Rob met with his cancer surgeon this morning and has made a decision about the course of treatment he is going to pursue.
He has decided to have a neck dissection where they will remove most of the side of his neck, nodes, and any affected tissue. That will be followed up by 6-7 weeks of radiation to the surgery area. He chose not to have the more radical radiaiton which would have meant radiating his whole head. He said the side effects were too drastic, loss of smell and taste being the most primary.
The doctor wants to do the surgery as soon as approval is received from the insurance company, sometime next week most likely. He will be hospitalized at least the day of surgery overnight and longer if needed.
Thank you again, for all your prayers and we will update the blog once the schedule is set.
God bless you,
Carol and Rob
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday's Test Results
Dear ones,
Thank you for praying today. The result is that with the exception of a small red patch in the upper chest and a small polyp in the colon, they found nothing!!! The doctor feels that neither of these "finds" are suspect but he did go ahead and do a biopsy on both. The results are not in yet.
Rob is resting after finally getting a chance to eat. In fact I just checked on him and he is snoring peacefully.
Rob will meet with his cancer surgeon tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10am to discuss all the test results, find out what she recommends, and hopefully, be able to make an informed decision about treatment.
Most of the doctors are encouraging Rob is go with the modified neck/jaw dissection plus 6-7 weeks of radiation. We shall see what he ultimately decides.
Please continue to pray for Rob to have clarity so he can be comfortable with his choice, and ultimately, that the decision is the right one for his type of cancer.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and may God bless you in abundance.
Carol for Rob too
Thank you for praying today. The result is that with the exception of a small red patch in the upper chest and a small polyp in the colon, they found nothing!!! The doctor feels that neither of these "finds" are suspect but he did go ahead and do a biopsy on both. The results are not in yet.
Rob is resting after finally getting a chance to eat. In fact I just checked on him and he is snoring peacefully.
Rob will meet with his cancer surgeon tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10am to discuss all the test results, find out what she recommends, and hopefully, be able to make an informed decision about treatment.
Most of the doctors are encouraging Rob is go with the modified neck/jaw dissection plus 6-7 weeks of radiation. We shall see what he ultimately decides.
Please continue to pray for Rob to have clarity so he can be comfortable with his choice, and ultimately, that the decision is the right one for his type of cancer.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and may God bless you in abundance.
Carol for Rob too
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Prayers for Rob
Dear ones,
Today Rob is prepping for tests to be done on Monday, March 30th. The doctor told us when Rob met him last week, that he should know immediately if they find the primary source of his neck cancer. That said, I may be able to post more indepth news tomorrow.
Rob is experiencing new symptoms; nearly constant headache, stiffness in his neck along with pain running from his lower neck into his head, and difficulty in turning his head.
We covet your prayers, that the doctors will finally be able to pinpoint the primary cancer and then determine what can be done to treat it effectively.
Rob will meet with his primary doctor late morning on Tuesday. He should have more details then and we will of course, update this blog as soon as possible.
Thank you all for standing in the gap with us. Your prayers are apreciated more than our words can ever convey.
Blessings in Christ,
Rob and Carol
Today Rob is prepping for tests to be done on Monday, March 30th. The doctor told us when Rob met him last week, that he should know immediately if they find the primary source of his neck cancer. That said, I may be able to post more indepth news tomorrow.
Rob is experiencing new symptoms; nearly constant headache, stiffness in his neck along with pain running from his lower neck into his head, and difficulty in turning his head.
We covet your prayers, that the doctors will finally be able to pinpoint the primary cancer and then determine what can be done to treat it effectively.
Rob will meet with his primary doctor late morning on Tuesday. He should have more details then and we will of course, update this blog as soon as possible.
Thank you all for standing in the gap with us. Your prayers are apreciated more than our words can ever convey.
Blessings in Christ,
Rob and Carol
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Debrecen Mission/Guest House Photos
We have been asked to provide photos on our blog for anyone interested in taking over the ministry Rob and I have been involved with for the past 10 years. The following slide show contains the only photos we have available at the moment.
If you are interested in more information, please contact us at: carolgreathouse292@hotmail.com
Rob and Carol Greathouse
If you are interested in more information, please contact us at: carolgreathouse292@hotmail.com
Rob and Carol Greathouse
Wednesday, March 25th Update
Today was a day of "No Doctors" for Rob. He was able to sleep in for a change and he's spending the day vegging out.
Yesterday, he had two appointments; the morning appointment was with the Gastroenterologist who has scheduled two procedures for Monday the 30th. The doctor will look into his upper chest and neck and also his digestive tract, looking for the primary cancer site. The doctors assure us that it is not unheard of for them not to find it when the cancer site is head or neck. It's just frustrating since treatment, if that's Rob choice, is more difficult when the primary is unknown.
