Linda & Vern E's updates on son Tony UpperRoom encouragement
God hears our prayers. God knows the desires of our hearts. God understands our deepest longings.
We will never be overlooked or forgotten. – Holley Gerth
Give your burdens to the LORD, and He will take care of you. Psalm 55:22 NLT
We will never be overlooked or forgotten. – Holley Gerth
Give your burdens to the LORD, and He will take care of you. Psalm 55:22 NLT
Date: Wed, Jun 29, 2022, 8:28 AM. Linda Emerson wrote:
Joy. Tony had a suspicious bladder spot biopsied last week. The pathology came back NO EVIDENCE OF MALIGNANCY.
Thanks to everyone who continues to pray for Tony. It works! He is now 1 1/2 years cancer free.
Joy. Tony had a suspicious bladder spot biopsied last week. The pathology came back NO EVIDENCE OF MALIGNANCY.
Thanks to everyone who continues to pray for Tony. It works! He is now 1 1/2 years cancer free.
On Tue, Jan 4, 2022 at 7:41 AM
Joy: Tony Emerson. Blood work shows continued kidney improvement.
His overall kidney function has improved from 21% to 24% since June 2021
Lje
Joy: Tony Emerson. Blood work shows continued kidney improvement.
His overall kidney function has improved from 21% to 24% since June 2021
Lje
On 07/07/2021 7:39 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
I just printed this Tony update to paper. .... WOW - it's been a long road.
The reports will likely get much less frequent in the future. Tony saw the nephrologist yesterday (7/6/21) and he said "I'll see you in 6 months". Tony gets to go back to being a regular person now. He will continue to follow up for bladder cancer on a quarterly basis.
Thanks again ~ Lje
I just printed this Tony update to paper. .... WOW - it's been a long road.
The reports will likely get much less frequent in the future. Tony saw the nephrologist yesterday (7/6/21) and he said "I'll see you in 6 months". Tony gets to go back to being a regular person now. He will continue to follow up for bladder cancer on a quarterly basis.
Thanks again ~ Lje
On 07/05/2021 9:31 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
July-
Tony has been off dialysis for 6 weeks now and he got his first blood test results late last night (7-4-2021).
He didn't get worse !!! Creatinine got very slightly better 3.28 two months ago, and now 3.27
Tony sees the nephrologist tomorrow and the urologist following his bladder cancer mid month. We continue to pray for continued improvement and healthier lifestyle choices.
My thanks go out to each and every one of you.
Linda
July-
Tony has been off dialysis for 6 weeks now and he got his first blood test results late last night (7-4-2021).
He didn't get worse !!! Creatinine got very slightly better 3.28 two months ago, and now 3.27
Tony sees the nephrologist tomorrow and the urologist following his bladder cancer mid month. We continue to pray for continued improvement and healthier lifestyle choices.
My thanks go out to each and every one of you.
Linda
On 06/10/2021 10:15 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
June-
Just a really short note this month.
Tony was taken off dialysis the middle of May. They believe he has improved enough now that he no longer requires it.
For some unknown reason, they elected not to do any blood test in June - so we don't know how well this is working.
His next blood result should be available about July 6th or so.
We pray he will continue to improve. So far he is feeling okay, so that is encouraging.
You called it, Joe H !!!
June-
Just a really short note this month.
Tony was taken off dialysis the middle of May. They believe he has improved enough now that he no longer requires it.
For some unknown reason, they elected not to do any blood test in June - so we don't know how well this is working.
His next blood result should be available about July 6th or so.
We pray he will continue to improve. So far he is feeling okay, so that is encouraging.
You called it, Joe H !!!
On 05/09/2021 10:16 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
May:
Another month has passed.
The suspected tumor they removed on the 15th turned out to be an inflammation NOT a cancerous tumor. He is now about 5 months cancer free. Sure wish it was 5 years.....
The change to once a week dialysis seems to be going well. His Creatinine continues to improve. It went from 3.37 to 3.28 this
month. His overall kidney function improved and is now 21%.
His nephrologist response at one of his last visits was real positive. He said "In a few months, when you are off dialysis....."
Tony's hope is to be either OFF or down to once a month by August. That would be his 2 year anniversary and also his birthday. The head nurse in the dialysis unit has also made comments along that line.too. She indicated that sometimes they go to dialysis once a month and sometimes they just do blood draws monthly for a while.
Prayers help.
Thanks again to all of you.
May:
Another month has passed.
The suspected tumor they removed on the 15th turned out to be an inflammation NOT a cancerous tumor. He is now about 5 months cancer free. Sure wish it was 5 years.....
The change to once a week dialysis seems to be going well. His Creatinine continues to improve. It went from 3.37 to 3.28 this
month. His overall kidney function improved and is now 21%.
His nephrologist response at one of his last visits was real positive. He said "In a few months, when you are off dialysis....."
Tony's hope is to be either OFF or down to once a month by August. That would be his 2 year anniversary and also his birthday. The head nurse in the dialysis unit has also made comments along that line.too. She indicated that sometimes they go to dialysis once a month and sometimes they just do blood draws monthly for a while.
Prayers help.
Thanks again to all of you.
On 04/13/2021 10:19 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
April 2021:
As indicated last month, they cut Tony's dialysis from 8 hours per week (2 sessions) to 4 hours per week (1 session)
He now has dialysis once a week. Tony still showed a very slight improvement.
For those of you who like the numbers, his creatinine went from 3.4 to 3.37. His overall kidney function remains at 20%
Then we have the good news/ bad news.
BAD: his quarterly cystoscopy showed another bladder tumor
GOOD: it was very small. Only 2mm in diameter
Tony goes in on Thursday April 15th for tumor removal. Until we hear otherwise, we will assume it is low grade and non-invasive like the
others have been.
Thanks to all for your continued prayer and support.
April 2021:
As indicated last month, they cut Tony's dialysis from 8 hours per week (2 sessions) to 4 hours per week (1 session)
He now has dialysis once a week. Tony still showed a very slight improvement.
For those of you who like the numbers, his creatinine went from 3.4 to 3.37. His overall kidney function remains at 20%
Then we have the good news/ bad news.
BAD: his quarterly cystoscopy showed another bladder tumor
GOOD: it was very small. Only 2mm in diameter
Tony goes in on Thursday April 15th for tumor removal. Until we hear otherwise, we will assume it is low grade and non-invasive like the
others have been.
Thanks to all for your continued prayer and support.
On 03/09/2021 10:33 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
March 2021 Update on Monday's (3/8) report.
Tony saw his nephrologist today while at dialysis. He was pleased with Tony's continued progress and has indicated he would like to try Tony on dialysis ONCE a week.
