Angie and I would like to express our eternal gratitude to our wonderful family and friends, for your many heart felt expressions of love, concern and support. Difficult challenges we are faced with become bearable when you're surrounded by those who you love and cherish. We both feel so very blessed to have all of you in our lives and consider the relationships we have with you one of our greatest treasures.
I must apologize for not being forthcoming with more information sooner, but we wanted to accurately understand what we are dealing with before we let you know what was going on. I think we do know now and we have a plan in place which is comforting in itself and I'm grateful to be able to proceed with the process to get my sweetheart better.
I thought a little background might provide some perspective to those of you I have not yet had the opportunity to discuss many details with. I see now, looking back, some changes Angie was experiencing at least 18 months ago. You all know the energy level Angie possesses that has been a source of admiration and amazement to me for the entire 45 years I have known her, but over the last year or so she has commented on her lack of energy and how easily she tired. This lack of energy seemed to worsen substantially late this spring and was complicated by extreme back pain. Angie scheduled an appointment with our primary care physician for an unrelated problem, she was bothered by allergies affecting her eyes and was seeking treatment for this from our doctor.
At the appointment she mentioned her back pain, and that she had been suffering from almost constant nausea, the doctor also noticed she was due for a complete workup so ordered some blood drawn and scheduled various lab tests on the samples. As the tests came in, they showed all major organs healthy and functioning in normal ranges with the exception of her kidneys. More tests were ordered, including a CT scan of her lower back. The additional tests showed her kidney functions had actually worsened during the week of waiting for the results of the tests and our doctor referred Angie to a kidney specialist to whom he had forwarded the CT scan images to.
During the consult with the kidney specialist we were told Angie's was only getting 20% function from her kidneys and the specialist ordered a renal biopsy. We were also told, by the kidney specialist, her suspicion the kidney malfunctions were secondary to an underlying primary cause. She told us the results of the biopsy would take about a week and scheduled a second appointment with us on the following Thursday.
Angie's back pain and nausea continued to worsen and yet she went on Trek with me as we waited for the results of her kidney biopsy. She absolutely loves being with the youth in our ward and we had the pleasure of having 4 of our grandchildren participate in the Trek. I had made arrangements for us to pull one of the Port-a-potty trailers so Angie did not have to walk the Trek but she still worked hard cleaning bathrooms at each stop we made so that everyone on Trek had nice facilities to use.
Thursday after Trek was our second appointment with the kidney specialist, it was at this appointment we learned her kidney function had continued to deteriorate but there were other complications as well. The CT scan had shown lesions in her spine and pelvic bones and the doctor suspected cancer. It was recommend that we return to our primary care physician so he could refer us to an oncologist. The appointment was scheduled for Wednesday the 27th of June and we had an visit set with our primary care doctor on Monday the 25th. On Sunday the 24th, (my sweetheart's birthday) her overall condition worsened and she started vomiting, this continued through the night so the doctor at Monday's visit prescribed a different anti nausea pill that seemed to help with the first dose. Tuesday however, she continued to become more ill, and I suggested I take her to the hospital but Angie wanted to wait until the appointment we had with the oncologist on Wednesday. The next day found Angie even more ill and it was very difficult for her to make the trip to the oncologist's office. At the visit with the oncologist, we learned she agreed with the suspicion of cancer and told us she thought it was a type called multiple myeloma, a form of cancer that starts in the plasma cells in the marrow of the bone. She explained the reasons for Angie's acute nausea were two fold, one being the cancerous plasma cells were creating large amounts of protein and the second cause was calcium was leaching into the blood from the lesions in her bones. Both of these were overloading her kidneys and the cause of her nausea. The high levels of the protein and calcium had put Angie into critical renal failure and the doctor strongly suggested we take her to the hospital immediately. The oncologist made the call to St. Marks, and Angie was admitted Wednesday night.
After many tests including an MRI and a bone marrow biopsy, the multiple myeloma has been confirmed. This form of cancer is very treatable, and the doctors are confident they can reduce the cancer cells in the blood to force the disease into remission. The main concern right now is getting her kidneys back on line and functioning properly. This entails bringing down the levels of calcium and protein in her blood. As of the end of Friday the 29th, her calcium was within a point of normalcy and Angie received her first chemo dose Friday afternoon which should start reducing the protein levels as well. She will be in the hospital a few more days, untill kidney function returns (the kidney specialist is confident they can reverse the damage) and the rest of her chemotherapy can be administered orally with just office visits.
We ask for your continued prayers on her behalf, Angie and I love all of you and I can not adequately express how much you mean to the both of us.
I just received a text from Candice saying she had a pretty bad night. She is in a lot of pain and did not sleep much at all. She has indications though that her kidneys are starting back up so that is a good sign!
I'm signing off for now, but please check back there will be daily updates.
All of my love,
.....paka dave
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