Well, Kristi is not having chemo for 2 reasons:
First, her counts were too low today for chemo. Her platelet level is currently at 52,000. As we mentioned the other day, her doctor is changing the type of chemo to Hycamtin (generic equivalent is Topotecan HC1). This is normally used as a second line chemotherapy for relapse, but since Kristi's body became resistant to her first line chemo they decided to make a change now. So after we left the doctor's office today we were thinking probably Wednesday for chemo (assuming her numbers go up by then). But wait...
The other reason chemo is on hold is...well...I made some phone calls today and talked with a specialist out of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Chicago. A friend informed me of this center. After talking with this specialist, she was a little surprised at some of the decisions that have been made in our case, so she is going to refer us to Dr. Williams - one of the nation's best when it comes to ovarian cancer. She took all of our information and we're going to try to get approved to go to Chicago to see Dr. Williams for a 5 day exam. They will inspect every inch of Kristi's body for cancer. They not only will check her over physically, they will check her mental health, her diet, everything! It will be a pretty intense 5 days it sounded like when talking to this specialist. The main objective is to find out if they agree with her current treatment plan. If they agree, then we proceed. BUT, it definitely sounds like they have some concerns over our current path.
I really feel God kept Kristi's counts down for a reason. Ordinarily Kristi's counts would have shot up by now. Because they didn't, I was able to make some phone calls and we're going for a second opinion (hopefully). If we would have started her new chemo today, we would not have been allowed to see this specialist for months- that's just how it works. Too many strange coincidences happened for this to be just "good luck". Anyway, it's a good time for us to call a "time out", take a step back, and re-evaluate what's going on...and this specialist from the Cancer Center agreed. After reading Dr. Williams bio on their website it was a no-brainer: "When it comes to lending her patients an empathetic ear, Dr. Williams takes a compassionate “hands-on” approach, kneeling down to speak with patients who are seated or in a wheelchair or offering to join them in prayer if asked". You can read the rest of her bio at http://www.cancercenter.com/midwestern-hospital/physicians/sybilann-williams.cfm.
So that's where we stand right now. Please pray that God is with everyone making decisions over the next few days and if we're meant to go to Chicago that they will come to that decision. If we don't qualify, that means the current path we're on is the right one. Thanks!
"And I will love you forever; truly, I will love you in righteousness and in right judging, in care and in mercies." Hosea 2:19
