The Long and Winding Road

Is it possible that my last post was over a year ago!?!  I know I've said it a thousand times, but where does the time go? Wherever it's going, it's going faster than ever.

In a nutshell, Bobby has been on Inlyta for most of the past two years. Inlyta is a targeted therapy chemo, in a pill form. He started on a low dose, ramped up to higher doses, only to reach toxicity, followed by a break. Then rinse and repeat. The side effects have been mostly fatigue, but he has also experienced thyroid and adrenal insufficiency. We figured that out after several days of abnormally low body temperatures, like 92. It was a crazy time last summer, but thankfully cortisone and thyroid medications have normalized those symptoms.

After a 3-month chemo break last fall, the tumors had grown. We went back on the Inlyta, still playing with the dosages. Finally settled on a high dose week, followed by a low dose week. Since then, he's had two scans that showed significant REDUCTION in the size of the tumors.  In fact, at this point, the five tumors in the lungs are not visible on the scan! Currently, there appears to be only two tumors, one each in the remaining adrenal gland and kidney. Both are still getting smaller. We are VERY THANKFUL!

Dealing with the fatigue and other side effects continues to be a daily issue, but Bobby continues to press on - riding his bike when he can, and taking care of household business. He co-leads a mens Bible Study, meets weekly with a couple of accountability groups, and has recently started volunteering at the Coffee Bunker, a veterans resource center.

And in other news,  we had an exciting summer as Michael got married.   We had a wonderful wedding celebration in Austin in August. We are so happy to add Skylar McCall to the family.

And to add blessing upon blessing, Trip and Kacey Denton are engaged to be married next March. They are currently living in Ft Walton Beach, Florida, where Trip is stationed.

Thank you to everyone who has asked about Bobby's condition, and especially those who have been checking the blog and encouraging me to post again. After almost 16 years of living on this roller coaster we sometimes get tired of thinking about cancer, but have never ceased to appreciate the care, concern and prayers of faithful friends.

Love, Juli

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  James 1:2-4