Whew Round 6 is done

What a day! We had a fun drive into McKayDee Hospital on Monday morning as we drove there on a bit of an icerink but we finally made it. We arrived there just shortly after 9:30 am. The receptionist said that she had already had about 6 people call to cancel their appointments for that day due to the snow, so it really wasn't as busy there as most Mondays. We met with Dr. Hansen and he said that, on physical examination, Troy looks great! What wonderful news! He said that he wanted to schedule another PET CT scan for a couple of weeks after this treatment to check if the cancer is in remission. This will take place on Thursday, January 8th. We are both very excited and a bit nervous but are looking forward to seeing the results. So far, Troy is doing fairly well (although the first week isn't generally the bad one). He's a bit sore and tired but all in all is doing really well. We are both so very grateful for the advances in medicine. Thank you to everyone who contines to pray and help us during this difficult time in our lives. May God bless and keep you!

Tomorrow is Cocktail Day

Well tomorrow is round 6. Neither of us are very excited that this has to take place during the week of Christmas but we are both so very thankful that these treatments are doing their job! What is sad is how much more common cancer has become over the years and how many people have been affected by this tragic disease. This Christmas, and always, I pray for all who have been touched by cancer. May their lives be filled with the love and joy of Christ!

I will give you all an update on Troy within the week. Until then, have a blessed Christmas!

Praise be to God!

This is an amazing video that potrays how incredible Jesus truly is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiexiAVLX_c&feature=related

Thanks to all who have reached out to us....

'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' ~Matthew 25: 35-40

Just Thinking

I am overwhelmed with the kindness of so many people. Family, friends and strangers alike have reached out with their hearts and hands to help us during this difficult time in our lives. We are so very blessed! As we go through this Christmas season, we are constantly reminded of God's many graces and gifts to each of us. I know that Troy, myself and our girls will remember this Christmas with great love and fondness for all who have (and continue to) help us celebrate the birth of our Savior. There are honestly no words in our language (or I'm sure any other for that matter) to describe how thankful we are for each and every one of you!!! We both hope and pray that all are filled with the peace and love of Christ this Christmas season. There honestly is no greater joy than to look for Jesus in every experience of our lives. May the many memories you make with family and friends this Christmas fill your hearts with great joy and anticipation!

God bless!

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” ~ Matthew 11:28-30

Fifth Treatment Update

Treatments continue to be difficult for Troy. He awoke this morning with a mouth full of sores, exhausted as he hasn't been sleeping all that well and achy! Not a fun experience for him at all. It is difficult to watch him suffer when the only words I can offer him are "I'm so sorry". I will say this though, through all the trials and sufferings we have, and continue to see so many blessings and meet many wonderful people! A HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who continue to support and pray for Troy and the rest of our family! We have so much to be thankful for this Christmas and thank God each day for the many people in our lives!

God Bless!

Fifth Treatment

Once again we made it through another treatment. Troy received his fifth treatment on Monday 12/1 and things went really well. We were overjoyed after Dr. Hansen examined Troy and said that he could no longer feel any lymph nodes, ANY!!! This is incredible news! We are so very thankful that the chemotherapy is working! It continues to be rough on Troy as he has many side effects from both the chemo and the Neulasta shot but he is amazing in spite of all he must endure! No matter how run down he is or how crappy he is feeling, we can always get a smile from him! Here he is in the infusion room on Monday!

Isn't he handsome?

Although this is a very challenging experience for all of us, we are still blessed in so many ways! We met a gentleman on Monday who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and was receiving his first treatment that day and had just had his port placed that morning as well. While we talked with this roughlooking man, the beauty of his spirit opened and we couldn't help but notice how much he reminded both of us of Troy's sweet father Les (God rest his soul). This man was 50 years of age, a workaholic employed out at Kennecott, and a bulldozer operator. Although the many years of labor were etched within the lines on his face, he had such a kind and loving personality. We talked for many hours with this man. He shared with us that he wasn't sure what to expect that day so he came completely unprepared (when receiving chemo, one has nothing to do but stare out into the room unless you come prepared with movies, card games, books, etc). When he left for the day, he and his sweet wife thanked us so much for our conversation. He told us that he doesn't know what he would've done had we not been there to talk with him. What a blessing it is to meet such wonderful people who have also had their lives touched by this horrible disease. Our prayers go out to he and his family!

