Well, kind of an Ugh type of day today.  Near zero appetite for life or food.  Its been a long time since I had to make myself gear up to eat!  But today was the day.  Lynne had me take a nausea shot in the PM which finally settled me down enough to stuff a couple of bites of chicken soup and gatorade down.  Another 22 pounds to go and I’m at my basketball playing weight (look out LeBron).

Highlights of the day included Pastor Dean, wife Betty and daughter Debby who came to clean the house, and pray with Scott & Lynne.  Dan from Seattle did some more rolling in with Scott which also was good fun.  We’ve spent tonight watching 1. the democratic candidates debate (fun if you have political junkie blood like me) and 2. kids playing the Wii.  Small pleasures but no question the highlights of the day for me.

I know it sounds like a broken record, but every post of yours means so much.  I read a couple of them late today and began to cry – who am I (and who are Lynne and I) to have such friends?  Thank you thank you thank you.

 God bless each of you with good sleep tonight.

Scott

Friends,

 I guess I trimuphed too early tonight, at least in what I posted.  After an hour in bed of restful sleep, I awoke just now  (Midnight) to prettty bad vomiting…so I’d be grateful for those of you night owls still up joining me in prayer for good rest.  Thank you!

 Scott

A good day – Thank you God!

Dear Friends,

Wow, such an unexpectedly good day today. Yesterday was so lousy – U2 has a song called “Some days are better then others” in which they note that “some days are bouncers and won’t let you in” (a pretty bad day)…..but yesterday was a day in which I hit the low point and (to quote the lyrics) “some days you can’t stand the sight of a puppy”.

Anyhow, today we delayed – partially out of my fear – putting in the steroids and other meds (primarily responsible for the shrinking tumor) and other drugs until about 11 am, and then also started the IV with saline about that time. I was dreading the day, as yesterday wound on in seeming slow dull shades of enduring dark grey pain. But today somehow wound on oppositely, like a lazy river – slow, peaceful, not without its storms (moments of nausea), but endurable.

Then about 4 my friend Dan Lawrence rolled in (“rolling in” here a term of affection J) from Seattle. I had honestly been somewhat dreading his arrival wondering how I was going to muster the energy to be sociable. Within about 10 seconds of Dan being here we were joking, and then on to talk of the 2008 election, how we met our wives, college years…..the evening sped by and I had no problem mustering energy!

Topping it all off was a one in a continued series of good dinners we’ve been served, this one from Collette Sweers. Collette prepared some eastern-flavored chicken and it really hit the spot as tonight was the most I’ve eaten for a couple of weeks! Wow, it is good to have an appetite.

So I go to bed tonight with such a warm heart (and full stomach!). I’m sure the days ahead bear more rough chemo etc. yet I have so much to be grateful for. Thank you for every post and prayer and effort each of you have offered on our behalf. We have felt so loved and upheld from (literally) around the planet. Thank you for your love for us, and may we repay it to you and this planet in spades.

Gratefully,

Scott Lynne and kids

Dear Friends,

After a couple of days silence I wanted to throw a quick update on the blog. Last Friday, one of the nurses told me I’d feel worse before I felt better. I remember thinking: How could that possibly be? Well, a few days later, and, true I’ve never felt worse. I don’t understand all that is going on with my body right now but they key thing seems to be flushing the (tumor) toxins out and replacing them with normal (saline) fluids. A major part of yesterday was devoted to that process and felt truly horrible.

The biggest tumor, measured on Thursday at 5 by 5 inches, is now hardly visible to the eye. But it’s toxins live on and are systematically getting purged.

My spirits – which heretofore had been bright – are by now pretty beat up. I feel very much like a human punching bag.

Lynne has been working VERY hard as caregiver and of course has had great reinforcement from so many of you. I cannot imagine someone going through a disease like this alone. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do. Sometime I plan to reply to individual blog posts but for now trust you will forgive this small but brief expression as the full burst of my energies.

We’d be grateful for your prayers today that the saline solution would “go down well” and that I wouldn’t be in as much pain, and for sustenance for Lynne and other caregivers. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STANDING WITH US DURING THIS TIME!!!!

Much love,

Scott

It’s almost 9pm, Scott’s in bed 45 minutes ago, and I’m so tired it’s hard to think what to say to update you all.

We returned to the oncologist’s office late this morning after a very interrupted night with needing to keep the IV going. Scott’s blood work showed that his kidneys are a little better after the IV fluids, but not yet back to normal. We’ve gotten another liter into him today, and need to do the same tomorrow.

Please pray for his strength – he’s very weak and shaky, and still nauseous off and on. It’s very hard for him to feel so weak, and to need so much help to accomplish just basic physical needs. It’s a little bit of “three steps forward and two steps back.” So far, there are no other medical appointments for the rest of this week (though that can change at any time!), so there should be time for him to rest, continue to recover from the chemo, and hopefully regain his appetite and strength.

We have met several believers at Dr. Pomeroy’s office, and have had wonderful help there. But God does have a wonderful sense of humor. . .  One of the ladies who works there came up and introduced herself as a 16-year cancer survivor. She knew who we were from church, but as we kept talking, we discovered that her son and our son are very good friends, had been in a Bible study together, on a road trip together, along with several other adventures, only they’d never bothered to introduce their parents to each other! It’s a “small world” and filled with God’s people and lots of His wonderful surprises!  