We pray that he continues to improve.
Thanks to all. Linda and Vern
On 03/08/2021 7:48 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
March 2021.
Tony's blood work came in last night and the results were good. His Creatinine improved from 3.75 to 3.4 (goal of 2.5 for dialysis to be discontinued). His overall kidney function is now at 20%.
Thank you, prayer warriors. Keep up the good work.
March 2021 Update on Monday's (3/8) report.
Tony saw his nephrologist today while at dialysis. He was pleased with Tony's continued progress and has indicated he would like to try Tony on dialysis ONCE a week.
We pray that he continues to improve.
Thanks to all. Linda and Vern
On 03/08/2021 7:48 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
March 2021.
Tony's blood work came in last night and the results were good. His Creatinine improved from 3.75 to 3.4 (goal of 2.5 for dialysis to be discontinued). His overall kidney function is now at 20%.
Thank you, prayer warriors. Keep up the good work.
On Mon, Feb 8, 2021 at 8:43 AM, Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Feb 2021. Good day.
I'm sorry I didn't keep you in the loop last month.
Tony had bad results in Jan and had lost the progress he made in Nov and Dec..
This month, February, he was better again. His creatinine came in at 3.8 so he is almost back to where he was in Dec 2020.
Tony is currently on Covid-19 layoff, but he will be okay with that for a while. Turns out business is really slow right now. Even in a perfect year, people don't get carpets or vents cleaned when it's so cold outside. Put that with a less than perfect year and it's hard. They pray and assume that once it's above freezing again, business will improve.
In the meantime, Tony can focus on his health.
Blessings to you all.
Linda
Feb 2021. Good day.
I'm sorry I didn't keep you in the loop last month.
Tony had bad results in Jan and had lost the progress he made in Nov and Dec..
This month, February, he was better again. His creatinine came in at 3.8 so he is almost back to where he was in Dec 2020.
Tony is currently on Covid-19 layoff, but he will be okay with that for a while. Turns out business is really slow right now. Even in a perfect year, people don't get carpets or vents cleaned when it's so cold outside. Put that with a less than perfect year and it's hard. They pray and assume that once it's above freezing again, business will improve.
In the meantime, Tony can focus on his health.
Blessings to you all.
Linda
On 12/07/2020 11:26 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Nov Report form Elk Camp.....not done. I have no excuse, except that I couldn't do it. October to mid November was hard for Tony. With all the stresses going on; There was COVID and a couple of exposed co-workers; added to usual Covid stress, added to all the political stuff going on.
When he got his November lab work done, he ending up with worse kidney levels than the previous month. Then he had a Cystoscopy mid November and they found a new tumor, but because COVID was so rampant in North Dakota at the time, clinics & hospitals were not scheduling any "elective surgery" for Nov or Dec. I wouldn't think tumor removal would be elective, but apparently it is.
Tony has been handling this whole circus with dignity and grace, but that was difficult for all of us.
Then comes December and Tony got a call that he is scheduled for surgery on Dec 16th. Praise the Lord! We are assuming that this tumor is also low grade and non-invasive, but time will tell. What is scary for me is that they do the cystoscopy with just local anesthesia and he has had enough tumors that he says he can now identify them on the monitor himself.
His labs came back this month much better. The Creatinine is now 3.71. That's the lowest it has been since he started. Tony did the math and said it was a 9.5122% improvement over last month. The very short term goal is a Creatinine of 3.5. If he gets to 2.5 they may stop dialysis. As of now, this overall kidney function is at 18%
Thanks to all of you who continue praying for Tony. Prayer is powerful. ~ Linda
Nov Report form Elk Camp.....not done. I have no excuse, except that I couldn't do it. October to mid November was hard for Tony. With all the stresses going on; There was COVID and a couple of exposed co-workers; added to usual Covid stress, added to all the political stuff going on.
When he got his November lab work done, he ending up with worse kidney levels than the previous month. Then he had a Cystoscopy mid November and they found a new tumor, but because COVID was so rampant in North Dakota at the time, clinics & hospitals were not scheduling any "elective surgery" for Nov or Dec. I wouldn't think tumor removal would be elective, but apparently it is.
Tony has been handling this whole circus with dignity and grace, but that was difficult for all of us.
Then comes December and Tony got a call that he is scheduled for surgery on Dec 16th. Praise the Lord! We are assuming that this tumor is also low grade and non-invasive, but time will tell. What is scary for me is that they do the cystoscopy with just local anesthesia and he has had enough tumors that he says he can now identify them on the monitor himself.
His labs came back this month much better. The Creatinine is now 3.71. That's the lowest it has been since he started. Tony did the math and said it was a 9.5122% improvement over last month. The very short term goal is a Creatinine of 3.5. If he gets to 2.5 they may stop dialysis. As of now, this overall kidney function is at 18%
Thanks to all of you who continue praying for Tony. Prayer is powerful. ~ Linda
On 12/03/2020 7:06 PM Linda Emerson <treasurer@mtbethelchurchigh.org> wrote:
Thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tony. In November a tumor was discovered but due to rising covid numbers in North Dakota and hospital/clinics being stressed to meet COVID needs, the removal of the tumor was postponed to January 2021. Today, Thursday, Dec 3, Tony got a call that he is scheduled for tumor removal on Wednesday, Dec 16. Since Tony was previously put on Covid hold...this is really good news! All will rest easier with the tumor gone.
Thanks to all for your continued prayers ~ Linda
Thanks to all of you who continue to pray for Tony. In November a tumor was discovered but due to rising covid numbers in North Dakota and hospital/clinics being stressed to meet COVID needs, the removal of the tumor was postponed to January 2021. Today, Thursday, Dec 3, Tony got a call that he is scheduled for tumor removal on Wednesday, Dec 16. Since Tony was previously put on Covid hold...this is really good news! All will rest easier with the tumor gone.
Thanks to all for your continued prayers ~ Linda
On 10/13/2020 2:11 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Oct report: It was a pretty uneventful month.
Tony did take a vacation in Sept and did dialysis at a site other than his home unit. It went well and there were no issues.
Tony's results showed just a bit of improvement this month. We were hoping for more, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
His Creatinine went from 3.92 to 3.78. Current goal is 2.5
Overall kidney function from 17% to 18% Current goal is 30.
Keeping in mind that it is still a practice of medicine, the nephrologist has indicated that Tony is on track to being done with dialysis in Feb 2021.
I don't know if he would then continue to improve? I have so much to learn. A healthy kidney would have a Creatinine of 1 to 1.2 and a GFR of more than 60.
Oct report: It was a pretty uneventful month.