In the afternoon, Rob, our daughter Cheryl, and I went to the Radiation Oncologist to get more details about treatment options. He was given three scenarios to consider. Rob has said he will not make any decisions until after his tests on Monday and he meets with his primary doctor Tuesday morning. We should know more to share with you early next week.
Thank you once again for all your blog comments, e-mails, and phone calls. We are being bathed in prayer and experience the Lord is walking closely with us through this.
Blessings in Christ,
Carol and Rob
Yesterday, he had two appointments; the morning appointment was with the Gastroenterologist who has scheduled two procedures for Monday the 30th. The doctor will look into his upper chest and neck and also his digestive tract, looking for the primary cancer site. The doctors assure us that it is not unheard of for them not to find it when the cancer site is head or neck. It's just frustrating since treatment, if that's Rob choice, is more difficult when the primary is unknown.
In the afternoon, Rob, our daughter Cheryl, and I went to the Radiation Oncologist to get more details about treatment options. He was given three scenarios to consider. Rob has said he will not make any decisions until after his tests on Monday and he meets with his primary doctor Tuesday morning. We should know more to share with you early next week.
Thank you once again for all your blog comments, e-mails, and phone calls. We are being bathed in prayer and experience the Lord is walking closely with us through this.
Blessings in Christ,
Carol and Rob
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday's Test Results
Thank you all for your prayers during the weekend. Rob had a great time fishing even though the weather was not too good. He even fished in the rain as the photo below shows. In any case, the time of rest enabled him to quit thinking about what was coming up for a time.
The procedure today went well, unfortunately the news was not good. They were unable to find the primary cancer in either his head, neck, or lungs. The new biopsy came back positive for squamous cell neck cancer, our worst fear.
The Gastroenterologist (Doc who checks the digestive system) was unable to be there today so an appointment is scheduled in the morning (Tuesday) and the test will probably be done on Wednesday if Rob decides to have it. Tuesday afternoon, Rob will see the Radiation Oncologist to discuss options for treatment.
Rob's surgeon who is heading up his care and ordering all the tests, came into recovery this afternoon to talk to him about possible treatments and also the possibilities if Rob chooses not to pursue treatment.
Ideally, she would like him to have surgery to remove the tumor and follow that up with Radiation Therapy. Unfortunately the picture she painted was not a pretty one for how much of his face and neck would be "dissected" if he chooses surgery and the effects of Radiation were pretty grim.
Rob continues to say he will keep an open mind to his options but privately says he doesn't want to go that route. Rob will meet his surgeon again next week Monday where all the pieces of the puzzle should be known and he will be better able to make a decision for treatment or not.
Please pray for Rob's wisdom and continued peace through this process. He says it's harder not knowing everything so he CAN make an informed decision about his future. So our hope is by Monday, he will have a better sense of where he wants to go with this.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and words of support. We've had an outpouring of mails and apologize for not being able to answer each one separately. You can leave your comments on this blog and I'll see that Rob gets them.
Right now he is sleeping off the effects of the anesthesia and resting comfortably.
In His Grip,
Carol and Rob
The procedure today went well, unfortunately the news was not good. They were unable to find the primary cancer in either his head, neck, or lungs. The new biopsy came back positive for squamous cell neck cancer, our worst fear.
The Gastroenterologist (Doc who checks the digestive system) was unable to be there today so an appointment is scheduled in the morning (Tuesday) and the test will probably be done on Wednesday if Rob decides to have it. Tuesday afternoon, Rob will see the Radiation Oncologist to discuss options for treatment.
Rob's surgeon who is heading up his care and ordering all the tests, came into recovery this afternoon to talk to him about possible treatments and also the possibilities if Rob chooses not to pursue treatment.
Ideally, she would like him to have surgery to remove the tumor and follow that up with Radiation Therapy. Unfortunately the picture she painted was not a pretty one for how much of his face and neck would be "dissected" if he chooses surgery and the effects of Radiation were pretty grim.
Rob continues to say he will keep an open mind to his options but privately says he doesn't want to go that route. Rob will meet his surgeon again next week Monday where all the pieces of the puzzle should be known and he will be better able to make a decision for treatment or not.
Please pray for Rob's wisdom and continued peace through this process. He says it's harder not knowing everything so he CAN make an informed decision about his future. So our hope is by Monday, he will have a better sense of where he wants to go with this.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and words of support. We've had an outpouring of mails and apologize for not being able to answer each one separately. You can leave your comments on this blog and I'll see that Rob gets them.
Right now he is sleeping off the effects of the anesthesia and resting comfortably.
