Re:Merry Christmas - 2006/03/16 08:34
Hi Vickie and all. We are hanging in there. Carol had to be taken off of one of her treatments because it was causing so many side effects even though there was some good coming through. She is now being scheduled to have a new type of shunt (made from GoreTex) surgically installed so that she can start a new treatment that hopefully will extend her life somewhat and hopefully have less side effects. Right now she is taking several major doses of pain medication per day to try to keep the pain down to a tolerable level. She is having great difficulty with her eyes now, part from the medication and part from the lack of it. She has double vision so bad that she cannot read and unless the new treatment works, she will probably be declared as legally blind along with everything else going on. Besides the cancer, she has something called Myasthenia Gravis, which is an autoimmune disorder with similarities to Multiple Sclerosis. Part of the trouble is when you treat one problem the right way, it is the wrong way for another problem. The doctors, which are very good, have to do a kind of a balancing act between the various treatments to try to achieve the best results. It gets kind of tricky and there really is no good answer, just doing the best we can with what we are dealing with. Our daughter is about to have our second grandchild (a boy already named Eli) around April 1. We would love to go out to Colorado to see her and her family when the baby is born, but problably won't be able to go for a while if at all. Last time we went out I had to fly her out there on a non-stop flight with handicap assistance and then I drove out the next day for a week. Then I drove back in time to meet her at the airport here. We really do not know how long Carol has. The treatments might hold off the worst for some time, but because of all the side effects any one of those might take her as well, if something does not go just right. The whole thing gets overwhelming at times, especially for Carol, but with the Lord's help we are just taking each day one at a time and trying to make the most out of what we are given. Every note from you and our family of friends is very welcomed and is very helpful. You might not ever know how much. Do not be afraid to say something because you do not know what to say. Anything you and others can say or do is welcomed very warmly, because we know it is out of brotherly love. If you or anyone wants to E-mail directly, the only E-mail I have is through the office. It is wburger@underwritersagency.com, We just recently had to move because the rental house we were in was sold. So our new mailing address is P.O. Box 644, Howell, MI 48844, An elderly couple in our church here was trying to work it out so we could buy their house with no down payment, but that doesn't look like that is going to work either. Thanks again for your caring and concern, and please keep the prayers going up to our Heavenly Father. Wes
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