Tony did take a vacation in Sept and did dialysis at a site other than his home unit. It went well and there were no issues.
Tony's results showed just a bit of improvement this month. We were hoping for more, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
His Creatinine went from 3.92 to 3.78. Current goal is 2.5
Overall kidney function from 17% to 18% Current goal is 30.
Keeping in mind that it is still a practice of medicine, the nephrologist has indicated that Tony is on track to being done with dialysis in Feb 2021.
I don't know if he would then continue to improve? I have so much to learn. A healthy kidney would have a Creatinine of 1 to 1.2 and a GFR of more than 60.
On 09/07/2020 10:05 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
September Report
Tony had a minor setback in August. He had another spot removed from his bladder that was confirmed malignant. The GOOD news is that it, too, was confirmed as low grade, non invasive. We were told to expect this, so it came as no surprise. We are just pleased that they consider it non-invasive.
The other GOOD NEWS is his lab results this month. Tony is still on the twice weekly dialysis instead of the normal three times a week.
His creatinine dropped to 3.92 (goal 2 or less) and his GFR increased to 17 (goal of greater than 60).
When I look at the renal failure charts, these new numbers take Tony off the Stage 5 End Stage Renal Disease level and put him in Stage 4.
It gives us all hope that things really are looking up.
Tony has arranged to take a vacation and will be doing dialysis in Eveleth MN, for a couple of sessions this week. We are happy that he is able to take a well deserved vacation. The first time making all the arrangements is probably the most difficult.
Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers ~ Vern & Linda
September Report
Tony had a minor setback in August. He had another spot removed from his bladder that was confirmed malignant. The GOOD news is that it, too, was confirmed as low grade, non invasive. We were told to expect this, so it came as no surprise. We are just pleased that they consider it non-invasive.
The other GOOD NEWS is his lab results this month. Tony is still on the twice weekly dialysis instead of the normal three times a week.
His creatinine dropped to 3.92 (goal 2 or less) and his GFR increased to 17 (goal of greater than 60).
When I look at the renal failure charts, these new numbers take Tony off the Stage 5 End Stage Renal Disease level and put him in Stage 4.
It gives us all hope that things really are looking up.
Tony has arranged to take a vacation and will be doing dialysis in Eveleth MN, for a couple of sessions this week. We are happy that he is able to take a well deserved vacation. The first time making all the arrangements is probably the most difficult.
Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers ~ Vern & Linda
On Mon, Aug 10, 2020 at 7:55 AM Linda Emerson < linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
This is a historic week...
One year ago on Aug 8th - Tony's life changed. He got his diagnosis of bladder cancer.
One year ago today, Aug 10th, - they were doing dialysis and stabilizing him for surgery.
One year ago on Aug 11th - he was undergoing 8 plus hours of surgery.
So much has happened since then.
Tony will be undergoing another surgery this week for a suspected small cancer in his bladder. The told us last year that this was expected.
It should be a minor surgery and should be just fine.....
Last month they changed Tony's weekly schedule from three times a week dialysis to twice a week dialysis. We were suspecting that Tony's
creatinine and GFR would get worse. We got the results back yesterday and were pleasantly surprised that everything was either slightly
better than the previous month or close to the same. Praise the Lord!
The two kidney function tests: (1) Creatinine changed from 4.26 to 4.28. (2) Overall kidney function (GFR) stayed at 15%
It has been a long journey and he still has a long journey ahead. Tony is planning his first vacation and working on getting scheduled for dialysis in Northern MN for one week. Everyone says it is doable. I'm sure the first time doing this is the hardest.
Tony continues to try to stay COVID safe and continues the battle to stop smoking. His attitude is good and he stays positive.
Blessing to all of you. Continued prayers are appreciated.
Linda
This is a historic week...
One year ago on Aug 8th - Tony's life changed. He got his diagnosis of bladder cancer.
One year ago today, Aug 10th, - they were doing dialysis and stabilizing him for surgery.
One year ago on Aug 11th - he was undergoing 8 plus hours of surgery.
So much has happened since then.
Tony will be undergoing another surgery this week for a suspected small cancer in his bladder. The told us last year that this was expected.
It should be a minor surgery and should be just fine.....
Last month they changed Tony's weekly schedule from three times a week dialysis to twice a week dialysis. We were suspecting that Tony's
creatinine and GFR would get worse. We got the results back yesterday and were pleasantly surprised that everything was either slightly
better than the previous month or close to the same. Praise the Lord!
The two kidney function tests: (1) Creatinine changed from 4.26 to 4.28. (2) Overall kidney function (GFR) stayed at 15%
It has been a long journey and he still has a long journey ahead. Tony is planning his first vacation and working on getting scheduled for dialysis in Northern MN for one week. Everyone says it is doable. I'm sure the first time doing this is the hardest.
Tony continues to try to stay COVID safe and continues the battle to stop smoking. His attitude is good and he stays positive.
Blessing to all of you. Continued prayers are appreciated.
Linda
On 07/12/2020 2:08 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
6/10/2020: The fact that Tony's kidney function tests were less than ideal the first of June put Tony in a thoughtful and questioning "Why did that happen?" place. He came to the conclusion that on the previous Saturday he went right from Dialysis to work. He had some infiltration on Sat and the arm port was bleeding some on Sat. afternoon. On Tuesday, they had trouble with the port and ended up removing a clot that was slowing the filter rate. Overall the Tuesday rate was 25% less than it should have been. Consequently the before labs on Thursday were 25% higher than expected. That's his story and he is sticking to it!
July 6,2020 - Tony's July levels were somewhat better than last month. Due to a couple of issues, his physician spent some extra time reviewing his chart and graphing his progress over the past 11 months. He decided to try dialysis twice a week instead of three times a week but will run for an extra 1/2 hour on each of the two days.. We are hoping that he will continue to improve even with the somewhat decreased dialysis.
Linda and Vern
6/10/2020: The fact that Tony's kidney function tests were less than ideal the first of June put Tony in a thoughtful and questioning "Why did that happen?" place. He came to the conclusion that on the previous Saturday he went right from Dialysis to work. He had some infiltration on Sat and the arm port was bleeding some on Sat. afternoon. On Tuesday, they had trouble with the port and ended up removing a clot that was slowing the filter rate. Overall the Tuesday rate was 25% less than it should have been. Consequently the before labs on Thursday were 25% higher than expected. That's his story and he is sticking to it!
July 6,2020 - Tony's July levels were somewhat better than last month. Due to a couple of issues, his physician spent some extra time reviewing his chart and graphing his progress over the past 11 months. He decided to try dialysis twice a week instead of three times a week but will run for an extra 1/2 hour on each of the two days.. We are hoping that he will continue to improve even with the somewhat decreased dialysis.