In His Grip,
Carol and Rob
Monday, March 23, 2009
Urgent Prayer For Rob
Dear ones,
Rob is scheduled to enter the hospital Monday morning, March 23rd for a procedure where they will put him under anesthesia and three doctors will be looking at his insides. The Gastroenterologist will be looking at the insides of his stomach and other areas, the Pulmonologist will be looking at his lungs and doing a biopsy, and lastly the surgeon will be looking into the head and neck area and doing another type of biopsy on the tumor. The procedure is scheduled to begin at 11 am and take from 1 to 1.5 hours. We have no idea how soon results will be known.
I'm sorry I couldn't get this to you earlier but the details have been coming together throughout the weekend. Rob also got the news that the second biopsy showed the tumor in his neck is malignant but there is a question about the type of cells which would indicate where the primary cancer site is. Hence, the need to look further afield to check every possibility.
Thank you all for standing in the gap with us as this cycle of testing continues. I will update the blog as soon as there is something new to report.
Blessings to you, in Jesus,
Carol for Rob too
"Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, accordingly to the power that works within us..." Ephesians 3:20
Rob is scheduled to enter the hospital Monday morning, March 23rd for a procedure where they will put him under anesthesia and three doctors will be looking at his insides. The Gastroenterologist will be looking at the insides of his stomach and other areas, the Pulmonologist will be looking at his lungs and doing a biopsy, and lastly the surgeon will be looking into the head and neck area and doing another type of biopsy on the tumor. The procedure is scheduled to begin at 11 am and take from 1 to 1.5 hours. We have no idea how soon results will be known.
I'm sorry I couldn't get this to you earlier but the details have been coming together throughout the weekend. Rob also got the news that the second biopsy showed the tumor in his neck is malignant but there is a question about the type of cells which would indicate where the primary cancer site is. Hence, the need to look further afield to check every possibility.
Thank you all for standing in the gap with us as this cycle of testing continues. I will update the blog as soon as there is something new to report.
Blessings to you, in Jesus,
Carol for Rob too
"Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, accordingly to the power that works within us..." Ephesians 3:20
In The Arms Of Jesus
To all our friends and partners in prayer...our beloved friend and sister in Christ, Carol Porter, went to join Jesus in heaven Saturday, March 21st at 11:51 p.m., surrounded by her family and several friends.
Carol's life impacted so many people during her time here on earth and although we are going to miss her hugely, the impact of her example, inspiration, and faith will go on for a life time.
We are thanking God for allowing us to know Carol and for her importance in bringing both Rob and I to the Lord. There are untold numbers of women both in Hungary and Romania whose lives were impacted by the annual outreaches she initiated in 2000. She will be missed for many reasons not the least of which was her wonderful sense of fun and joy in the Lord.
The photo below is typical of the joy Carol showed while ministering in the name of Jesus. This was taken in Brasov, Romania during the 2007 outreaches. This photo so exemplifies Carol's joy that they used it on the back page of the program for her memorial service Saturday, March 28th. Can't you just sense her joy!!!
Now, as she hears the voice of the Lord saying...well done good and faithful servant, we too say well done dear friend. We will meet again one day soon.
Blessings in Jesus,
Rob and Carol
Carol's life impacted so many people during her time here on earth and although we are going to miss her hugely, the impact of her example, inspiration, and faith will go on for a life time.
We are thanking God for allowing us to know Carol and for her importance in bringing both Rob and I to the Lord. There are untold numbers of women both in Hungary and Romania whose lives were impacted by the annual outreaches she initiated in 2000. She will be missed for many reasons not the least of which was her wonderful sense of fun and joy in the Lord.
The photo below is typical of the joy Carol showed while ministering in the name of Jesus. This was taken in Brasov, Romania during the 2007 outreaches. This photo so exemplifies Carol's joy that they used it on the back page of the program for her memorial service Saturday, March 28th. Can't you just sense her joy!!!
Now, as she hears the voice of the Lord saying...well done good and faithful servant, we too say well done dear friend. We will meet again one day soon.
Blessings in Jesus,
Rob and Carol
Friday, March 20, 2009
Friday, March 20th Update
Dear ones,
We are thanking God each time we remember you. We thank God for His grace each day as He showers us with His love and strength. And, we thank you for all the prayers being lifted on Rob's behalf.
Yesterday, Thursday, March 19th, Rob saw Dr. Lee the Pulmonologist (Lung Doctor), who told Rob he wants to do a bronchoscopy to look at the inside of his lungs and possibly do a biopsy. The thinking is that the PET CT Scan results do not show cancer sites other than the one in his neck and there is some concern that there might be smaller sites which the first scan did not show. Unfortunately, the scan also did not show where the primary cancer site is.
