And So It Begins
Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 11:07AM After more than 7 weeks since my surgery, we are finally ready to begin treatment. The doctors at Johns Hopkins went back and forth deciding the best course of action to treat my cancer. They had originally classified me as Stage 2B since I had no lymph nodes greater than 6 cm, but after the leading Radiation Oncologists and Radiologists reviewed my abdominal CT results I was reclassified as Stage 2C. The reason for the change was, as was explained to me, that the stage classifications normally only consider that 1 lymph node is enlarged, but does not consider what to do if there is more than 1 that is enlarged. Since I have 3 lymph nodes that are enlarged the doctors decided that the best course of action was to take all of the enlarged lymph nodes and add their sizes together and use that result to determine which classification to use.
Their concern is that if I am truly Stage 2C then localized radiation therapy, while effective on the area being treated would completely miss anything else that may be floating around my body. As the Oncologist explained to me, radiation therapy is very effective and cures about 75% of this type of cancer, but chemotherapy is around 95% effective. I was never the best math student, but I do believe I can tell which treatment has a more favorable prognosis. While I am not exactly thrilled with the prospect of going through 5 full days of chemo, 2 weeks off, 5 more full days, 2 weeks off, finishing off with 5 final full days, I would much rather just do it now than to find out a year or so down the road that we should have done this now.
I can’t say that the past couple of months have been something that I have thoroughly enjoyed, but it has been a journey of faith, love, and patience. From the beginning I have believed that God has healed me, we just have to wait for the physical evidence of God’s providence. I realize that some will say that God had nothing to do with my treatment, prognosis, or my recovery, but I believe that without God’s hand guiding not only my doctors and their recommendations, but also my decisions on which doctors to see and whose advice to follow.
I am generally a fairly patient person. I normally don’t have a problem if I have to wait for something, but the past 7 weeks has been a true test of patience. We have gone from 1 doctor appointment to another, each time expecting that the next appointment would be the one where we get the plan of what and when we are going to do next; only to find that we had to go see yet another doctor to hopefully figure out what to do with me. Having to wait to find out what treatment that you will receive and when you will start is a very trying experience. I was left wondering if we were waiting too long to start treatment. What if we did radiation therapy on my abdomen and there was something left in my lungs or head that they missed? The treatments are supposedly 95% effective, what about that 5%? Will I be part of that rare percentage? These questions and thoughts are what pop up in my mind as we wait and have the potential to keep me from praising God for the positive prognosis, and from focusing on what God has done for me and for our family. Most importantly, keep me from remembering that it is all in God’s hands!
It has become cliché to say that an illness causes you to reflect on the love that you have for your family and friends, and I must admit that my cancer diagnosis and treatment is no different. I have found that I don’t want to take anything for granted with my wife and children. The love of my family has been a tremendous help in keeping a positive outlook and a sense of humor about my treatment and the possible side effects. The expression of love from our friends has been simply amazing. The prayers of our friends mean more to us than any words that I could possibly come up with in this short piece. The words of encouragement from lifelong friends and from friends that neither my wife nor I have ever met help us realize that we are truly never alone as we go through this. All of the love expressed is nothing compare to the love that God has shown not only towards me but also to my family. There has not been a time since the first Dr. appointment until this point that we have not felt the loving arms of our Savior wrapped around us.
So it begins, we now move into the treatment phase of this chapter of our lives here on earth. I am planning on writing weekly updates to keep everyone apprised of what is going on with the treatment. Thank you to all who have prayed, sent words of encouragement, or visited, you mean more to us than we could ever express.
Troy Stouffer, cancer, chemo, faith, love, patience, testicular cancer
Reader Comments (7)
I'm such a dork; I'm just now learning of this...I'm sitting here with Michael and we are just blown away!! Please know that we will be praying for you both...He upholds you in his righteous right hand! We would love to do whatever would be most helpful...Janie I will call you this week.
xoxo
Jane