Skiing and "stable?" tumors

Craig's been skiing 4 times in the last few weeks! He's been going to Alta on the "ski free after 3" for just 1.5 hours but it's great for him to get out and be in the mountains and take a few runs. His good buddy Jason Thomas and son Jake have been his skiing buddies 3 of the times and Maddie and I went with them last Saturday. We're planning on going again today. It's amazing to think he can ski when 6 months ago he was barely walking. This is what Craig wants, just to enjoy life and not concentrate on the cancer all the time.

Speaking of cancer...I just can't stay off the subject. After our last appointment and Dr. Jones called the tumors "stable", we read the radiologists' report and the actual report isn't quite as rosy. The largest tumor in the right liver lobe has grown from 18.1 cm x 11.3 cm to 21.1 cm x 12.9 cm. This is just one of many tumors. We read this after the last appointment so I called Dr. Jones and asked how this is stable? She said anything under 20% growth is considered stable so at the appointment we are told "it's stable" to allay our fears? Or is it the easiest thing to say? It's made us question things and do some more of our own research. We are having a 2nd opinion this week from a Dr. (one of only two our insurance covers) in SLC who also treats pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. We need to see if we have any other options besides chemo which Craig will not do again. The chemo provides no quality of life and is not proven to do much for the cancer either. There is a drug called Sutent that is an oral chemo that Dr. Jones would like him to try but our insurance will not pay for it. It's shown great results in actually keeping the tumors stable for up to 6 months longer than regular chemo and has the benefit of stopping taking the pill if it makes him too sick where the chemoembolization is put in his body and doesn't wear off for months. We are now appealing insurance to approve this drug for the 3rd time. And speaking of insurance, the first chemo on July 8, 2009 which cost $27,000 has now been denied even though we have an explanation of benefits in August 2009 saying they approved it. So if you don't think we need a health care overhaul in this country, just call me and I'll give you an earful! Huntsman is trying to work out the insurance problem for us. IHC insurance is calling the procedure "experimental". I asked the person on the phone "if this is experimental, what do you suggest we do for pancreatic cancer?" She was a little taken back by my comment. I know it's not her problem but this is ridiculous. We would love to have a treatment for cancer that isn't experimental...it all is!

Craig says "thank heaven"

Seriously, that's what Craig said when Dr. Jones came in with the CT scan report and said the tumors are stable. Hip Hip Hooray!! No chemo for a few more months! We really didn't know what to expect today but we were both cautious going to the appointment and preparing ourselves for what we might have to hear/think/do. But now we don't have to worry about a chemo embolization in the next few months and that is great news.

Thanks for all your prayers. Craig still isn't quite sure about the whole prayer thing but he's got to believe!! As our good friend Shelly Moss told me, the collective power of prayers is making a difference! Thankful pixie dust to all who read this and believe!

January is boring

Sorry I haven't posted this month...January is boring. Craig is doing rather well. We went to St. George together the first week of January and that was a nice break from the smog. Craig walked around, was a patient shopper, ate out, hiked a little and all in all did really well on his first time away from his bed and pillows since Snowbird last fall. We did take most of the pillows with us in the car to make sure he'd be comfortable. Here's a photo of Craig and Scout in Snow Canyon. Scout loved throwing the ball and pouncing on it in the sand dunes. We love getting out of the snow and going to the desert in Southern Utah.On January 15 Craig had blood work and everything looked really good. His liver function is normal and nothing was out of the ordinary. His tumor markers are still all over the place so we can't put a lot of credence in them. He is scheduled for a CT scan on Feb. 11 which will give us a really good idea of what's happening with the tumors in the liver. He feels like his liver is larger but that could be because of new liver growth from tumors dying. That's what we're going with. His gout is mostly gone thanks to Dr. Dean and the cortisone shot. We should have done that sooner. Craig's shoulders are continually achy and the ibuprofen and oxycodone keep him out of pain. He'll have another acupuncture treatment next Monday and hopefully that will relieve him of the achiness for awhile. He has been riding his bike every day around the neighborhood and letting Scout run after him. It's a good bonding time for man and dog!

Here's the latest facial hair growth on Craig. He needed a change he said. The kids like it so he's kept it a few weeks. I'm getting used to it...never been a big facial hair fan. What do you think? I think he looks like Wolfman Jack in the bottom photo...

Merry Christmas!!

We just want to say thanks to everyone and Merry Christmas to all! This has been a rough year but such a love-filled and special time for all of us at the Doutré household. We appreciate everyone's support and love. We hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas with your families...that's all that really is important. What the Grinch said is so true...

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.

"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.

Maybe Christmas," he thought, "means a little bit more."

-- Dr. Seuss

A special thank you to the nice elf that left a surprise at our door this afternoon. We watched an episode of "Pushing Daisies" and when I walked upstairs there was a long package on our front step. It was beautifully wrapped in green and red polka dot paper with cute matching ribbon. I picked it up and opened it and inside I found a wooden board painted white with black letters and the saying "Prepare for the worst...Hope for the BEST" written on it. This is our blog theme and we would like to thank the person(s)? who did this for us. It was such a sweet surprise. Here's a picture of the sign.We're always hoping and praying. Craig has suffered from gout in his knee the last week but it's getting a little better and the best part is he's here and enjoying being with the family and his quality of life is good. We are so very blessed and thankful for all we have together.

Scanned and Static

Craig had a CT scan today. He "loved" drinking the contrast (a different "gastro" formula this time he flavored with Crystal Light...yum!) as usual before the scan. We ate lunch after at the Bistro (I resisted the sweet potato fries for once) and then headed home. During the afternoon we got an unexpected phone call from Dr. Jones. She said the scans look good and there's no new tumor growth. The pancreas tumor is the same as the last scan which is expected since it hasn't been hit with chemo. The left side of the liver has two large tumors of which one has reduced by about 1 cm and the other is about the same size as before or "static". This is great news. The few months off treatment have not shown any ill effects and this gives Craig even more time to feel good for awhile. Dr. Jones said we wouldn't need to see her this week and suggested meeting with her in January and then scanning again in February. She felt this was reasonable and reiterated that these are slow growing tumors and as long as they are static (even after 3 months since the last chemo) then Craig should be fine. She assured me this was not reckless behavior and as long as we scan him every 2 months we'll be on top of whatever is happening in his liver. Craig is very happy and relieved to not be receiving a chemo treatment 4 days after Christmas. Everyone enjoy the holiday season and thank you for your prayers and thoughts on our behalf.

Thanksgiving Update

On the day before Thanksgiving we went to the zoo with most of the Doutre cousins. Here's a few pictures from that day. It was fun to see the animals in the colder environment (and the animals below too!)
Thanksgiving at the Doutre's. It was a wonderful night at Lisa and Scott McDermott's house. The tables were set beautifully and the meal was so very tasty. Below Craig getting a head rub from his big brother Dave. Thanks Scott and Lisa for a memorable Thanksgiving with everyone.Marie, Dave, Scott, Grandma Greta and Grandpa Dave.
Ellie, Maddie, Lexi, Chase, Taylor, Jake and Erica at the kid's table.

Chase is 19!!

Chase celebrated his 19th birthday last night at The Cheesecake Factory with the fam and his best buddies Mason and Stuart. Here they are showing off their orthodontia work. Three orthodontists should be very proud! We love hanging out with these guys...they're our 2nd and 3rd sons...in no particular order.
Craig, Maddie and I also attended the festivities which included hot buffalo strips, chicken madeira, lettuce wraps, chicken piccata, salisbury steak and enchiladas for the birthday boy. One piece of Dulce de Leche cheesecake we all shared for dessert...such lightweight eaters!