At the same time this test will be going on, Dr. Shah the Surgeon, would also look into Rob's head, neck, throat, etc. They will do the test while Rob is asleep so he will not have to deal with the discomfort he experienced when similar tests were attempted in Hungary while he was awake.
Dr. Lee and Dr. Shah will try to get Rob on the schedule for either Monday or Thursday of next week. Rob is scheduled to meet with the Radiology Oncologist on Tuesday and it is hoped that the biopsy results from his neck will finally be in by then.
We are off to go camping later today and Rob is excited because he will get to use his new fishing pole!!! Wednesday he went with his cousin to a train museum in Jamestown, a town started in the California Gold Rush days. It was a great male bonding time for them.
Please know how much your prayers mean to us. Knowing he is loved and prayed for means a great deal to Rob and to me as well.
I'm posting a photo of the backyard where we are now staying. It is soooo nice to wake up to the sound of the waterfall so close by. It's a great place to stay close to the Lord especially when thinking about and praying for all who are dear to us.
In His grip,
Carol and Rob
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18th Update
Lots of news but we are no more enlightened than before.
Dr. Shah, the surgeon who did a second biopsy last week called to say she still does not have the results of the biopsy. She did say she had received info on the PET Scan which does not show where the primary cancer might be.
This said, they are referring Rob to a Pulmonary doctor (Lung specialist) who will coordinate a broncoscopy with the surgeon who will look into Rob's lungs and head and neck while he is asleep. Rob will meet the Pulmonologist tomorrow but doesn't yet know when the above mentioned test will take place.
Rob is also scheduled to meet with a Radiation Oncologist next week on Tuesday but we are not sure what that will mean since Rob continues to reiterate his decision not to have chemo or radiation. There was also talk of Rob having an MRI in hopes it might pinpoint where the primary cancer site is.
That's as much as we know at the moment. Thank you all for your continued prayers and notes of encouragement.
On a lighter note...we are leaving Friday afternoon to go camping with our daughter and son-in-law plus my sister and her significant other. They have RV's so we'll be camping side by side. We will be back late on Sunday and are really looking forward to a bit of down time.
Love to all,
Carol for Rob too
Dr. Shah, the surgeon who did a second biopsy last week called to say she still does not have the results of the biopsy. She did say she had received info on the PET Scan which does not show where the primary cancer might be.
This said, they are referring Rob to a Pulmonary doctor (Lung specialist) who will coordinate a broncoscopy with the surgeon who will look into Rob's lungs and head and neck while he is asleep. Rob will meet the Pulmonologist tomorrow but doesn't yet know when the above mentioned test will take place.
Rob is also scheduled to meet with a Radiation Oncologist next week on Tuesday but we are not sure what that will mean since Rob continues to reiterate his decision not to have chemo or radiation. There was also talk of Rob having an MRI in hopes it might pinpoint where the primary cancer site is.
That's as much as we know at the moment. Thank you all for your continued prayers and notes of encouragement.
On a lighter note...we are leaving Friday afternoon to go camping with our daughter and son-in-law plus my sister and her significant other. They have RV's so we'll be camping side by side. We will be back late on Sunday and are really looking forward to a bit of down time.
Love to all,
Carol for Rob too
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009 Update
Thank you all for your continued prayers and words of support. Rob is continuing to experience God's presence and peace through this time of uncertainty.
Rob arrived on his birthday last Sunday and since we didn't have a big "do" on his arrival day, our daughter Cheryl and friends from the church here decided to hold a special surprise birthday party at the church. They put the notice in last Sunday's bulletin and a great many turned out.
Since our whole family, grand kids included planned to come, we all piled into Ron and Cheryl's motor home and made the 45 minute drive to the church together. It was a hoot climbing the Altamont Pass in this monster vehicle. At times, even the trucks were passing us!!!
Once at the church, the fun began. We saw some people we had not seen in years. Rob's cousin and her husband live in the mountains in Twain Harte and showed up, surprising Rob with a new fishing pole and an invite to "head up the mountain" for some quiet fishing. We also had a really surprise guest when our neighbor from our very first home came by. We had not seen her in over 30 years, having lost touch until a few months ago when she found us through this blog. What a joy it was to see her and the beautiful flower arrangement she personally made for Rob was exquisite. Oh the wonders of the Internet!!!
At one point our daughter read an e-mail Pastor Dani and his wife Andi, from Hungary sent me. It was too emotional for me to read but Cheryl managed to get through it without breaking down completely. She told me later that she had read it many times in advance so she wouldn't break down. The message basically shared how Rob had impacted them in their own spiritual walk. Rob is a man of few words, not given to emotion, but even he had a hard time holding in the tears. Thanks Dani and Andi for sharing your love and encouragement in such a profound way. You are dearly loved. I'm pasting the message here...
