Rain

 There’s a nice steady rain falling. It’s calming and soothing me. It has cooled off the day’s heat. It is really quite comfortable.

I’m extremely unsettled…very worried about a friend who was supposed to have surgery today at 1:15 pm. I haven’t heard from her husband. I am hoping that’s because the surgery took a long time – which could be good because the doctor had four possible scenarios for what he hoped to accomplish.

She has ovarian cancer. She’s been fighting it for almost 3 years now.  She hasn’t made it into remission. She’s had several different protocols and the cancer seems to respond at first but then it starts ravaging her body again. In her own words:

I have not been responding to any chemotherapy treatments for more than a few months before the cancer becomes resistant to it. Dr. Coukos will first do a laparoscopic procedure in my abdomen to determine if the tumors are removable. Sometimes they are entangled in vessels or attached to organs and difficult to remove. If he feels that he can remove the largest tumor which is 4.8 x 4.1 cm, he will proceed with surgery right after the laparoscopy. He will also try to debulk (remove other tumors) as much as possible.
This is scheduled for May 27th.
If I have the full surgery I will be out of work for at least a month.
The tumors will be sent to a lab in California to see if they can extract enough protein to create a vaccine. The other part of the protocol requires that no tumor remaining in my body be over 2.5 cm. A new CT scan will be done to determine that. If all the things they have to do fall into place and I qualify, they will make a vaccine made with my own antibodies to combat the tumors. When I read the medical descriptions of all the work that Dr. Coukos is doing it makes my head spin.

I am really praying that the reason he hasn’t called is because she had a lot of work done. I am praying that the laparoscopic procedure showed that the largest tumor was removable and that he was able to debulk the other tumors. I am praying that the doctor was successful and was able to remove the tumor that is pressing on her colon so that she will get some relief in the area. I am praying that the tumors he removed are on their way to California. I am praying that my friend’s quality of life will improve and that her life expectancy will be extended. I am praying, praying, praying that she is sleeping soundly without too much pain. I am praying that her husband is just waiting until tomorrow to call us folks that are not family.

I am praying that her doctor did that laparoscopy and then jumped right in there to do battle with those tumors. I am praying that it was a long, hard day but that my friend is a little healthier and has less cancer in her body than when I saw her last night. I am praying that I’ll be able to go over and hang out with her while she recovers. I am praying that she’s out of work for a month and that when her recovery is complete, she’ll be able to go back to work.

God, I’m not done badgering you! I’m praying long and hard and you’ll get no rest tonight – unless my friend is resting in her hospital bed with a big incision and lots of sutures!