Update

I know it has been a long time since I have blogged, but I honestly couldn't bring myself to post anything.  Everytime I thought about it, I knew it would be important to share about my dad, since the whole point of us blogging is to share our life.  So I guess by posting this, I am telling you and myself I am ready.

The last 11 months have been a whirlwind of difficulties, gratefulness, sadness and joy. After I was diagnosed last November, we were in shock, but through prayers by so many people I was given peace. Peace that God would carry me through the cancer. I felt as though I was prepared no matter what the outcome would be, because I believe God has a good and perfect will. He did carry me through the cancer and after surgery in February, I found myself cancer free. My spirits were high throughout this time and I felt the joy and peace God gives us when we allow Him to have control.
All that to say, I was not ready for what was to come after losing my dad in May. That was a tragic loss and extremely difficult and still is now. (Monday will be 5 months) Grief was so much more difficult than what we endured with cancer, although looking back I can see God's hand at work using the journey through cancer to prepare me. He had taught me to lean on him through prayer, scripture, family & friends. The grief is still extremely difficult, but I couldn't imagine going through this without God. I miss my dad so much, but I can find joy in my memories with him and knowing he is in Heaven.  Through grief I experienced so much sadness and depression, it felt like a dark tunnel in which I could not see light on the other side.  I kept praying that God would take it away, but I know that is not how God works.  He is fair and just and I believe that He knew that the sorrow would make me stronger and more prepared for this difficult world.  Matt and I are both stronger and closer in our relationship with each other and our relationship with God.  I will blog more later about my journey through the depression and the power of God's whispers through that time.

 As for now, Matt and I leave for Houston tomorrow for my 6 month check up.  My check up will consist of blood work, ultrasounds and a visit with my doctor.  I feel like I have no reason to be concerned.  I feel at peace right now.

Finally, I want to share with you a few verses that kept my head above water even when it felt more like I was drowning.  Through these verses I was comforted knowing that God's will for my life is Good & Perfect always even though it does not include all of the "wonderful" plans I have, that the Lord is my strength and He covers all fears, anxiety and pain.  He has carried me through all of this and I am grateful to have learned so much.  I am grateful to have gone through the journey of cancer because of what it taught me about a temporal world and relying on God, I can't same the same about losing my sweet daddy, but I am sure one day I will. 

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, "declares the Lord," plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for hope and a future." 

Psalm 4:8 "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord make me dwell in safety."

Phillipians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

Love you all,

Court

Who likes shots anyways?

Hello from Houston! We arrived Sunday evening and were pleasantly surprised about the fairly easy drive. My first appointment was yesterday and began at 6am with blood work, but then we had to wait 3 hours for my next appointment which was a thyrogen injection. Which made me incredibly nauseous and sensitive to most anything including smells and movement. As you can imagine this was not fun, but I am so grateful that I don't have to have chemo. I had another thyrogen injection today, I was not quite as neuseous...just a bit queasy. The thyrogen injections allowed me to stay on my thyroid medicine before my radiation. James 1 has been an amazing study for me at this point. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Home Sweet Home

As Matt mentioned in previous blogs we hoped to be home by Friday and praise God that is what happened. We pulled into the driveway a little after 5pm, where a clean home with fresh flowers and smelly dogs greeted us warmly. Matt's sweet sisters took the day off to make sure our home was welcoming. They also bought Matt cereal that I never buy for him, you know the sugary stuff...I think it was frosted flakes and we were suprised by an early birthday gift for me...a George Foreman Grill, can't wait to use it.

Matt pretty much summed up the days after surgery so I just thought I would blog about a few things that have been on my mind.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude for my sweet husband, who is amazingly patient and loving caregiver. He exceeded my expectations. In addition, to catering to my every need 24/7 he would just sit with me, read scripture to me and pray with me. He was so calm and brave before surgery and continued to be when he had to take care of the drainage tubes. Apparently, whatever I wanted, I got...which mainly consisted of having the air at 65, the tv noise down and not allowing them to eat yummy smelly food like cheeseburgers. I begin to tear up every time I think of this journey and how incredibly supportive Matt has been. I am grateful to his sweet parents for raising such an incredible person and to our church that has loved us and taught us what it means to be Christ followers in our marriage. They have shown us God's truth, taught and mentored us to show us what a Godly marriage looks like. This has been such a blessing to me as I have observed Matt's desire to learn and grow and lead our home. I am overwhelmed that God would give me such an incredible husband, I feel so undeserved, so blessed.

