a pneumonectomy is a considerable course of action - in order to aggressively attempt to rid DJ's body of cancer, and since DJ is young and healthy and fit and able to withstand the surgery and the deprivation of one of his lungs.  Dr. Hayashi has referred DJ to the UCSF Medical Center and to the Thoracic Surgery/Oncology team there.  Hooray!  I am happy and eager to meet with Dr. Theodore this coming Friday, who seems to be a specialist in his field.  I am praying that the LORD is whispering this week to Dr. Theodore, and that when we consult with him in 3 days, he will be filled with divine wisdom and insight; and that we will receive lots of answers to our questions and a treatment plan that will bring healing and health to DJ's body.  May it be so, o God, according to Your will!  Aaaaaa-men!

In the meantime, there is rarely a dull moment around this place:  Alexandra Bigelow's high-school play opened last weekend, and she is very happy to be a part of the ensemble of "Once Upon  A Mattress".  Here is a photo from the first performance last week:

Brooke "Brookelow" Bigelow continues in her recreation season of softball (with DJ as her team's coach).  Here is a photo from just this very evening when Brooke was up to bat:

And Caedmon Van Bigelow is happy to wield his sword to either protect his sister or antagonize her, I'm not sure exactly what was happening here between siblings:

Thank you for loving us and for praying for us and for offering us your love and support!  We are blessed beyond measure, and you are a part of that!

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed (or, as Frisco notes, though DJ's lung be removed :-), yet will My Unfailing Love for you not be shaken, nor My covenant of peace be removed, says the LORD, who has compassion on you" (Isaiah 54:10). 

Awaiting Surgery...

Dear Friends and Family,

Last Wednesday April the Tenth, DJ and I sat in Dr. Howard Hayashi's office and had a chitchat with him about DJ's metastasis.  Unfortunately, DJ's tumor is very near to his trachea, and the doctor believes it best to open DJ up in order to carefully and successfully perform the surgery (rather than using a scope and those little, teeny tiny tools - which make for a less invasive procedure and thereby a much more rapid and less painfull recovery).  The palms of my hands became sweaty as DJ and Dr. Hayashi discussed an open surgery, because I was oh-so-hopeful and confident that the less-invasive and less painful procedure was a viable option.  Then DJ and the surgeon discussed the likelihood of the colorectal cancer continuing to metastasize to DJ's lung, even if a lobe of his lung is removed; and thereby the consideration of a full pneumectomy.  That also made me feel disappointed and deflated, to consider DJ's quality of life with only 1/2 of the lungs God gave to him at birth.  Yeesh! 

("A pneumonectomy (or pneumectomy) is a surgical procedure to remove a lung. Removal of just one lobe of the lung is specifically referred to as a lobectomy, and that of a segment of the lung as a wedge resection (or segmentectomy)." - courtesy of Wikipedia, For Your Information :-)

Dr. Hayashi decided that he would like to send DJ's scans and reports and health information to a friend of his who is a surgeon at the UCSF; so we are lucky to have a "second opinion" from a research and teaching institution without having to drive far away to get it!  We were hoping to have heard something from him by yesterday, Monday April the 15th.  But perhaps those men were busy finishing up their tax returns :-).

So we wait and pray and trust the LORD with all our hearts.  And DJ is steady and courageous and even-keeled, per usual.  I am so fortunate to be married to such a groovy dude!

DJ and I both really, really like Dr. Howard Hayashi, and DJ trusts him implicitly.  Here are several reasons that I love and appreciate HH so much:  he treats us personally and warmly in a familial manner; he is a straight shooter; he is down to earth; he is excellent at his work and highly recommended by anyone and everyone we've spoken with who has ever been in his care; he is funny and cute!  :-)  If HH sends DJ to the UCSF, he will go; if HH decides to perform the surgery here, here we stay.  And I have prayed and prayed that HH will hear the voice of the LORD and follow that. 

And so we wait.  And we pray.  And we trust.

And in the meantime, we help children with homework and coach softball and do other exciting and stimulating activities that make our lives happy!  :-)  I will keep you posted!

Coach DJ giving the Ninja Turtles last-minute advice before the game

Guess what is happening in this photo

"How Has Cancer Changed Your Relationship with God?"

Hello, Dear Reader!  Have you come here to find out what is new with the health of DJ Bigelow?  I will tell you; but first, here is a brief healthy-history recap:

2010 - DJ's original diagnosis of colorectal cancer; he experienced a low anterior colon resection (surgery), and 12 rounds of mFOLFOX chemotherapy.

April 14 2010 - ready to go to surgery

2011 - a pulmonary "nodule" was discovered and biopsied and tested negative to cancer; it grew slightly as the year passed, but seemed to be insignificant and un-dangerous.

May 15, 2011 - DJ ran the Adventure Race at Lake Santa Margarita

2012 - the pulmonary nodule was measured at double the original size and was joined by a  little friend nearby; the nodule/tumor/lumpy bump was biopsied, and it tested positive to cancer (not "lung cancer", but a metastasis of the primary, colorectal cancer - which often metastasizes to the lung and/or to the liver); DJ experienced a pulmonary wedge resection (surgery to the lung);  he also took 12 rounds of mFOLFIRI chemotherapy; another tumor was discovered after 7.5 months of surgery and chemo, and it tested positive to cancer, also; DJ received 34 rounds of localized radiation and the administration of Xeloda (pill-form of chemotherapy) and Avastin (biological drug administered by infusion).

November and December 2012 - DJ took 34 treatments of radiation

December 17, 2012 - Radiation Technician Alfredo awarded DJ for bravely persevering treatment

From January through March of this year, DJ continued on the maintenance program of Xeloda and Avastin, in hopes that the microscopic malignant cancer cells will be eliminated from his body.  But a PET scan on March 18 has revealed that the tumor found in October of last year did not respond to radiation as we had hoped; it has grown, and the oncologist wants DJ to go again for surgery.  DJ would like for not only a section of his lung to be removed as it was last May, but for the entire lobe to taken out in order to eliminate as much of the surrounding possibilities of cancer from his lungs.  We are scheduled this coming Wednesday April 10 for a visit with the surgeon, the marvelous Dr. Howard Hayashi Whom I Love.  I suppose that we will have a good chitchat, learn much about whatever we need to know, and I guess that the procedure will be scheduled for sometime in late April (pure speculation on my part).

January 2013 - DJ made Seattle Seahawks fans of Brooke and Caedmon

And here is the burning question: last month we enjoyed the privilege of spending an evening with friends who we haven't seen for almost 10 years; in the course of the conversation, Dave Gudgel asked, "How has cancer changed your relationship with God?".

Wow!  What a great question!

What do you think is the answer?  Please respond. 

:-)  Thank you for loving us!  We love you, also!