Good night and blessed sleep to you all, and thanks for all your love, support, and prayers.

 Lynne

Well, thankfully, Scott didn’t have to go to the hospital tonight. He started out the day not having held anything down for over 48 hours, along with being very weak and shaky from dehydration and the resulting metabolic imbalance. We got in to the oncologist’s office this afternoon, got IV fluids going to rehydrate, and got some blood tests done.

The good news is that the tumors have been very susceptible to the chemo and are rapidly shrinking. The bad news is that because they are dissolving so rapidly, Scotts kidneys are being overloaded with trying to filter out the toxins and metabolic by-products from the tumors’ destruction. The oncologist said the blood tests showed he was in mild to moderate kidney failure, and basically said that he would have put Scott in the hospital tonight if he didn’t have his own private-duty nurse.

Thankfully, Scott started off this little adventure with healthy kidneys, and we just need to flush lots of IV fluids through his system. We’re home, he’s resting with IV running, his eyes are brighter and more focused, and he actually ate a little dinner without any nausea. We’ll be in again to see Dr. Pomeroy tomorrow and get blood tests rechecked, but I’m confident results will be improved, and he’ll be feeling much better. He’s got his sense of humor back and is enjoying teasing and laughing with Becky over a video they’re watching.

Sorry this has had to be such a medically oriented posting, but Scott hasn’t had the energy to write anything. We continue to be deeply grateful for all your prayers, meals, housecleaning, and kid transportation help. I can’t imagine trying to cope with something like this without all the spiritual and practical support all of you have given to us. We wish we could respond in person to each and every individual posting to say thank you, and we love you.

God bless each and every one of you, and we give praise to our good and mighty God! 

Scott and Lynne are on their way to the oncologist this afternoon where he will receive an injection that will increase his white blood cell production.  In addition, Scott will also be receiving IV fluids as he’s very dehydrated and extremely weak. 

Lynne asked that we pray for wisdom for the medical team as they decide whether or not Scott should be admitted to the hospital for an overnight stay to get the nausea, vomiting and hydration issues under control.

Hello to all – this is from Lynne. . .

I wanted to update all of you on how Scott’s doing today, and continue to ask for prayer for him. The chemo has hit him hard, and he really hasn’t been able to hold anything down since yesterday at 4am in spite of combinations of powerful anti-nausea meds. Essentially, when he’s sleeping, he’s not throwing up, so the meds have been helping him do that. He’s been sleeping 80-90% of the time since Friday, and we were told to expect all this. Anyway, that’s why he hasn’t been able to add anything today to the blog.

Hopefully by tomorrow, he’ll begin feeling better. We’ll need to go in to the oncologist’s office to get an injection to boost his white blood cell production, and also probably 1-2 liters of IV hydration. But, according to the doctor, he really thinks Scott will be feeling much better by the middle to end of this coming week.

The wonderful part is that the tumor on his right hip and the surrounding swelling and inflammation have drastically decreased, and along with that, the pain is much less. Please keep praying for his turn-around from the chemo and to be able to hold fluids down. He really needs the fluids to help flush the chemo meds from his system.

Thanks so much to all of you who have sent notes, prayers, and encouragement through this blog and for walking this path with us. We feel so very loved, cared for, and supported. God is so good!

Scott, Lynne, Daniel, and Becky

Well, it’s day 1 after the chemo treatment and pretty much everything the nurses said would happen is happening: I’m sleeping nearly constantly.  I’m also now throwing up just about every time I get up to go to the bathroom.  I haven’t yet begun to lose hair but (OK, smart alecks I mean besides the bald spot I already have on the top of my head!); that should begin any day.  The swelling in my right leg is going down rapidly (the chemo is helping me to throw up most of that excess fluid) and that has decreased my discomfort level dramatically.  Because of this, perhaps by tonight or tomorrow I may be able to sleep on my side, something that I haven’t been able to do since December 15.

Prayer requests:

1. That I’d eat.  It’s hard to summon up the will to eat when you know you’re going to be throwing most or all of it up later, sometimes within minutes.  This is exactly what the nurse said would happen…but she said I really need to force the food down so that I get nutrients.

2. that the meds get in my system long enough that they don’t get thrown up.  We’re pretty sure I threw up most to all of some meds I took this morning.  If this doesn’t change, I’ll be spending my days and nights at the hospital so that they can give me the meds via IV….you might understand that I’d really like to stay at home.

3. strength for Lynne as caregiver.

Thank you for your prayers and friendship which have been a rock of strength for us during this time.  It is lousy to be throwing up and all but knowing that it it taking us down the road to recovery is exciting and worth it all.

Scott & Lynne

Scott and Lynne just arrived home from the first chemotherapy treatment…it went well. The doctor told Scott that he will feel worse before he begins to feel better and that he should expect to sleep 80-90% of the time for the next three to four days. In addition, the doctor stated that for the duration of his chemo treatment, Scott will be very susceptible to illness. If you signed up to provide a meal or assist in some other way, please keep this in mind.

Again, the Halversons want you to know how grateful they are for your care and encouragement. They have drawn great strength from knowing that the community of faith is praying for them and, they are so grateful for your “conversations” on the blog.

Scott’s final comment on the phone call… “we’re feeling emotionally and spiritually well!”