Gratitude for our family, friends and church. We have been provided for and received many cards, messages and flowers from people wanting to support & serve us to show us their love and say they are praying for us. Our sunday school class has a meal sign up to deliver us meals, friends have offered to run errands and during the week after our surgery Matt's parents and our sweet friend Blaine stayed in Houston, which was so helpful to have them there to support Matt while he took care of me. This was so encouraging and humbling. I have thought about these precious acts of service so many times and a few days after surgery I was thinking about how all of this is the exact representation of Jesus washing his disciples feet. All of these acts are exactly what Jesus has called us to do as disciples and for Matt and I to be on the receiving end of such servanthood is humbling and inspiring. We have seen God at work in so many ways and we are so grateful.

Thank you to all of you who prayed, cared, loved, served, made us laugh and cried with us. We love you.

Last Doctor visit... for now

Great news today! The stud Dr Sherman said everything is going as planned. He's happy with the surgery, happy with the pathology report, happy with her healing. But I am going to have to stop waiting on Court hand and foot so she will get used to moving again... it's for her own good.
As for the surgery: They took out 20+ lymph nodes in the neck. 12 or 13 were cancerous. They did what's called a bi-lateral and para-tracheal neck dissection. The thyroid bed was 'scooped' for any remaining tissue. The plan now is to return April 11-14 to get radioactive iodine treatment. Sherman is unsure there will be any need to get the full dose of iodine. So, it is possible she will get scanned and not receive any treatment at all because no amounts of cancer will pop up. That's what we will pray for right now.
She is moving around a lot better and eating good too. We are so ready to get home and thank you everyone for your thoughts, comments and prayers. If you just thought about us or prayed for us these past two weeks, that is more than we could ever ask. I truly believe our prayers were answered over and over with the path God has laid out for us.

Thanks,
Matt & Court

Great Day

Well, so far so good. Today started with an early morning and breakfast at the dinner table again. Her appointment at 1:00 with Dr Sturgis was a success. Answered prayers, those drainage tubes are finally out! Just as I was getting good at it.
Dr Sturgis and Dr DeLuna made it clear today that Court can get back to normal as soon as possible. They even said she could run on a treadmill if she felt like it. Maybe in a week or two, we won't push it. But as for right now, she should talk as much as she can (shouldn't be a problem), and move her neck and shoulders to prevent stiffness. The NO FAT diet extended to two weeks. And to help her scars, she has to use vitamin E capsules and squeeze the 'juice' to prevent scarring. She is also suppose to be active to prevent puffiness and swelling.

So thank you very much for all the prayers. The past few days feel like we've made it through the tough parts for this round. We wait to hear from Dr Sherman tomorrow.

Thanks,
Matt & Court

Tuesday Udate

Courtney had a great day today! She got up before I did and was in the living room with my parents drinking coffee in the recliner. She ate a good breakfast then rested. We hadn't seen her eyes that much in a long time! The neck and mouth workouts take quite a bit out of her. She said she feels trapped because she can't move.

The nurse finally called back and there is not much they can do. The other option is a Tylenol in liquid form. And for nausea, they didn't want to give her anything because she is low on calcium. We see Dr Sturgis (surgeon) tomorrow at 1:00 so hopefully we can get those tubes out and she will feel a lot better. Then we see Dr Sherman on Thursday at 9:30am.

We hope to be home by Friday so pray for good appointment this week and rest this week.

Thank you all,
Matt & Court

Courtney's Favorite Things

Well, not favorite... but these are the most important things to us right now. Weird how whenever you go through something like this your priorities change. For instance, it took us 3 days and 4 grocery stores to find Cream of Wheat. We needed a 'noise maker' for Court to use in case she needed something so our friend Blaine found the pink bicycle horn. It lightens the mood when you hear a tiny squeak come from the bedroom. The coffee is for me. The row of meds represent all that she is taking (that's about half of them). The holding cross was a really cool gift and stayed with us all day at the hospital. It fits perfectly in your hand and she has been praying with it daily. Tape, hand sanitizer, alcohol pads are used daily. She's on calcium supplements, too. There is only one set of keys to the gate in the garage so it's been hectic trying to coordinate who has it and when.

So, there you go. A collage of our life right now. Bad lighting and bad camera but I hope you get the idea.