Linda and Vern
On June 6, 2020 at 9:03 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
It's June 5th. It was 10 months ago on Aug 8th that Tony's journey started. It seems like it has been much longer than that.
Tony's results this month were a bit disappointing. He lost most of the progress he had made in the previous month. BUT he is still
way better than he was last fall.
We continue to keep the faith and pray that healing will continue. On the positive side, he feels good and is able to work part time.
It's hard to maintain a full time job when he has dialysis 15 hours a week.....
Creatinine this month back up from 4.09 to 4.77 (goal 1.3) Virtually no progress since March.
GFR -Overall kidney function dropped back to 13% (goal 60-100)
For those of you who prefer pictures....
It's June 5th. It was 10 months ago on Aug 8th that Tony's journey started. It seems like it has been much longer than that.
Tony's results this month were a bit disappointing. He lost most of the progress he had made in the previous month. BUT he is still
way better than he was last fall.
We continue to keep the faith and pray that healing will continue. On the positive side, he feels good and is able to work part time.
It's hard to maintain a full time job when he has dialysis 15 hours a week.....
Creatinine this month back up from 4.09 to 4.77 (goal 1.3) Virtually no progress since March.
GFR -Overall kidney function dropped back to 13% (goal 60-100)
For those of you who prefer pictures....
The goal is to have the right side of the graph mirror the left side.....pictoral shows there is still a need of healing.
On May 10, 2020 at 11:30 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Last month Tony had a bit of a setback as far as his kidney function blood levels were concerned. We were worried, but his nephrologist
pretty much said "It happens". and was still real optimistic.
We were a bit apprehensive about what this month would bring. With all the uncertainty of the COVID 19 stuff and all.
Tony's blood chemistry, except for kidney function tests, has been okay pretty much since Aug 2019 when all this started to happen. This month his routine chemistry was OOKAY !!! Nearly everything moved from "in the normal zone" to closer to the middle of the normal range.
The two kidney function tests I watch also improved.
Creatinine was 4.87 and now is 4.09 (goal of 1 to 1.3) At Christmas, we were hoping for numbers under 6
GFR improved from 13 to 16 (goal greater than 60)
Tony still has a long way to go, but again there are steps toward healing. He is trying to improve his overall fitness with more outside time, and increased activity. Has picked up a few more hours of work and he hopes to do more.
This COVID 19 thing has kept us away from Minot and a visit with him. We would feel horrible if we inadvertently carried the virus to him.
So far ND is doing really well with keeping their numbers down.
God is Good and Prayers are working.
Linda and Vern
Last month Tony had a bit of a setback as far as his kidney function blood levels were concerned. We were worried, but his nephrologist
pretty much said "It happens". and was still real optimistic.
We were a bit apprehensive about what this month would bring. With all the uncertainty of the COVID 19 stuff and all.
Tony's blood chemistry, except for kidney function tests, has been okay pretty much since Aug 2019 when all this started to happen. This month his routine chemistry was OOKAY !!! Nearly everything moved from "in the normal zone" to closer to the middle of the normal range.
The two kidney function tests I watch also improved.
Creatinine was 4.87 and now is 4.09 (goal of 1 to 1.3) At Christmas, we were hoping for numbers under 6
GFR improved from 13 to 16 (goal greater than 60)
Tony still has a long way to go, but again there are steps toward healing. He is trying to improve his overall fitness with more outside time, and increased activity. Has picked up a few more hours of work and he hopes to do more.
This COVID 19 thing has kept us away from Minot and a visit with him. We would feel horrible if we inadvertently carried the virus to him.
So far ND is doing really well with keeping their numbers down.
God is Good and Prayers are working.
Linda and Vern
On April 4, 2020 at 8:55 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
It's April and we are continuing to function during this troubling time. We have had some good news and some not so positive
Everyone, including the surgeon, was really surprised when Tony's presumed malignant tumor came back BENIGN.
So, healing continues and he is now 4 months cancer free....
The blood results came in last night and weren't as encouraging as they had been.
His electrolytes and most of his routine blood work was okay.
Albumin was a bit low, but not of concern.
However, both his Creatinine and GFR worsened a bit. Just a LITTLE, but movement was in the wrong direction.
This is the first time since August that we haven't seen an improvement in kidney function. Tony dropped from 14% back down to 13% function.
Tony is doing all he can to live the life a kidney patient needs to live. In this age of COVID-19, he is at increased risk but is being as careful as he can. We all hear about the damage to the respiratory function, but there is also often kidney damage. He certainly doesn't need that.
We continue to pray
Linda and Vern
It's April and we are continuing to function during this troubling time. We have had some good news and some not so positive
Everyone, including the surgeon, was really surprised when Tony's presumed malignant tumor came back BENIGN.
So, healing continues and he is now 4 months cancer free....
The blood results came in last night and weren't as encouraging as they had been.
His electrolytes and most of his routine blood work was okay.
Albumin was a bit low, but not of concern.
However, both his Creatinine and GFR worsened a bit. Just a LITTLE, but movement was in the wrong direction.
This is the first time since August that we haven't seen an improvement in kidney function. Tony dropped from 14% back down to 13% function.
Tony is doing all he can to live the life a kidney patient needs to live. In this age of COVID-19, he is at increased risk but is being as careful as he can. We all hear about the damage to the respiratory function, but there is also often kidney damage. He certainly doesn't need that.
We continue to pray
Linda and Vern
On Saturday, March 14, 2020, 09:12:40 AM CDT, Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Good news for the prayer team.
We still need continued prayer for Tony, but the pathology came back and was confirmed by a 2nd staining method
NON-MALIGNANT.
Praise the Lord!
Thanks to all of you for the ongoing prayers for Tony.
Linda and Vern
Good news for the prayer team.
We still need continued prayer for Tony, but the pathology came back and was confirmed by a 2nd staining method
NON-MALIGNANT.
Praise the Lord!
Thanks to all of you for the ongoing prayers for Tony.
Linda and Vern
On March 6, 2020 at 10:06 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
It's March... Tony has now been cancer free for 3 days.
On the 12th, Tony went in for his 6 month checkup. They were pleased with the on-going healing of his bladder. It's taking some time to regrow the lining of his bladder since they had to remove most of it in Aug. The surgeon said it was looking "Fantastic".
They removed his remaining stent and will check with an ultrasound to make sure the kidney is still emptying into the bladder well.
Unfortunately they also found another small area that is presumed to be a bladder tumor.
