Where Has the Parson Been?

The parson has been a bit quiet on the internet of late. Postings to the QP site have pretty much been non existent, and postings on Facebook have been mostly sharing other’s posts. Here’s why the parson has been so inactive.

Back in February or early March, a sore appeared on the back side of the parson’s right thigh. It was a small thing. The parson assumed he’d been pricked by a briar or such while working in the yard. But the sore persisted, and it was difficult for the parson to examine it because of the location. Finally, the parson asked his BFF, a nurse to look at it. She did and immediately exclaimed, “You get yourself to a dermatologist tomorrow. This is cancer.”

Turns out it was. It was melanoma, and it was the most aggressive form of melanoma one can have. The parson went to an oncoogical surgeon at Emory University Hospital. Tests were run. The surgeon, at that time, said he would not operate as there was too much risk of infection. First impressions from tests gave an impression the cancer may have spread to the bowels. But the surgeon consulted with others oncological colleagues and asked the parson to see another doctor. Turns out this second doctor was in charge of clinical trials for cancer at Emory. She invited to parson to be part of a clinical trial.

The parson began taking experimental drugs. These drugs were in two forms. One was a pill the parson took daily. He had to keep a log of what time he took the pills, how long it had been since he consumed food before taking the pills, etc. And every two weeks the parson went to Emory to receive another drug by infusion ( IV ). 

Here’s a simplistic description of what was going on. The pills did two things. First, they acted like steroids for the parson’s immune system. Secondly, this medication placed a mark on every malignant cell in the parson’s body and sent an email to the IV drug to kill any cell that had a mark on it.

A few weeks following the first complete round of treatment, the parson went to the oncological clinic for an exam. He lay on the exam table. His hospital gown was pulled up to expose the sore on the back of his thigh. (Prior to the beginning of the treatment, the “sore” had grown considerably to about the size of the parson’s combined fingers of one hand.) When the malignancy was exposed on the first visit after the first round of treatment, the parson lay on the table and his heart jumped to a faster pace when he heard the doctor exclaim, “Oh, my God.”

The exclamation, however, was excitement at how much the malignancy had shrunk. The treatments continued with the parson having tests on a regular basis including Pet and CT scans, an endoscopy to explore everything from his throat to his bowels. (Side benefit: the parson never knew he had ulcers until after this procedure, for which he was given medication.) At each examination the malignancy was measured and the shrinkage continued. There was still a problem. The cancer had spread to the parson’s lymph nodes in his lower abdomen and groin.

At a pre-determined date after the beginning of the trial, the parson reported to the hospital for surgery. The portion of the thigh where the melanoma had been (it had for all practical purposes disappeared) needed to be removed in order to be tested for the presence of unobserved cancer cells. The doctors removed an area of 11” x 9” down to the muscle of the thigh. They also removed 13 lymph nodes from the parson’s abdomen and groin. 

During the recovery process, the doctors expressed a question. The experimental drugs had wiped out the surface melanoma. If the protocol had been different and they had waited a few more weeks to do the surgery would the drugs have also killed the cancer in the lymph nodes?

The parson’s recovery time from the surgery, which the surgeon had described as “brutal”, was about three months. He still suffers from lymphendema, a swelling of his right leg as a result of the removal of the lymph nodes. He is currently wearing an 8 1/2 shoe on his left foot and a 10 on his right. Hopefully, the swelling will gradually subside, but it could be permanent.

After the healing, the parson met with the doctors. He learned he is in a very high risk category for a return of the cancer. However, there’s another new drug out. The parson will be taking this drug ( which is very similar to the infusion drug he took during the trial ) every other week for the next year. After every sixth dosage the parson will receive a complete physical including Pet and CT scans to look for any reoccurrence of the malignancy. Hopefully, at the end of the year’s dosage the chances of the reoccurrence will be greatly diminished. And the parson, as a follow up on the trial, will receive a complete physical at Emory University Hospital every three months for the rest of his life.

So, the parson is now back on his feet. In fact, tomorrow he may cut the grass himself. And he, most likely, will resume posting “Parson Stories” on the website and Facebook. 

The really good thing from all of this is that the drug was, at least partially, a success. Soon, hopefully, when someone goes to the oncologist for treatment of melanoma, the doctor will say, “Take this pill.”

Many thanks to my children and grandchildren who have been so supportive in this. And thanks to the folks at the little country church I serve for their prayers, their support, and not laughing as the parson has hobbled around the sanctuary these last few weeks.

That’s the latest parson story. Maybe there’s more to come.

Grace and peace.

Comments

[Wayne]

Guy,
Prayers for healing coming from the Chattanooga area.

[Philip Palmer]

Sending love and thinking of you my friend.

[Curtis A. Grissett]

Many prayers for you. I suspected something was going on. Either something you said or the way you would say something (and the long silence) but, in any event, prayers of Thanksgiving for what progress you have made and continued prayers for health and peace. Blessing upon you. Curtis A. Grissett