Thanks,
Matt & Court

Same Ol'Story

Well, today was not much different. Court was able to sit up and eat at the dinner table for lunch. She upgraded from chicken broth to chicken noodle soup (organic, of course). She got some limeade ice that seemed to be a success. And can now watch TV with the sound off for awhile until she gets nauseous.
The drainage tubes are still an issue for both of us. I try to put on a brave face but it just grosses me out! I really think when those come out, she will improve tremendously. I've left 3 messages with nurses to call me back about changing her pain medicine. The pain is not the issue... it's the nausea. We lowered the dosage from 15ml to 5ml and that seems to help for now.
Cant' wait to see the docs this week and get some more positive news. This is the tough part so all the prayers for patience, peace, rest, you name it is welcome!

thanks,
Matt & Court

So this is Blogging...

Finally, I understand how to do this blog thing. Court was eating and a little talkative, by today's standards, and showed me how it was done. So here is a brief update:
Friday: Showed up to patient check-in at 5:00am. Court had been sick (cough, sore throat etc) and the surgeon prescribed an antibiotic. Since she didn't eat that morning and took the antibiotic on an empty stomach, like they recommended, she got sick and threw up. Needless to say I know what the inside of the girls bathroom on the 5th floor looks like, and we finally got checked in and on our way to or-prep. They wheeled her in about 7:15. We got word the surgery started at 8:30. And the waiting game started... 8.5 hours later... the surgeon finally came out. Everything worked out as planned. All three nodes (the third was a surprise found thursday that put a change in plans) were taken out.
Saturday: After enjoying the plush amenities of the MD guest rooms, we were ready to get out. Neither one of us slept at all through the night. The follow up with docs that morning were great. Everyone was so pleased on how she was doing. Usually someone with this kind of surgery could stay 5-6 night, we learned. At 11am, they came in and said we could leave as soon as we talk to the nutritionist. She must have been very busy because she didn't come around till 4pm. She walks in, tells us what we already know, and hands me a business card and says call if you have questions... thanks lady. In the mean time I had to learn how to 'strip the drainage tubes' that are still in Court's neck. One on the left, one on the right. I have to do this in front of the nurse to prove I can take care of it at home. Finally get to the condo at around 6:30pm.
Sunday: She does not like the pain meds at all!! She feels like she's swimming and is getting nauseous. We are going through chicken broth like crazy and she is drinking a lot of water. This low/no fat diet should not be a problem for her. I'm getting better dealing with the drainage tubes. The key is to do it 30 minutes after she's had her pain medicine.

For the rest of the week, we hope to get these tubes out by tuesday or wednesday. She has appointments with the surgery team wednesday. And with her endocrinology team thursday. We'd love to be home by friday but that all depends on if she feels like flying. Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. I will try to give you updates as I can.

-Matt

Update

Well, we have quite a few updates. We meant to update yesterday, but had a much longer day than expected. Yesterday, when we woke up I wasn't feeling great, when we headed out the door at noon to go to my appointment I was feeling worse and then when my appointments were finally over at 4:30 pm I had the beginnings of a cold...body aches & a sore throat. By the minute I started feeling worse, but fortunately my surgeon prescribed tamaflu and augmentin so two hours later after my sweet husband fought traffic and waited at Walgreens I was able to take the medicine. Did I mention Walgreens is 2 blocks from the condo, houston traffic is a mess! Anyways, I woke up this morning feeling better which is good because we were at the hospital from 7:45am-3:00pm.

So for actual updates:

First, we found out yesterday that my surgery is actually tomorrow at 7:30 am. We will get to the hospital at 5:30 am check in, get prepped, etc. The surgeon said this will pretty much be an all day surgery, because he wants it to be my last (we do too!) and will therefore be very meticulous. Also, because there is "disease" on both sides of my neck he will be near my coroded artery and voice box, so it will be a very detailed surgery.

Secondly, we were told today that I will have a follow up with my endocrinologist next Thursday and I'll have my adrenal tube taken out either Monday or Tuesday so we will be staying in Houston at least until next Thursday.

Finally, the ultrasound tech found a third nodule today so I will need radiation after surgery. So in about 5-7 weeks we will return for radiation therapy. Basically, I will take a dose of radiation on the first day, the next day I will have a whole body scan to see how well it worked and depending on those results they may give me a second dose. The unfortunate thing is that I can't be around anyone after I take the radiation because it could affect their thyroid, so Matt and I will have to stay in different places.

So that is our update for the last couple of days, Matt will be updating you after my surgery tomorrow evening.