He had the small bladder (0.7cm) tumor removed on the 3rd. The pathology isn't back yet, but we assume it will be a malignancy.
His labs came back tonight and again we have small progress toward normal.
Creatinine is now 4.7 (goal of 1.3 or below) Last month it was 5.06
GFR is up to 14 (goal of 100) Last month it was 13
All other blood levels are in the normal range.
We are truly blessed.
Thanks to all of you for your ongoing thoughts and prayers for Tony.
Linda and Vern
It's March... Tony has now been cancer free for 3 days.
On the 12th, Tony went in for his 6 month checkup. They were pleased with the on-going healing of his bladder. It's taking some time to regrow the lining of his bladder since they had to remove most of it in Aug. The surgeon said it was looking "Fantastic".
They removed his remaining stent and will check with an ultrasound to make sure the kidney is still emptying into the bladder well.
Unfortunately they also found another small area that is presumed to be a bladder tumor.
He had the small bladder (0.7cm) tumor removed on the 3rd. The pathology isn't back yet, but we assume it will be a malignancy.
His labs came back tonight and again we have small progress toward normal.
Creatinine is now 4.7 (goal of 1.3 or below) Last month it was 5.06
GFR is up to 14 (goal of 100) Last month it was 13
All other blood levels are in the normal range.
We are truly blessed.
Thanks to all of you for your ongoing thoughts and prayers for Tony.
Linda and Vern
On February 8, 2020 at 8:05 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
February is here. Another month has passed. It was 6 months ago today that I got the call and Tony said "They found a tumor, but it's not a big deal. You don't have to come to Minot yet". Turned out to be way more than he initially thought. He said this morning that it seems like it's been so much longer than 6 months.
As of the middle of the month (January), he passed another milestone. He no longer has any extra visible tubes or ports on his body. He is now down to the one AV Fistula that they use for dialysis (under the skin) and one ureter stent. He has his 6 month followup next week and the hope is that the stent will be removed after that.
His blood work continues to slowly improve.
His Creatinine dropped to 5.06 (goal is less than 2) My hope was less than 5, so he was real close.
His GFR is still real low but increased another 2 steps and is at 13 (goal of 100)
All his electrolytes remain at or near normal levels.
We remain optimistic that improvement will continue.
Keep us in your prayers
Linda and Vern
February is here. Another month has passed. It was 6 months ago today that I got the call and Tony said "They found a tumor, but it's not a big deal. You don't have to come to Minot yet". Turned out to be way more than he initially thought. He said this morning that it seems like it's been so much longer than 6 months.
As of the middle of the month (January), he passed another milestone. He no longer has any extra visible tubes or ports on his body. He is now down to the one AV Fistula that they use for dialysis (under the skin) and one ureter stent. He has his 6 month followup next week and the hope is that the stent will be removed after that.
His blood work continues to slowly improve.
His Creatinine dropped to 5.06 (goal is less than 2) My hope was less than 5, so he was real close.
His GFR is still real low but increased another 2 steps and is at 13 (goal of 100)
All his electrolytes remain at or near normal levels.
We remain optimistic that improvement will continue.
Keep us in your prayers
Linda and Vern
On January 3, 2020 at 11:57 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi everyone.
Another month has passed and we have made more progress in the right direction. Again small steps but progress in the right direction.
Tony's AV fistula is now healed and they have used it 4 times now. Just yesterday, they had progressed to using the largest needle.
Bigger needle should result in better blood flow and thus better filtering. For those of you who are number people.....
His Creatinine is dropping by about 0.5 per month. It is now at 5.78 (goal is less than 2)
His GFR is still real low but has increased another step and is now 11 (goal of 100)
All his electrolytes remain at or real near normal levels.
We remain optimistic that improvement will continue.
Keep us in your prayers
Linda and Vern
Hi everyone.
Another month has passed and we have made more progress in the right direction. Again small steps but progress in the right direction.
Tony's AV fistula is now healed and they have used it 4 times now. Just yesterday, they had progressed to using the largest needle.
Bigger needle should result in better blood flow and thus better filtering. For those of you who are number people.....
His Creatinine is dropping by about 0.5 per month. It is now at 5.78 (goal is less than 2)
His GFR is still real low but has increased another step and is now 11 (goal of 100)
All his electrolytes remain at or real near normal levels.
We remain optimistic that improvement will continue.
Keep us in your prayers
Linda and Vern
Lamentations 3:22-25 Certainly the faithful love of the LORD hasn’t ended; certainly God’s compassion isn’t through! They are renewed every morning. Great is your faithfulness. I think: The LORD is my portion! Therefore, I’ll wait for him. The LORD is good to those who hope in him, to the person who seeks him.
On December 6, 2019 at 11:29 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
The short story is that Tony's blood results are S L O W L Y getting better. His kidney function is still really poor, but the numbers are going in the right direction.
The urologist is pleased with the way the bladder is healing. They did remove another very small non-invasive bladder tumor and one of two stents..... and they put in a more permanent dialysis access.
The long story is:
11/18
This month has been a wild ride for Tony. He had his first cancer follow-up with the urologist. They did a cystoscopy (look at the inside of the bladder).
He was pleased with the healing and the overall look of the bladder. There was one small spot that was questionable, so they will take that out Nov 26th when they go in to remove one of the two ureteral stents. (from bladder to kidney). One looks healed and the other doesn't appear to be ready to remove yet. Tony was surprised that the healing wasn't more complete. MD said it was like trying to heal a wound on your foot by keeping it in salt water all the time. Guess that makes sense.
From there, he went to a vascular surgeon. The temporary dialysis port they put in his shoulder was not working well and was close to falling out. They moved that to the other side and put it more in his neck rather than the shoulder. It caused him some discomfort initially, but is getting better.
The other thing they did, was put an AV fistula in his arm. It would be easier to let you google it than explain what it looks like. This is a more permanent access for dialysis, but it will be a couple of months before it is healed enough to use. They had trouble finding blood vessels to use, so instead of 5-6 stitches, he ended up with 34. (see picture attached) . During surgery, some of his labs went funky and they admitted him to the hospital for observation..... just overnight. His nurse was bad enough that my guy, who always is looking at the positive side, is considering reporting him.
11/26
Surgery today was quick - less than 1/2 hour. They removed one small low grade, non-invasive tumor. Unlikely that it will spread, very probable he will have more of them. Then they removed one of the ureteral stents that was healed and replaced the other one. Plan is to remove the 2nd stent in 3 months.
12/6
He got the stitches in his arm out and is now able to again try to return to work.
His labs showed modest improvement in nearly everything.
The short story is that Tony's blood results are S L O W L Y getting better. His kidney function is still really poor, but the numbers are going in the right direction.