Another Update

It seems that each treatment gets a little bit harder on Troy. He is finally dealing with severe mouth sores, weakness, fatigue and soreness and just can't seem to get past this cough he has. He gave me a bit of a scare this past Saturday when he became very dehydrated. We were having our pictures taken at St. Olaf for our church directory when he became very weak and pale and started shivering to the point he couldn't get warm. I quickly took him home and he jumped in a very warm bath and I started giving him good old Gatorade and he came out of it. Thank God!

On another happier note, we went to Tonya's house for dinner on Sunday, November 16th and were pleased to see all of her kids there as well. Troy's hair was starting to grow back in a tiny bit however; due to the continued chemotherapy, it was growing back very patchy. He asked his sister Tiffiny to bring her hair trimmers so she could just shave it off. After he was finished, Kolton needed his hair cut as well and asked if he could get his hair cut like unkle Troy's so, he had his head shaved as well. Next was Kurtis who had his head shaved and finally, unkle Tim! Kevin had his head shaved the week before. Needless to say, it brough tears to our eyes to see Tonya's family filled with such love for Troy that they would shave their heads for him. Below is the end result:

What a handsome group of men!!

Fourth Treatment Update

It seems that each treatment has a slightly different effect on Troy. Unfortunately he has been feeling nauseated, weak and achy the past couple of days and he stayed home from work again today. It is so hard watching him go through all of this and being limited on what I can do to help him. I have a feeling this is going to be a very long winter. I pray that he is able to avoid all other illness and be cured of this wicked cancer.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who prays for him each day and who help us with our daily needs. You are angels sent from God!

Fourth Treatment

Well, Troy has finallly made it to the half way mark on his treatments! Yay, we're in the home stretch now!!!!



Yesterday was his fourth treatment and it went fairly well. It was another long day at McKayDee Hospital watching the meds drip but he made it through without any reactions or major issues. So far, he experienced some minor nausea last night and has had a bit of a headache but, he is doing well besides.

Third Treatment Update

Well this one has been a bit of a roller coaster ride! Just when Troy thought he was getting over one cold, another one hit. As you can tell, it has been quite some time since I've updated the blog, this is because I caught a whopper of a cold as well and have been sounding like a squeeky mouse for several days. I do believe the cold and flu season is in full bloom!

Troy is a bit fatigued these days and feeling very frustrated about his limitations. My heart breaks for him as I watch him struggle to do some of the things he used to do with ease. I keep telling him that his limitations are only temporary and that he'll be back to his old strength in no time. But until then, he really needs to allow his body to fight and heal.

Troy's Third Treatment

Troy had his third treatment on Monday and it went fairly well. We arrived at McKay Dee Hospital at around 9:45 am and left at around 4:30 pm. The infusion didn't actually begin until around 11:00 am so 5-1/2 hours isn't too bad. He is feeling pretty good, just a bit sore and fatigued. He has such difficulty falling asleep after he has received a treatment and tends to react a bit to the Neulasta shot he receives the day after each treatment (this shot helps jump start his immune system to begin producing certain types of white blood cells to help avoid neutropenia and stave off the risk of infection).

It was very encouraging to meet with the oncologist on Monday. He said that the only enlarged lymph node he could feel was the one under his right arm and it had gone down in size even more since his second treatment. Both his liver and spleen were normal in size. The doctor even commented on how good Troy looks and, all but one of his counts were within the normal ranges. This is incredible news! Praise be to God! It certainly looks as if the chemotherapy is doing its job!

The Cold Drags On and On.....

It is so true what they say about chemo, it certainly takes a toll on the bodies immune system! Troy has been nursing a cold for a couple of weeks now and I can say that I've honestly never seen one hit him as hard as this one. He says it felt like he was walking around in a fog for a while. I am happy to report however, that he is finally on the mend. The bad part is, our girls are now ill with the same cold. Brianna has had the cold for a little over a week and Christianna just came down with the cough two nights ago. :-( So, needless to say, things have been a bit laxed around the Turner household.

