Memorial Day Weekend

Team Robertson is scattered and have their hands especially full these days, but I wanted to get out a quick update to fill everyone in.  

Price had to be admitted into the hospital after his procedure to place the feeding tube into his small intestine on Thursday.  There were complications due to the condition of the bowel itself.  The procedure had to go from a laparoscopic procedure to a "open" procedure including a small bowel resection.  This means we will stay several more days in the hospital.  But the feeding tube is in place and we have received our teaching on how to set up everything when we get home.  Our prayer is that Price will heal up fast, tolerate the feedings, and get home as soon as possible.  

Julie and I are especially thankful for our dear friends Cindy and Jeannine who were there when I got called into a conference room when the surgery went several hours longer than expected.  They, along with Ted were treasures in our day.  

Price and I are sad we can not be at our niece's wedding in Atlanta this weekend.  We are there in Spirit and are so happy Carol and Catherine can be there to represent Team Robertson. What a wonderful day for Sarah and Andrew and we will be thinking of them during this special weekend!  It reminds me of another very special Memorial Day Weekend 38 years ago when I married a very special guy named Price.  I am blessed!

Jan

A feeding tube and glimpses of Heaven.

14 days. That’s how long it has been since our last post. That is hard to believe since it seems like yesterday. Time seems to be flying by lately! Someone tell it to slow down...

Dad is doing ok. He hasn’t been feeling that great recently and has been unable to eat or drink enough to give him the strength to fight the cancer. Mom has done a phenomenal job talking to dietitians and learning about the plethora of smoothie options (smoothies can be easier for patients to get down) to give him the sustenance he needs. Mom was even able to make dad a 650 calorie smoothie the other day! I think that is pretty impressive. But unfortunately Dad is even having trouble getting the smoothies down.

So, tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon the doctors at Presbyterian Hospital are going to put in a feeding tube! This is a huge answer to prayer since it has been so hard for Dad to get the recommended 2100-2400 calories he needs. Please pray for the procedure. It should be a relatively quick surgery.  He will have a pump that will supply him with 2400 calories/day! We are praying this will help energize him and give him the strength and sustenance to help him feel better.

God continues to give us precious “love letters” throughout this adventure! The whole family got to spend the weekend at the lake house near Austin to celebrate my graduation. It was a beautiful weekend. We got to spend sweet time being with each other, laughing, watching beautiful sunsets, counting stars out on the deck, and enjoying amazing meals together. My aunt, uncle, and cousin from my mom’s side of the family came in and prepared the most amazing Graduation Dinner! It was such an amazingly full and precious time. Definitely a little glimpse into heaven.

The whole family at graduation.

Please continue to pray for Dad’s healing. He seems to be more uncomfortable as of late. Pray that God would give relief and that this feeding tube procedure would happen without a hitch. Pray for strength for my family. It is hard to see loved ones uncomfortable. Pray especially for my Mom. She is a warrior and is walking through this adventure with such grace and faith. I am so grateful for her. Lastly, pray for God to continue to use this struggle in powerful ways for his Kingdom! That truly is the only thing that makes this adventure worth it in the end. That God would build eternal things for his Kingdom in us and in all who witness the journey.

Love,
Carol

“Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” –Matthew 6:10

Email Updates

We don't want to lose any part of this adventure, so this post is just a transcript of our email updates that we sent out this week. So if you are on our email update list, I apologize for the repetition...

May 8th a.m. - Mini Update

"Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. With your arm redeemed your people..." (Psalm 77:13-15)

Thank you all for your prayers yesterday! God has answered them in a kind way. Dad sounds great and we are excited about the new directions. I am passing along his brief update, see below:

"The visit with Dr. Strauss (oncologist) yesterday brought a new direction to my treatment.  I hope to begin radiation treatment by next week.  Jan, Julie and I met with the Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Barker, yesterday afternoon.  I really like him.  Looks like we added another Doctor to the Team Robertson Adventure.

Since the CT Scan showed that there was no change to the tumors under the current protocol, Dr. Strauss wants to try radiation therapy with a different round of chemotherapy.  The issue is that I have to be cleared by Dr. Jain, the Gastroenterologist, after my Upper GI Study today at 10:45 am before Dr. Barker can start the process.  Your prayers are appreciated as we go down the road on the next Adventure.  God is so good and His timing is perfect.  I could not be in a better place at this moment.  Thank you, Price"

Grateful for each of you! Thank you for being a part of Team Robertson! :)

-c

May 8th Evening- Mini Update #2

Hello dear ones,

I am so sorry to bomb your inboxes today! But we have great such good news that must be shared!

We got a great report from the Gastroenterologist, Dr. Jain! There was no evidence of constriction in dad's duodenum!! This is a miracle since it was definitely there a couple weeks ago when Dad was in the hospital!! Woah. This good report means that he has been officially released for Radiation Therapy!!

He is still experiencing discomfort in his abdomen and has lost a lot of weight since being in the hospital. So we are praying that he would be able to fight through the "squiggly guts" as he calls them and put some of the weight he has lost back on. He is shooting for 10 lbs. We would love prayer in this area! He needs all the strength he can get.

Dr. Barker, the radiation oncologist, has dad set up for the simulation session (where they map the tumor, set up the control points, and prepare the dosage plan) at 9:00 am tomorrow morning. It looks like radiation therapy could start next week. Another good thing to pray for. :)

I must say, God has sent us so many amazingly precious and perfectly timed "love letters" through all of your wonderful notes, texts, verses and prayers. I have said it before and say it again, it is such a tangible reminder of God's care and kindness toward us. Each one of them is special to us. Thank you for loving and encouraging us so well with such rich Truth. I am grateful for each of you.