"P.S. There is something Dani would like to share with you and he hopes this will be an encouragement.
We would like to share with you how much it encouraged us seeing Rob's life, heart, and faith in these past few weeks. Up until this point, his spiritual life was not in the spotlight and to many people he was a mystery. But now for us and to many in the church, it was made obvious how much he sticks and clings to Jesus; and his quiet faith spoke volumes to us, encouraging us, and comforting us. We were trying to encourage him (probably did not work too well as we are a bit clumsy) but he encouraged us in a greater way even without words. What I personally learned from him and what encouraged me the greatest (Dani) is that he is not attached to earthly belongings. And, seeing how many joined in the prayer chain (all 24 hours were covered) is proving that you guys are greatly loved and many, many people care for you. In addition, both of you are greatly missed. Dani says: Rob, you are one of the role models I want to follow. We love you both."
To continue...
Today is Sunday and Rob and I will move from my sisters home to a new "home away from home." Rob's cousins' daughter has offered to share her home with us. Janine is single with a beautiful home nearer to Rob's doctors that will make it easier to get back and forth for all these doctor visits. Since Janine works all day and has a busy active life on the weekends, we will have the house almost to ourselves.
We would appreciate prayers for Rob on Tuesday. He is scheduled to have a PET Scan at Noon California time. From what we understand, it will take about a week for the results to be known and at that time, we will meet with Rob's Oncologist who will give Rob the details about the stage of his cancer and treatment options. Rob continues to stress he does not want to have chemo or radiation but is open to other options.
Tomorrow, we are meeting our Hungarian friends, Dr. Krisztian and his wife Betti and driving them to see 17-mile Drive, plus Monterey and Carmel. While we were talking about it at the party last night, Betti's eyes just lit up when I told her we would be driving along the coast with the ocean next to us. Pretty neat stuff for someone coming from a land-locked country.
We wish one and all a blessed week and I will update you here as we have news to share. Again, thank you so much for your love and support.
Blessings in Jesus,
Rob and Carol
Rob arrived on his birthday last Sunday and since we didn't have a big "do" on his arrival day, our daughter Cheryl and friends from the church here decided to hold a special surprise birthday party at the church. They put the notice in last Sunday's bulletin and a great many turned out.
Since our whole family, grand kids included planned to come, we all piled into Ron and Cheryl's motor home and made the 45 minute drive to the church together. It was a hoot climbing the Altamont Pass in this monster vehicle. At times, even the trucks were passing us!!!
Once at the church, the fun began. We saw some people we had not seen in years. Rob's cousin and her husband live in the mountains in Twain Harte and showed up, surprising Rob with a new fishing pole and an invite to "head up the mountain" for some quiet fishing. We also had a really surprise guest when our neighbor from our very first home came by. We had not seen her in over 30 years, having lost touch until a few months ago when she found us through this blog. What a joy it was to see her and the beautiful flower arrangement she personally made for Rob was exquisite. Oh the wonders of the Internet!!!
At one point our daughter read an e-mail Pastor Dani and his wife Andi, from Hungary sent me. It was too emotional for me to read but Cheryl managed to get through it without breaking down completely. She told me later that she had read it many times in advance so she wouldn't break down. The message basically shared how Rob had impacted them in their own spiritual walk. Rob is a man of few words, not given to emotion, but even he had a hard time holding in the tears. Thanks Dani and Andi for sharing your love and encouragement in such a profound way. You are dearly loved. I'm pasting the message here...
"P.S. There is something Dani would like to share with you and he hopes this will be an encouragement.
We would like to share with you how much it encouraged us seeing Rob's life, heart, and faith in these past few weeks. Up until this point, his spiritual life was not in the spotlight and to many people he was a mystery. But now for us and to many in the church, it was made obvious how much he sticks and clings to Jesus; and his quiet faith spoke volumes to us, encouraging us, and comforting us. We were trying to encourage him (probably did not work too well as we are a bit clumsy) but he encouraged us in a greater way even without words. What I personally learned from him and what encouraged me the greatest (Dani) is that he is not attached to earthly belongings. And, seeing how many joined in the prayer chain (all 24 hours were covered) is proving that you guys are greatly loved and many, many people care for you. In addition, both of you are greatly missed. Dani says: Rob, you are one of the role models I want to follow. We love you both."
To continue...
Today is Sunday and Rob and I will move from my sisters home to a new "home away from home." Rob's cousins' daughter has offered to share her home with us. Janine is single with a beautiful home nearer to Rob's doctors that will make it easier to get back and forth for all these doctor visits. Since Janine works all day and has a busy active life on the weekends, we will have the house almost to ourselves.