Troy goes in tomorrow for his third treatment. I'll let you all know how that goes.

Much Needed Rest

Well, we tried to avoid it but it happened anyway, Troy caught a bit of a chest cold and has been feeling pretty run down these past couple of days. He is resting very comfortably at the moment as you can see. What a precious picture!!!

Round 2 Day 11

Troy seems to be struggling a bit these past few days. He is really fatigued and is feeling quite weak but I guess this is to be expected with treatment being so aggressive. He received his flu shot this past Tuesday so perhaps this may be contributing to how he is feeling. I can tell it is going to be a bit of a challenge for him as we head into the colder months as flu and colds start to increase around us. Needless to say, the rest of us will be getting our flu shots as well. He was also advised to stay away from those who have recently received the flu mist as this is a live virus which would be harmful to him. I pray that he will be able to make it through the cold and flu season without getting sick. He is such a strong man and is filled with determination to beat this and he will with God's healing! Thank you to all of you for your prayers and help during this time!

Round 2 Update

Well, it has been a little over a week since Troy's second treatment and so far he is doing fairly well. He has been going to work, although generally a couple of hours late since he gets a bit fatigued these days, and is on light-duty. He does fairly well most days. His main complaints are tightness in his jaw when he tries to eat, slight pain here and there and fatigue. He has quite a bit of difficulty getting to sleep each night and generally gets up several times each night as well. We are hoping that this will get better as time goes on but, I guess we shall see how it goes. Troy carries his cross so very well though. I am amazed each day at his ability to cope and keep a positive attitude even though he may not feel so well!

Thank you again to all who keep Troy in your thoughts and prayers! We love you all and feel so very blessed!

May the Lord bless and keep you!

Whose up for Round 2

We arrived at McKayDee Hospital on Monday, September 29th at around 11:00 am. It was a very busy day and we waited in the waiting room for at least 45 minutes. Troy had another blood draw and we were so very pleased to learn that all of his counts were within the normal ranges! Praise be to God once again! We waited another 20 minutes for the Nurse Practitioner to come in to check Troy over again. She was very impressed with the size reduction in his lump since the first treatment. I mean, we are talking about a lump that was originally the size of a tennis ball at least, and was now reduced to a lump that was a bit smaller than a golf ball! Amazing what only one treatment has done! All Glory to God! Jesus does heal in every aspect!!!

Once we met with the nurse practitioner, we were then walked back to the infusion room. We waited yet again and Troy was finally "plugged in" at around 1:15 pm. They stepped up the speed of the infusion this time and it seemed to go fairly well and definietely a bit faster however, Troy noticed a bit of a difference with how he felt after he got home. We think that receiving the meds a bit slower is a much better way to go so we're going to have them do that the for round three which will be on October 20th. As of today, Troy is feeling somewhat nauseated and has some tightness and pain throughout areas of his body but he is tremendously tough I must say! Thank you to everyone who prays for us and helps us!!! More updates to come! God Bless!

A Shaving We will Go...

September 26th was the day we decided it was time to say goodbye to Troy's hair as it was falling out all over the house. We called the lady we normally go see for haircuts and she had an opening that afternoon at 4:30 pm. Enjoy the pics...

Isn't he the most handsome bald man!!!

"Hair Reality"

Our family was invited to a "welcome home from Iraq" party on Saturday, September 20th by some very dear friends of ours. It was at this party when another dose of reality set in for Troy. We were talking at the party when he reached up to push some hair away from his ear and brought his hand back with a small handful of hair. It took about 10 days for his hair to start thinning a bit however, this was the first day it started to come out in clumps. Needless to say this was a bit of a reality check for all of us.

The Continuing Story...

Troy did fairly well with his first treatment. There is always a fear with each treatment since we have no idea how his body will react but the first treatment was the scariest. I'm sure anyone who receives chemo would agree. Troy is on a treatment plan called R.C.H.O.P. The letters are the acronyms for the generic name of each drug; Rituximab (brand name Rituxan), Cyclophosphamide (brand name Cytoxan), Doxorubicin hydrochloride (brand name Adriamycin a.k.a. "the red devil"), Oncovin (brand name Vincristine) and Prednisone. All drugs are given intravenously with the exception of the Prednisone. Prednisone is taken orally for the first 5 days after treatment. This really helps stave off the pain of cancer. For this reason, Troy's second week was actually worse for him than the first.