-c

The Adventure Continues

          Since I got home from the hospital Wednesday April 24^th it has been very active here at Team Robertson Headquarters.  I was so glad to be away from the medieval torture device called the “hospital bed”.  While in the hospital I tried to spend as little time as possible in the rack.  One time the hospital doctor came into my room when there were several visitors.  I was in my chair so the bed was empty.  She commented that the only way she could tell that I was the patient was by the hospital gown I was wearing.  That bed ruined my back for several days after I left the hospital.  Everything else at the hospital was great.  The staff was fantastic as were the nurses and doctors.  The care I received was stellar. I would definitely recommend Baylor Grapevine if you have to go to the hospital.  Bring your own mattress though.  Kind of a humorous moment while at the hospital occurred when I was visiting with Dr. Davis, the hospital Oncologist.  He asked me what drugs I had taken during the first chemotherapy protocol.  I got most of them correct but I stated I had taken Gabatron (I now know that this is not a real drug and very much sounds like something from a Star Trek episode).  I could tell that he was searching his brain for what drug that might have been. After a few minutes he asked would that have been Gemzar?  Of course that was it!  Carol was in the room during that conversation and she thought it was hilarious.  Later, I told Carol that I thought maybe I should try Gabatron since that must be the drug that cures cancer.  I explained that God was the only one who knew about that drug so I would have to go to Him directly.  That is ultimately who we need to turn to for the cure for cancer. 

            After I got home from the hospital, I had four nights of insomnia.  I can really empathize with everyone that suffers from insomnia.  It is miserable to lie in bed wide awake with no hope of falling asleep.  During the first night I told Jan that I thought I needed to take a “melanoma” pill.  She burst out laughing.  I realized my mistake but thought I would expand on why I wanted to take a pill that would cause another type of cancer in my body.  I told her that maybe the two cancers would cancel each other out.  You probably had to be there to experience the laughter.  Of course Jan knew that I had intended to say a melatonin pill, which is supposed to help you fall asleep.  I ended up taking one but it did not work.  I did realize that we have to laugh as much as possible because it is great medicine.  Thankfully the insomnia only lasted four nights.

            Friday April 26^th Marty and Gary stopped by on their way to Austin.  It was great getting the chance to see them again.  Carol also flew in to spend the weekend with us.  It is such a blessing to have my girls here.  Cathy (Jan’s lifetime friend) and Steve, her husband, left Saturday April 27^th.  She really made a difference while she was here.  Not just as a helper but also as a spiritual warrior.  The spiritual battle can be more difficult to wage than the physical battle.  Everyone who lifts me and/or my family up with prayer contributes to the spiritual battle in a mighty way.  Lindsey dropped by Saturday as well and we had a great visit.  Sunday April 28^th brought a visit from Jan’s brother Brad and his wife Anne.  It was a great afternoon of catching up and hearing about their trip to Scotland plus their support was invaluable.

            Monday April 29^th brought a visit to my Gastroenterologist, Dr. Jain to talk about all the issues I have been having with eating, digesting, and generally not getting enough calories.  Since I was already scheduled to have a CT Scan Wednesday May 1^st it was decided to review the results Friday and decide on a course of action.  Tuesday was my appointment with Dr. Strauss, my Oncologist, and hopefully my fifth round of the second protocol of Chemotherapy.  I did get the Chemotherapy and set up a time on Tuesday (tomorrow!) May 7^th to go over the results of the CT Scan with Dr. Strauss. I had the CT Scan Wednesday May 1^st without any issues.  Thursday May 2^nd the hazmat Chemo pump came off without any issues and Carol came back in town for the weekend.  Catherine arrived in town Friday May 3^rd so Team Robertson was at full strength and ready for action.  It was an awesome weekend in spite of the fact that I was nowhere near a hundred percent.  The gastric issues, the back pain, the inability to eat and the punk way I felt kept me from fully engaging until Sunday.  Everything got better that morning so I was able to be a fighting member of Team Robertson.  That was a real answer to prayer.

            Tomorrow I visit with Dr. Strauss on what the next steps are in my treatment.  Wednesday I have an upper gastro intestinal scan and Thursday I see Dr. Sanders, my Internist.  Whew.

            That should catch everyone up on the past few weeks and the next few days.  A few nights ago as I lay awake due to the insomnia a Chris Tomlin song kept running through my head.  I copied the verses below:

Chris Tomlin “Our God (Is Greater)”

“Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.  Our God is healer, awesome in power, Our God! Our God!  Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.  Our God is healer, awesome in power, Our God! Our God!  And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.  And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.  And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.  And if our God is with us, then what could stand against. Then what could stand against.”

            That was very comforting to me during this season of turmoil.  God is on my side and there is none higher.  The fact that I can have a personal relationship with God because of the sacrifice Jesus made is beyond belief.  He is an awesome God!

The Bible verse God has given me to study the last few days is 1 Peter 5:6-11.

1 Peter 5:6-11

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.  And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.  To Him be dominion forever and ever.  Amen.“

            There is so much to ponder in those verses that I can only hit the highpoints in this Update. The immenseness of God is unfathomable to me. How blessed are we that He cares for each of us in such a magnificent way.  I want to know how I can humble myself before God even more than I have so far.  I want to fall into His arms even more so than I already have.  I also take immense comfort that you, my fellow believers, are being used by God to share the burden by listening, praying, and supporting Team Robertson in such a mighty way.  God’s provision for me has been a real rock for me to stand on.  The accuser has no way to reach me because of the support everyone has shown me and my family.  The day that God touches me to perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish me is beyond compare to my life so far.  Praise our God!

            Please continue to pray for me and my family as God ordains.  God is continuously using you to support, encourage, lift me up and pray for Team Robertson.  That is such a comfort to me and my family.

Thank you,

Price