The urologist is pleased with the way the bladder is healing. They did remove another very small non-invasive bladder tumor and one of two stents..... and they put in a more permanent dialysis access.
The long story is:
11/18
This month has been a wild ride for Tony. He had his first cancer follow-up with the urologist. They did a cystoscopy (look at the inside of the bladder).
He was pleased with the healing and the overall look of the bladder. There was one small spot that was questionable, so they will take that out Nov 26th when they go in to remove one of the two ureteral stents. (from bladder to kidney). One looks healed and the other doesn't appear to be ready to remove yet. Tony was surprised that the healing wasn't more complete. MD said it was like trying to heal a wound on your foot by keeping it in salt water all the time. Guess that makes sense.
From there, he went to a vascular surgeon. The temporary dialysis port they put in his shoulder was not working well and was close to falling out. They moved that to the other side and put it more in his neck rather than the shoulder. It caused him some discomfort initially, but is getting better.
The other thing they did, was put an AV fistula in his arm. It would be easier to let you google it than explain what it looks like. This is a more permanent access for dialysis, but it will be a couple of months before it is healed enough to use. They had trouble finding blood vessels to use, so instead of 5-6 stitches, he ended up with 34. (see picture attached) . During surgery, some of his labs went funky and they admitted him to the hospital for observation..... just overnight. His nurse was bad enough that my guy, who always is looking at the positive side, is considering reporting him.
11/26
Surgery today was quick - less than 1/2 hour. They removed one small low grade, non-invasive tumor. Unlikely that it will spread, very probable he will have more of them. Then they removed one of the ureteral stents that was healed and replaced the other one. Plan is to remove the 2nd stent in 3 months.
12/6
He got the stitches in his arm out and is now able to again try to return to work.
His labs showed modest improvement in nearly everything.
On November 13, 2019 at 4:03 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Some of you have already heard this... so sorry if it's a repeat. The human body is a very complex creation.
They do labs on Tony once a month.
There are 3 results that I watch and many others that are on the physicians radar.
BUN - goal is less than 25
Creatinine - goal is 1 to 1.3
GFR - goal is 100
One of the things they watch is Albumin. Last month his Albumin was low so they put him on a high protein diet. One of the side effects of a high protein diet is that the BUN and Creatinine often go up, BOOO.
He will probably spend Thanksgiving morning at Dialysis...…Should be done by 11AM
His next labs will probably be Dec 5th.
Continued prayer for healing is appreciated
Linda Emerson
Some of you have already heard this... so sorry if it's a repeat. The human body is a very complex creation.
They do labs on Tony once a month.
There are 3 results that I watch and many others that are on the physicians radar.
BUN - goal is less than 25
Creatinine - goal is 1 to 1.3
GFR - goal is 100
One of the things they watch is Albumin. Last month his Albumin was low so they put him on a high protein diet. One of the side effects of a high protein diet is that the BUN and Creatinine often go up, BOOO.
- in Oct BUN was 26. It went up to 51. I was appalled. The physicians were not so concerned, because "the BUN jumps around" and "the high protein diet could do it"
- In Oct Creatinine was 7.01. It went down to 6.65. Since they expected the protein could cause it to go up, they were VERY please with the drop.
- GFR stayed the same and is at 9.... really low.
He will probably spend Thanksgiving morning at Dialysis...…Should be done by 11AM
His next labs will probably be Dec 5th.
Continued prayer for healing is appreciated
Linda Emerson
On October 5, 2019 at 8:38 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Tony update ~ He got lab results back yesterday.
Tony remains on dialysis three times a week. He went back to work part time this week and that went well. He may increase his hours a bit
in the coming days and weeks.
As far as kidney function goes, there are three levels that I watch. BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate) and Creatinine.
GFR and Creatinine remained about the same, there was a slight improvement in the BUN. Baby steps....
Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers.
Linda
Tony update ~ He got lab results back yesterday.
Tony remains on dialysis three times a week. He went back to work part time this week and that went well. He may increase his hours a bit
in the coming days and weeks.
As far as kidney function goes, there are three levels that I watch. BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate) and Creatinine.
GFR and Creatinine remained about the same, there was a slight improvement in the BUN. Baby steps....
Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers.
Linda
I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you. Isaiah 41:10
Sat, Sep 14, 2019 at 8:52 AM Linda Emerson < linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Just a quick update.
Tony had a bit of a set back with a UTI and lab numbers went wacky again for a bit. That is now under control and he is seeing very modest
improvement in his Creatinine levels which measure one function of the kidney function. His Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) is still at only about 10% so please continue praying for him.
t is turning out to be a long process, but they are still hopeful for a recovery.
Prayer works.
Linda and Vern
Just a quick update.
Tony had a bit of a set back with a UTI and lab numbers went wacky again for a bit. That is now under control and he is seeing very modest
improvement in his Creatinine levels which measure one function of the kidney function. His Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) is still at only about 10% so please continue praying for him.
t is turning out to be a long process, but they are still hopeful for a recovery.
Prayer works.
Linda and Vern
Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:24 CSB
On September 14, 2019 at 8:52 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Just a quick update.
Tony had a bit of a set back with a UTI and lab numbers went wacky again for a bit. That is now under control and he is seeing very modest
improvement in his Creatinine levels which measure one function of the kidney function. His Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) is still at only about 10% so please continue praying for him.
It is turning out to be a long process, but they are still hopeful for a recovery.
Prayer works.
Linda and Vern
Just a quick update.
Tony had a bit of a set back with a UTI and lab numbers went wacky again for a bit. That is now under control and he is seeing very modest
improvement in his Creatinine levels which measure one function of the kidney function. His Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) is still at only about 10% so please continue praying for him.
It is turning out to be a long process, but they are still hopeful for a recovery.
Prayer works.
Linda and Vern
I trust in You, O Lord; I say, "You are my God." Psalm 31:14 NIV
On Monday, August 26, 2019 at 5:29 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
It has been a while.
We got the pathology reports from the 2nd surgery today and they show no cancer in the bladder wall. That was as expected, but is good news.
His only remaining hurdle is a return of kidney function. We were hoping that we had that licked too, but NO … Dialysis will have to continue for a while.
Keep the prayers going to a return of kidney health. He is too young to do dialysis for the rest of his life....
Thanks to each of you
Linda
It has been a while.
We got the pathology reports from the 2nd surgery today and they show no cancer in the bladder wall. That was as expected, but is good news.
His only remaining hurdle is a return of kidney function. We were hoping that we had that licked too, but NO … Dialysis will have to continue for a while.