So far everything has been great, the condo has been a huge blessing because it is so close to MD (about 1 mile) it is very relaxing and extremely comfortably. It is wonderful because every person that stays here leaves soap, food, basically anything you need behind and so you have pretty much anything one could ever need on a trip. MD is incredible, the doctors and staff are so friendly and caring.

We continue to be grateful for your prayers & love!

Itinerary

Sunday, February 13th: Depart at noon, my little sister and nephew will pick us up at the airport.
Monday, February 14th: My mom arrives
Tuesday, February 15th: Hopefully will include plenty of distractions
Wednesday, February 16th: Meeting with my surgeon, Dr. Sturgis
Thursday, February 17th: Matt's parents arrive & the day of surgery!
8:00 AM: Blood work
9:00 AM: Biopsy
Noon: Meeting with my endocrinologist, Dr. Sherman
12:30: Check in to Anesthesia Assessment Center
12:45: Anesthesia Assessment

AND then I will have surgery.

I am a bit apprehensive about the process of surgery, like most people I don't enjoy needles or anesthesia. At the same time I just want to remain grateful for the blessing of being treated at such an incredible hospital........................

.............as well as all of the sweet prayers, cards, words of encouragement and kind gifts our family and friends have blessed us with. We are not surprised by the love and kindness they have shown us, but we are in awe and overwhelmed...there aren't words to describe how we feel. Thank you!

I want to share with you a prayer from my sweet friend Kelly. I hope you will remember us through the next couple of weeks and pray this prayer with us. Thank you and we love you!

Father, I lift Courtney up to You and ask that You carry her in Your loving arms through this entire season of her life. I pray that the Holy Spirit reminds her to keep her eyes on Jesus, lay all of her cares, fears and concerns on Your alter. Your burden is easy and you do not mean for her to carry this alone.

I command all fear, stress, anxiety & trauma to go from her in the powerful name of Jesus-Jesus conquered all of that on the cross & Courtney will accept none of it!
I bless her with supernatural peace that surpasses all understanding. May the joy of the Lord be her strength. I bless her with a strong physical body that is prepared to recover quickly from this & I claim that by the stripes of Jesus she is healed!

I bless her with doctors that are led by the Holy Spirit, that they would be filled with Your knowledge & revelation as they care for her.
Holy Spirit, please go before her to clear the way of any obstacles or dangers, make the path straight and easy.

I ask angels that minister to the heirs of salvation be sen to guard and protect her - no weapon formed against her will prosper! Cancer, my God is great and we command, in Jesus' name that this mountain be moved! All cancer cells are cursed at the very root and must go!

I command healing to all parts of Courtney's body affected, any damaged tissue or organs will be restored, in Jesus' name!

Father, pour out your love upon her - let her feel Your arms around her - let her know in a very real way that You've got this, she is the apple of Your eye and You are protecting her with Your mighty, outstretched arm. I speak peace and love to Matt and all her family and friends - let them see You glorified in Courtney. I love You & praise You! In Jesus' name -AMEN!!!

MD Anderson Update

We found out a few weeks ago that my date for surgery is February 17th. Praise God! I have an appointment with my endocrinologist on February 16th, but we are actually flying to Houston a couple of days early to spend time with my sister. Another praise is that we found out through a friend at the church about a ministry called traveling light ministry that was founded by a couple out of Enid to provide a comfortable place to stay for patients at MD with no costs! That's right it is actually free. The wife, Jaymie went to MD 4 years ago hoping to be diagnosed with whatever was attacking her body, well after 6 long months of hopping from hotel to hotel the doctors finally were able to diagnose her with stage 4 Lymphoma. She is currently cancer free, thank the Lord. Out of their experience they felt led to found this ministry and what a blessing it has been and will be to so many! You can see pics of the condo at travelinglightministry.com. Luckily, the days seem to be flying by as we await surgery. Besides being even more tired than usual not much has changed since I was diagnosed, but we are still looking forward to surgery so that we can move forward.

More importantly, we want to lift up our dear friends in prayer whose sweet baby went to Heaven today. I do not try to or care to understand this cancer, but our hearts are so heavy for this family and their loss. We can't fathom such a loss, but also know it is not for us to understand and that we probably never will. Instead, we praise God for the gift of his sweet life, that we know His comfort and peace will be sufficient and hope that we can be some sort of comfort for them.

Thank you for reading. Love the cartwrights