We thought we'd give everyone an update on how Jacob is doing; it's a mix of very
good and only a little not-so-good. (This is Scott writing this post, btw.)
So, for those who don't know, last November about the time that the regrown tumor on Jacob's head was spotted we also discovered there was something growing in his right forearm. We had to wait to find out what was going on there until after we got things squared away with his head (there's a joke in there somewhere, I just know it, but I just can't put my finger on it...). So last week the doctors finally did the biopsy on the mass in his
forearm and found that it is actually two separate growths that are close together
instead of one large one. We are still waiting on the lab confirmation, but
the surgeon who did the biopsy said he is 99.9% certain they are both Desmoids tumors just like
the one in Jacob's head. His doctors aren't planning surgery at this time
however; because of the proximity of these new tumors to the major nerves and tendons in
the his right forearm the doctors don't want to risk possibly permanently impairing Jacob's use of that hand unless it becomes absolutely necessary.
They (and we) are hoping the chemotherapy will slow or stop the growths.
On
the positive side, the oncologist is having Jacob do chemotherapy only and not radiation. Bonus - the chemotherapy
is being administered by pills Jacob can take at home, so no daily
doctors appointments or needles/injections! Yay! He will still have to go in once
every other week to have blood drawn to monitor his treatment, but he
has the port in his shoulder again so that won't be too difficult. So, no
massive amounts of school missed and much less driving for Gwen! YAY!!
And
even better news, the results came back from his full-body PET scan (a very cool test involving injecting radioactive sugar into his blood stream - no superpowers yet, but we'll keep you informed) - no other
growths were detected!!! That's a big relief and blessing.
So,
a little bit of bad but a big scoop of good to go along with it. Thank
you to everyone for the prayers, positive thoughts and all your help - it is VERY
appreciated!
5 comments :
That is a lot of good news! Thank you for the update. We keep your family in our prayers.
Thank you Son for keeping the family updated on Jacob. He, and his parents, are constantly in our thoughts, prayers and temple worship. We love you.
Dad
So glad to get an update. We, too, have been praying for you. I talk of you often with a man I work with whose daughter is a cancer survivor. She has had two serious bouts with her cancer and has been better for 6 months now. His wife works in oncology and knows most of the hospitals, swearing that the key is finding the best hospital near you. She asked which hospital you guys go to?
We go to Dell Children's Hospital. It is supposed to be the best hospital around, but I'm not sure if there are better ones in Houston or not. I like it better than Cook Children's in Fort Worth.
Thanks for the update, we'll be sure to keep Jacob and all you guys in our prayers!
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