We would appreciate prayers for Rob on Tuesday. He is scheduled to have a PET Scan at Noon California time. From what we understand, it will take about a week for the results to be known and at that time, we will meet with Rob's Oncologist who will give Rob the details about the stage of his cancer and treatment options. Rob continues to stress he does not want to have chemo or radiation but is open to other options.
Tomorrow, we are meeting our Hungarian friends, Dr. Krisztian and his wife Betti and driving them to see 17-mile Drive, plus Monterey and Carmel. While we were talking about it at the party last night, Betti's eyes just lit up when I told her we would be driving along the coast with the ocean next to us. Pretty neat stuff for someone coming from a land-locked country.
We wish one and all a blessed week and I will update you here as we have news to share. Again, thank you so much for your love and support.
Blessings in Jesus,
Rob and Carol
Friday, March 13, 2009
Wednesday and Thursday 3/11 & 12 Update
To keep you up-to-date on our happenings, Wednesday was a day of vegging. By that I mean Rob spent time visiting the grocery store (his favorite place) just checking out all the new stuff to eat while I did our laundry.
While Rob was away, we had phone calls from two Hungarians, who both happened to be in Rob's cooking class in Hungary. Both Susil and Lidia called to check on Rob and said they would each call back later. Rob was so excited waiting for their calls and had some nice catch-up time with them. Thank you Lidia and Susil for making Rob's day.
Since Rob is also a handyman of renown, his services as a plumber were called into play when Georgia's toilet stopped up and ran over. Off to the home supply store for the purchase of a plunger to unclog things. Of course, Rob found the latest and greatest plunger on the market and within minutes, everything was up and running, literally.
Everyone knows Rob's love of a good steak and Georgia made his wish come true in grand style. While at the specialty meat market, she found Kansas City beef steaks and Rob got to enjoy a Kansas City Rib Eye steak, along with the rest of us. Yummy to say the least.
Thursday was going to be quiet since we had yet to hear from Dr. Lei (pronounced Lay) about further tests. While Georgia and I were about to have pedicures, I received a call from Dr. Lei asking if Rob could be in Pleasanton by 3pm. Since it was already 1:30 pm when the call came in and we were 1.5 hours away from there, it took some doing and speedy driving to make it to the surgeons office on time. Dr. Lei also said that the chest x-rays and blood work Rob had the day before didn't reveal anything.
While Rob was driving to Pleasanton, I was on my cell phone trying to reach Dr. Krisztian (who just "happens" to be visiting from Hungary) to see if he could meet us there to translate all the Hungarian medical information. Walla, they were home at their hosts house and agreed to meet us by 3 pm.
Once at the doctor's office, we discovered the doctor was in an emergency surgery so we had some one-on-one time with the Gaspar family. Kind of took our minds off everything playing with little Adele and seeing our dear friends.
Rob's surgeon finally arrived, Dr. Krisz translated all the medical information and the doctor decided that since Rob had not brought slides of his biopsy, she would do another needle biopsy. This time Rob received something to deaden the site and it was over in no time.
The doctor told Rob she wanted to get him scheduled for a PET Scan as soon as possible but since it was already 5 p.m. it was too late to reach anyone to schedule it. She said her office would call us once it is scheduled and let us know when to come in.
From what we know, a PET Scan takes about 2 hours. That is, 2 hours lying on a hard table while a noisy machine rotates around you taking pictures of your insides. We understand this procedure involves injecting radioactive material which will travel to the cancer site(s). The hope is that the Scan will show where the cancer site(s) is/are so they can determine how extensive Rob's cancer is.
It is now early Friday morning and we just received a call from the Imaging office. Rob is scheduled to have his PET Scan on Tuesday, March 17th at Noon. That is 8 hours later for our Hungarian friends. Remember, America has already gone onto Daylight Savings Time, hence only 8 hours time difference instead of the usual nine hours. We will update you as we can.
Thank you one and all, for your faithful prayers, for your loving words of encouragement, and your emotional support. We pray God will bless you abundantly.
Carol and Rob
While Rob was away, we had phone calls from two Hungarians, who both happened to be in Rob's cooking class in Hungary. Both Susil and Lidia called to check on Rob and said they would each call back later. Rob was so excited waiting for their calls and had some nice catch-up time with them. Thank you Lidia and Susil for making Rob's day.
Since Rob is also a handyman of renown, his services as a plumber were called into play when Georgia's toilet stopped up and ran over. Off to the home supply store for the purchase of a plunger to unclog things. Of course, Rob found the latest and greatest plunger on the market and within minutes, everything was up and running, literally.
