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March 2005 Updates Monday, March 14, 2005
Bruce saw the kidney specialist today & the news wasn't very good. The nephrologist believes the kidney damage is caused by chemo Bruce has had in the past & that it's progressive. Bruce isn't at the point of needing dialysis yet, but he's quickly heading in that direction. He's been put on a medicine, which will hopefully slow down the rate of kidney failure. Bruce has to have blood work done next week & again in 3 weeks, he has to see the kidney specialist again in a month, and he has to see a urologist...we'll be called with that appointment tomorrow.
The worst news is that his creatinine clearance is bad enough that it rules out him having a bone marrow transplant, also from being in clinical trials for the lymphoma. And, the tumor on the back of Bruce's shoulder has started growing steadily again!
As always, prayers would be appreciated!
Monday, March 21, 2005
Bruce saw the urologist today. Next Thursday (March 31st), Bruce will be having surgery. The urologist will do a Ureteroscopy & a possible Ureteric Stent insertion. After a week or two, if Bruce's kidney function hasn't improved, the stent will be removed. If his kidney function does improve though, the stent will be left in place (it would have to be replaced with a new one every 4-6 months) and hopefully, ESRF (End Stage Renal Failure) will be avoided.
In the meantime, Bruce has to have blood work done tomorrow and a CTU done this coming Thursday.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
The results from the blood work Bruce had done last Tuesday (March 22) weren't very good. After being on an Ace Inhibitor for a week, Bruce's creatinine count had gotten significantly worse instead of better. Thankfully, it was unchanged this Tuesday (March 29) though.
The CTU didn't show much that we didn't already know. Unfortunately, it didn't show any stones in Bruce's ureter, which we had been hoping it would.
Bruce HAS been having some symptoms of kidney failure for a little more than a week...a feeling of pressure in the kidney area (probably from the hydronephrosis he has), itching, increased fatigue, weakness and a major loss of appetite. Previously, he had been asymptomatic.
His surgery is scheduled for tomorrow (March 31st). He has to be at the hospital at 7:50 am EST and the surgery will be done around 9:15 am. If you could try to remember to say a prayer for him around that time, we would greatly appreciate it! Our hope is that a blockage in the ureter will be found and fixed, and will prevent him from going into ESRF.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Bruce's surgery was uneventful, however the results weren't what we what we had been hoping for. There was no blockage or narrowing inside the ureter, everything looked normal and healthy. So, there was nothing they could fix. Bruce's kidney is failing because it's failing, the ureter has nothing to do with it. They did insert a stent temporarily, because of inflammation and injury caused by the scope, but the stent will be removed in a couple of weeks. From a medical point of view, Bruce's kidney will continue to fail.
Of course we're disappointed, but we're not devastated. We believe a miracle can still prevent Bruce from going into complete kidney failure, and if that's not to be, we're both ready to meet the new challenge. The Bible reminds us, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."...Philippians 4:13
Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Bruce! Continued prayers would be appreciated!
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