All in all, the first treatment went fairly well for him. He merely had a few days where he didn't feel so well.

The Ongoing Journey

We met with Dr. Vincent Hansen at the McKay Dee Hospital location of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. He told us that Troy would need to have a bone marrow biopsy to determine whether the cancer had traveled into his bone marrow and he would also need a PET CT scan (this scan lets the doctors know everywhere the cancer has spread to, they do this by injecting a radioactive die into Troy and scanning him from head to toe), a MUGA scan (which tells the doctors what capacity Troy's heart pumps at a resting rate, this helps them to know how quickly Troy can take the particular medications needed to treat the cancer) and, after all of this, he will need to have a port-a-cath placed in the left subclavian chest area. The site below has some pretty good pictures of what a port-a-cath looks like.

http://www.tirgan.com/portacat.htm

The port-a-cath is placed just under the skin, a long tube is then connected to the port and threaded up into a main vein in the neck. Since the medicines used in the chemo are so strong they could do damage to the smaller veins so this is the very best way for him to receive his chemotherapy.

Well, we received a call the very next morning stating that Troy had all of his test lined up. He was to get his Muga scan and the bone marrow biopsy that following Wednesday, followed by the PET CT scan on Thursday. His surgery was then set up for Monday, September 8th.

All tests went on as planned but I have to say that it was very difficult watching him have his bone marrow biopsy. He is such an incredibly strong man! His bones are so strong that the rod used to burrow into the bone bent.

The following Monday, September 8th, we arrived at McKay Dee Hospital at 6:15 am as he was to be the first surgery of the day. Troy was prepped for surgery (I have some great pics of him in his cute little gown and surgery hat but they are on my phone so I'll have to try to add those later ;-). He got out of surgery and recovered very quickly. Once they released him, we went to Oncology and met with Dr. Hansen. He informed us that Troy's bone marrow biopsy came back negative. Praise be to God!!! What a huge relief this was! He also told us that Troy has Stage III Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma and that he has a very excellent chance of beating this. Troy then received a blood draw which showed that all of his counts, with the exception of his platelets, were within normal ranges. His platelets were slightly elevated but nothing to be alarmed about. Once our visit was complete with Dr. Hansen, we were walked back to the infusion room where he was "plugged in" and chemotherapy began. This was around 12:oo pm. We ended up leaving the hospital at around 7:30 pm that evening.

Bringing All Things Into Light

Troy's fight began on the afternoon of August 19th. I had made an appointment for a minor issue with our Family Practioner when Troy came to me and asked what time my appointment was for the next afternoon. Once I shared with him, he told me he wanted to come with me to my appointment. Since I was only going in for a minor issue I asked why. This is when he shared with me that he had a very large lump under his right arm. We were both very worried and called to change the appointment so that it could be his.

We arrived at the doctors office around a quarter to 1:00 pm. When the doctor came in and felt Troy's lump he stated that he had never felt a lump that large on a man before and immediately ordered a CT scan of his chest area. The results of the small CT scan showed that the lump was definitely one of his lymph nodes. Dr. Shelby then called McKayDee Hospital and got Troy an appointment for that afternoon with one of McKayDee's best surgeons for a biopsy of the lymph node. We drove straight to the hospital and had the biopsy done and headed home. They shared with us that they would call us Friday morning with the results of the biopsy. If it was, indeed, Lymphoma they would need to send it on to be typed.

We received a call on Friday morning around 11:00 am stating that it was definitely Lymphoma. The surgeon's office then said it would take several days to receive the type and staged.

We received a call from our Family Practioner at which time he decided to get Troy an appointment with the Oncologist as soon as possible. We were called the following day and told that Troy had an appointment scheduled with Dr. Vincent Hansen at McKay Dee Hospital on Thursday, August 28th.

(More to come......)