Everyone knows Rob's love of a good steak and Georgia made his wish come true in grand style. While at the specialty meat market, she found Kansas City beef steaks and Rob got to enjoy a Kansas City Rib Eye steak, along with the rest of us. Yummy to say the least.
Thursday was going to be quiet since we had yet to hear from Dr. Lei (pronounced Lay) about further tests. While Georgia and I were about to have pedicures, I received a call from Dr. Lei asking if Rob could be in Pleasanton by 3pm. Since it was already 1:30 pm when the call came in and we were 1.5 hours away from there, it took some doing and speedy driving to make it to the surgeons office on time. Dr. Lei also said that the chest x-rays and blood work Rob had the day before didn't reveal anything.
While Rob was driving to Pleasanton, I was on my cell phone trying to reach Dr. Krisztian (who just "happens" to be visiting from Hungary) to see if he could meet us there to translate all the Hungarian medical information. Walla, they were home at their hosts house and agreed to meet us by 3 pm.
Once at the doctor's office, we discovered the doctor was in an emergency surgery so we had some one-on-one time with the Gaspar family. Kind of took our minds off everything playing with little Adele and seeing our dear friends.
Rob's surgeon finally arrived, Dr. Krisz translated all the medical information and the doctor decided that since Rob had not brought slides of his biopsy, she would do another needle biopsy. This time Rob received something to deaden the site and it was over in no time.
The doctor told Rob she wanted to get him scheduled for a PET Scan as soon as possible but since it was already 5 p.m. it was too late to reach anyone to schedule it. She said her office would call us once it is scheduled and let us know when to come in.
From what we know, a PET Scan takes about 2 hours. That is, 2 hours lying on a hard table while a noisy machine rotates around you taking pictures of your insides. We understand this procedure involves injecting radioactive material which will travel to the cancer site(s). The hope is that the Scan will show where the cancer site(s) is/are so they can determine how extensive Rob's cancer is.
It is now early Friday morning and we just received a call from the Imaging office. Rob is scheduled to have his PET Scan on Tuesday, March 17th at Noon. That is 8 hours later for our Hungarian friends. Remember, America has already gone onto Daylight Savings Time, hence only 8 hours time difference instead of the usual nine hours. We will update you as we can.
Thank you one and all, for your faithful prayers, for your loving words of encouragement, and your emotional support. We pray God will bless you abundantly.
Carol and Rob
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tuesday Update 3/10/09
Rob arrived in San Francisco safe but tired on Sunday afternoon. He was so grateful to be able to stretch his legs after more than 12 hours of sitting! Cheryl, our daughter, and I arrived somewhat early only to discover that his flight had already landed, 30 minutes early! Must have been some tail wind!!!
Monday, we met with the staff of Valley Bible Church, our home church. They are trying to help us come up with ideas for how we can sell the mission house in this dismal economy, not only here in America but in Europe as well.
Today, Tuesday 3/10, Rob will see his primary physician, learn which tests will be ordered, and get some idea of the process involved in this illness. He realized the doctors here will probably do their own biopsy rather than rely on the results from another country. Plus, the report from the Hungarian doctors is of course, in Hungarian!!! See Rob's smiling face before his doctor's visit...
We will update this blog with information as it becomes available and in the meantime, we thank you all for your prayers and loving words of support. Both Rob and I are more grateful than we can express.
With grateful hearts,
Rob and Carol
Monday, March 2, 2009
Peace through the Storm
Dear partners in prayer,
The past two weeks have seen the focus of our lives changed in a way neither Rob nor I could have imagined. While we were focusing on the details of our move to the States and winding down our ministry in Hungary, health issues were looming.
Sunday morning February 15th while Rob was shaving before church, he discovered a large mass in his neck. After looking at it and discovering it was not painful (an indication of infection) we decided we needed to have our friend Dr. Krisztian take a look at it at church that morning.
Dr. Krisztian checked it out and decided that Rob needed to be seen by an Ear, Nose, and Throat doc so an appointment was made for Wednesday, February 18th. Following a chest x-ray and an ultrasound, the doctor in Hungary told Rob the mass was indeed a tumor but gave no indication whether it was benign or malignant. Since it was too late in the day to have a needle biopsy and since they are only done on Wednesday mornings, an appointment was scheduled for Wednesday, February 25th.
Since I,(Carol) was scheduled to leave for the U.S. on Monday the 23rd, there was discussion of whether or not to postpone my leaving. Rob assured me he felt the tumor would be benign and not to change my plans.