Keep the prayers going to a return of kidney health. He is too young to do dialysis for the rest of his life....
Thanks to each of you
Linda
On August 20, 2019 at 8:41 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Good evening to all my prayer warriors -
Another long day. Tony had another 5 hours of surgery today and they removed two more huge tumors. There is no reason to think that these are any more aggressive than the one last week. He should be in the clear with this round of cancer. He was told that they are likely to recur, but would be treated easily. No chemo or radiation is needed at this time.
Our main concern now is that his kidneys return to normal function and do their job of filtering the blood. Until then, he will be on dialysis three times weekly.
The nephrologist is still encouraging that the kidneys will rebound.
I will be staying in Minot at least another week -
Vern may or may not stay the whole time.
Keep up the prayers, they are working ! This whole situation could have gone bad in so many ways and so far the news has all been good.
We remain cautiously optimistic.
Love to all of you
Linda
Good evening to all my prayer warriors -
Another long day. Tony had another 5 hours of surgery today and they removed two more huge tumors. There is no reason to think that these are any more aggressive than the one last week. He should be in the clear with this round of cancer. He was told that they are likely to recur, but would be treated easily. No chemo or radiation is needed at this time.
Our main concern now is that his kidneys return to normal function and do their job of filtering the blood. Until then, he will be on dialysis three times weekly.
The nephrologist is still encouraging that the kidneys will rebound.
I will be staying in Minot at least another week -
Vern may or may not stay the whole time.
Keep up the prayers, they are working ! This whole situation could have gone bad in so many ways and so far the news has all been good.
We remain cautiously optimistic.
Love to all of you
Linda
God, Our difficulties aren’t too difficult for You. Our challenges aren’t too challenging. Our struggles aren’t too strong.
You live in us. You are for us. You are with us always. So in our hard moments, fill us with hope, give us strength,
help us take heart because nothing can ever separate us from Your love. Amen.
You live in us. You are for us. You are with us always. So in our hard moments, fill us with hope, give us strength,
help us take heart because nothing can ever separate us from Your love. Amen.
On Saturday, August 17, 2019 at 8:18 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Two days have past - today was a case of two steps forward and one step back
After dialysis yesterday, his drainage bags were really blood. Today they weren't any better, and he just wanted to sleep.
So....back to Urgent Care Clinic, then straight to ER, and readmit to hospital.
He was anemic - with a hemoglobin of 7 today (12 would be okay)
They are running 4 units of blood overnight, then ????
I'll keep you informed. Please keep praying
Linda
Two days have past - today was a case of two steps forward and one step back
After dialysis yesterday, his drainage bags were really blood. Today they weren't any better, and he just wanted to sleep.
So....back to Urgent Care Clinic, then straight to ER, and readmit to hospital.
He was anemic - with a hemoglobin of 7 today (12 would be okay)
They are running 4 units of blood overnight, then ????
I'll keep you informed. Please keep praying
Linda
Each day of your life is the canvas on which God seeks to display The Wonders of His love and grace.
The blessing of the Lord be upon you. Psalm 129:8 KJV
The blessing of the Lord be upon you. Psalm 129:8 KJV
On Thursday, August 15, 2019 at 3:31 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi everyone...
Tony's report from 8/15
Yesterday was our birthday and it was not the way we wanted it. 43 years ago we spent our birthday in the hospital.
Today it is clear that God is working in our lives.
Previously the MD said it was a miracle that the tumor hadn't spread into other organs and bone.
Today, he gave us the good news that it hasn't spread into the bladder wall either!!! The pathology came out as a malignant tumor with NO involvement past the innermost lining of the bladder.
They discharged him home today to rest, recover, heal, and gain strength. He will return to the hospital on next Tuesday for the 2nd and hopefully last TURBT (Transurethral Resection of the Bladder Tumor). It almost sounds like that will be an outpatient procedure if all goes well.
He has two more health hurdles at this time. Kidney function.... but the nephrologist continues to indicate that it should be acute. and return of bladder function after all the trauma it has been through. Then he should be able to return to normal life.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers
Linda
Hi everyone...
Tony's report from 8/15
Yesterday was our birthday and it was not the way we wanted it. 43 years ago we spent our birthday in the hospital.
Today it is clear that God is working in our lives.
Previously the MD said it was a miracle that the tumor hadn't spread into other organs and bone.
Today, he gave us the good news that it hasn't spread into the bladder wall either!!! The pathology came out as a malignant tumor with NO involvement past the innermost lining of the bladder.
They discharged him home today to rest, recover, heal, and gain strength. He will return to the hospital on next Tuesday for the 2nd and hopefully last TURBT (Transurethral Resection of the Bladder Tumor). It almost sounds like that will be an outpatient procedure if all goes well.
He has two more health hurdles at this time. Kidney function.... but the nephrologist continues to indicate that it should be acute. and return of bladder function after all the trauma it has been through. Then he should be able to return to normal life.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers
Linda
On Monday, August 12, 2019 at 7:00 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Today's Tony report...
Was a Long day. He had an appointment for 10AM and it didn't happen until 3PM. I am not a patient waiter.
I am really tired since I haven't slept much since Thursday.
Tony had call us last night (Sunday) about 9pm. Once he was fully awake from his late surgery, he asked the night staff what they had done to him. He wasn't able to get any answers, so he called me. I said "Tony, how are you doing?" he said "Not good, can you come up?" It took us no time to get there.
Vern eventually went back to the camper and I stayed the night.... so I haven't really slept at all.
Tony went in for a procedure where they went in through the nephrostomy tubes that were placed yesterday, into the kidney, located the ureters and placed a stent. He now has urine flow both into the bladder and into the urostomy bag.
The kidneys are producing at least some urine, but the jury is out on if they are filtering properly. Dr Safarian just said that it takes time... so there is hope that the kidneys will be fine. His Creatinine had gone up overnight from 8 something to 9 something.
The CAT scan came back clear with no evidence of cancer anywhere else.
Now we have to wait for the pathology results to see if the muscle of the bladder is involved.
Probably won't have anything else happening for a couple of days.
More later
Linda
Today's Tony report...
Was a Long day. He had an appointment for 10AM and it didn't happen until 3PM. I am not a patient waiter.
I am really tired since I haven't slept much since Thursday.
Tony had call us last night (Sunday) about 9pm. Once he was fully awake from his late surgery, he asked the night staff what they had done to him. He wasn't able to get any answers, so he called me. I said "Tony, how are you doing?" he said "Not good, can you come up?" It took us no time to get there.
Vern eventually went back to the camper and I stayed the night.... so I haven't really slept at all.
Tony went in for a procedure where they went in through the nephrostomy tubes that were placed yesterday, into the kidney, located the ureters and placed a stent. He now has urine flow both into the bladder and into the urostomy bag.
The kidneys are producing at least some urine, but the jury is out on if they are filtering properly. Dr Safarian just said that it takes time... so there is hope that the kidneys will be fine. His Creatinine had gone up overnight from 8 something to 9 something.
The CAT scan came back clear with no evidence of cancer anywhere else.
Now we have to wait for the pathology results to see if the muscle of the bladder is involved.
Probably won't have anything else happening for a couple of days.
More later
Linda
God is still writing your story. It’s not finished yet. He alone holds the pen that gets to write “The End.”
You are living a story today. It is a story of grace. A story of hope.
A story of, most of all, love. And there is still so much more to come. Praying, Trusting, Believing with You. – Holley Gerth
Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. Psalm 23:6 NLT
You are living a story today. It is a story of grace. A story of hope.
A story of, most of all, love. And there is still so much more to come. Praying, Trusting, Believing with You. – Holley Gerth
Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life. Psalm 23:6 NLT
On Sunday, August 11, 2019 at 5:17 PM Linda Emerson linda.emerson26@gmail.com wrote:
It's a pretty long story, so I decided to send e-mail
Dr Vandibber said that it is obvious Tony is very tough and very stubborn.
He said a Creatinine of 7-8 would put most of us in ER (3-4 is normal) Tony's on admission was 37. They had gotten it down to 9 before surgery.
It is still unknown if his kidneys will recover from that insult. That is a time will tell situation.
If not... probably dialysis for the long term. Since he had a cancer, he would not be a candidate for a transplant for years.....
Dr V said he has had the tumor for "a very long time". Maybe for 5years? 10 years? who knows.
There were two / maybe three tumors. The biggest one was about 10cm or the size of a large grapefruit. He knows it had been there for a long time because the outside of the tumor was calcified. under that layer was a necrotic / rotten area and then the standard cancer mass. His electronic coil will eat through any tissue, but it doesn't do rock. He had to chip away of the tumor. cauterize, flush, and then do it over and over
When he got down to the bottom of the tumor, he hoped he got everything, but was not 100% positive that the cancer had not invaded the muscle tissue so he took a couple of scrapings and will send to pathology.
There is one more tumor that he did NOT address today. He felt that 7 hours was enough for both Tony and him and that they would be better served to do that on in a separate surgery in a few days if the muscle tissue comes back negative.
They weren't able to locate and stent the ureters (tube from the kidney to the bladder), so he is back to surgery with an interventional radiologist to have nephrostomy tubes placed. This will be from the kidney, out his back, to an external bag. Hopefully this will be temporary and when they go in for the other tumor they will be able to locate the ureter and get him to pee right. All that is assuming that the kidneys work again.
If the scrapings come back positive for cancer, he will go to Mayo clinic to have the bladder removed and another bladder fashioned from ?????? I think large intestine tissue. Not sure.
At any rate, long term survival at this point sounds real positive. We may have been told more, but this is what I remember from our post-op visit.
Will update you later as we know more. Keep on praying.
Love ya all
Linda
It's a pretty long story, so I decided to send e-mail
Dr Vandibber said that it is obvious Tony is very tough and very stubborn.
He said a Creatinine of 7-8 would put most of us in ER (3-4 is normal) Tony's on admission was 37. They had gotten it down to 9 before surgery.
It is still unknown if his kidneys will recover from that insult. That is a time will tell situation.
If not... probably dialysis for the long term. Since he had a cancer, he would not be a candidate for a transplant for years.....
Dr V said he has had the tumor for "a very long time". Maybe for 5years? 10 years? who knows.
There were two / maybe three tumors. The biggest one was about 10cm or the size of a large grapefruit. He knows it had been there for a long time because the outside of the tumor was calcified. under that layer was a necrotic / rotten area and then the standard cancer mass. His electronic coil will eat through any tissue, but it doesn't do rock. He had to chip away of the tumor. cauterize, flush, and then do it over and over
When he got down to the bottom of the tumor, he hoped he got everything, but was not 100% positive that the cancer had not invaded the muscle tissue so he took a couple of scrapings and will send to pathology.
There is one more tumor that he did NOT address today. He felt that 7 hours was enough for both Tony and him and that they would be better served to do that on in a separate surgery in a few days if the muscle tissue comes back negative.
They weren't able to locate and stent the ureters (tube from the kidney to the bladder), so he is back to surgery with an interventional radiologist to have nephrostomy tubes placed. This will be from the kidney, out his back, to an external bag. Hopefully this will be temporary and when they go in for the other tumor they will be able to locate the ureter and get him to pee right. All that is assuming that the kidneys work again.
If the scrapings come back positive for cancer, he will go to Mayo clinic to have the bladder removed and another bladder fashioned from ?????? I think large intestine tissue. Not sure.
At any rate, long term survival at this point sounds real positive. We may have been told more, but this is what I remember from our post-op visit.
Will update you later as we know more. Keep on praying.
Love ya all
Linda
Your past is full of grace. Your future is full of hope. Your day is full of possibility.
This is the day that the LORD has made. Psalm 118:24 CSB
This is the day that the LORD has made. Psalm 118:24 CSB
On Sunday, August 11, 2019 at 7:11 AM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Tony goes in for surgery this morning. He has a massive tumor encompassing 3/4 of his bladder. More information later, but prayers are needed. No biopsy yet but doctors are 99% sure its cancer.
Tony goes in for surgery this morning. He has a massive tumor encompassing 3/4 of his bladder. More information later, but prayers are needed. No biopsy yet but doctors are 99% sure its cancer.
God hears our prayers. God knows the desires of our hearts. God understands our deepest longings.
We will never be overlooked or forgotten. – Holley Gerth
Give your burdens to the LORD, and He will take care of you. Psalm 55:22 NLT
We will never be overlooked or forgotten. – Holley Gerth
Give your burdens to the LORD, and He will take care of you. Psalm 55:22 NLT
On Thursday, August 8, 2019 at 1:43 PM Linda Emerson <linda.emerson26@gmail.com> wrote:
Prayers for my Tony.
He just called and is in the hospital with a growth in his bladder.
Don't know yet if it is malignant or not. We will probably head to Minot tomorrow AM.
I will update you when I know more.
Please forward to other members of the prayer group.
Thanks
Linda
Prayers for my Tony.
He just called and is in the hospital with a growth in his bladder.
Don't know yet if it is malignant or not. We will probably head to Minot tomorrow AM.
I will update you when I know more.
Please forward to other members of the prayer group.
Thanks
Linda