On Wednesday, February 25th Rob had a needle biopsy and was told that he would know the results within an hour or so. Unfortunately, the news was not what we hoped to hear. The tumor is malignant, the diagnosis was "Metastatic Squamous Cell Neck Cancer with an unknown (occult) primary." This means that the cancer in his neck is metastasized from an unknown location and is considered a secondary cancer. The doctors do not know at this time where the primary cancer is except that with this type of cancer it generally is in the area above the shoulders, i.e., head and neck areas.
On Thursday, February 26th, I met with our personal doctor here in California and showed him the e-mail with the diagnosis and asked him to tell us the truth, i.e., how serious is this type of cancer, how treatable, etc. Again, the news was not good. His comments were that this type of cancer is VERY aggressive, VERY fast growing, and DOES NOT respond well to treatment.
The next question I posed to him was what does this mean in terms of survivability. He said without treatment it would usually be from 3-6 months. Rob has stated many times through the years that he would not choose to prolong his life with chemo or radiation treatments. Most recently he expressed this again when a friend in California was diagnosed with cancer and died in 11 days. Rob's comment was "that's the way I want to go...quickly."
Rob will fly to California on Sunday, March 8th (his 66th birthday) and will have additional tests here including a CT Scan, possibly an MRI, and blood work. After the results are in, Rob will meet with the Oncologist so he can make a fully informed decision about the course he will choose to pursue.
Please keep Rob in your prayers, for God's perfect plan for his life to be accomplished, and my special prayer...that Rob would not suffer unduly.
I will keep you updated through this blog as we have information to share. The number of e-mails we've received since the news got out have just inundated us and it's hard to respond personally to each of you.
We thank you one and all for your love and encouragement. We cherish you and our friendships, realizing we would never choose to go through these days without you and most importantly, without the Lord's grace and peace.
Rob continues to express being filled with a sense of God's presence and the peace only God can provide.
Be blessed in Jesus,
Carol for Rob too
The past two weeks have seen the focus of our lives changed in a way neither Rob nor I could have imagined. While we were focusing on the details of our move to the States and winding down our ministry in Hungary, health issues were looming.
Sunday morning February 15th while Rob was shaving before church, he discovered a large mass in his neck. After looking at it and discovering it was not painful (an indication of infection) we decided we needed to have our friend Dr. Krisztian take a look at it at church that morning.
Dr. Krisztian checked it out and decided that Rob needed to be seen by an Ear, Nose, and Throat doc so an appointment was made for Wednesday, February 18th. Following a chest x-ray and an ultrasound, the doctor in Hungary told Rob the mass was indeed a tumor but gave no indication whether it was benign or malignant. Since it was too late in the day to have a needle biopsy and since they are only done on Wednesday mornings, an appointment was scheduled for Wednesday, February 25th.
Since I,(Carol) was scheduled to leave for the U.S. on Monday the 23rd, there was discussion of whether or not to postpone my leaving. Rob assured me he felt the tumor would be benign and not to change my plans.
On Wednesday, February 25th Rob had a needle biopsy and was told that he would know the results within an hour or so. Unfortunately, the news was not what we hoped to hear. The tumor is malignant, the diagnosis was "Metastatic Squamous Cell Neck Cancer with an unknown (occult) primary." This means that the cancer in his neck is metastasized from an unknown location and is considered a secondary cancer. The doctors do not know at this time where the primary cancer is except that with this type of cancer it generally is in the area above the shoulders, i.e., head and neck areas.
On Thursday, February 26th, I met with our personal doctor here in California and showed him the e-mail with the diagnosis and asked him to tell us the truth, i.e., how serious is this type of cancer, how treatable, etc. Again, the news was not good. His comments were that this type of cancer is VERY aggressive, VERY fast growing, and DOES NOT respond well to treatment.
The next question I posed to him was what does this mean in terms of survivability. He said without treatment it would usually be from 3-6 months. Rob has stated many times through the years that he would not choose to prolong his life with chemo or radiation treatments. Most recently he expressed this again when a friend in California was diagnosed with cancer and died in 11 days. Rob's comment was "that's the way I want to go...quickly."
Rob will fly to California on Sunday, March 8th (his 66th birthday) and will have additional tests here including a CT Scan, possibly an MRI, and blood work. After the results are in, Rob will meet with the Oncologist so he can make a fully informed decision about the course he will choose to pursue.
Please keep Rob in your prayers, for God's perfect plan for his life to be accomplished, and my special prayer...that Rob would not suffer unduly.
I will keep you updated through this blog as we have information to share. The number of e-mails we've received since the news got out have just inundated us and it's hard to respond personally to each of you.
We thank you one and all for your love and encouragement. We cherish you and our friendships, realizing we would never choose to go through these days without you and most importantly, without the Lord's grace and peace.
Rob continues to express being filled with a sense of God's presence and the peace only God can provide.
Be blessed in Jesus,
Carol for Rob too
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