It's official, we got the party started today.

We went to the clinic today and the minute we hit the door we saw the spouse of a patient that was here during our last tranplant. I didn't get to speak with her, but she can only be here for one reason. I am so sorry for them and look forward to talking to her.

Our APN is Sara. She used to be Dr. Barlogie's nurse before she moved over to the bone marrow unit. She has always been so sweet to us. There's a special bond between Sara and our family, and she is so great about taking time to teach us things by going over anything we don't understand. We love her. She'll be our nurse for a few days, but then she's on an inpatient rotation. It was really good to see her today.

One of the hurtles that we had to "jump" was that they wanted Frank to be scheduled for surgery to install a triple lumen line instead of using his port. He put his foot down on this issue and just said no. Frank gave them the, "You've used his port for the other 3 transplants and it has never been an issue before. Besides this port has never given me any trouble, etc. " speach and they gave in.

So, fast forward to today and they take him back to get his vitals. Insert needle, push saline, drawn back on the port and what do you know... his port won't budge! (funny huh Ginger?) Frank laughed as he breathed deep, rasied his hands and turned his cheek, even sat upside down for them. Finally they got it unclogged, so to speak. And I think he'll be fine.
Frank took some fluids, Melphlan, Velcade, and then got his chemo bags on; now he's good to go.

Sara took this picture for us in the waiting room. Look behind us at the picture board. There are pictures of Frank's 2nd and 3rd transplant still pinned up there.

Love to you from Arkansas.... we are peaceful, thankful and grateful.

Peg

Hello All,....

Today Peggy and I got a good bit accomplished, but we experianced even more frustration with this process. After being told (last night) that I was approved by Humana to proceed, we were asked to show up at the clinic today to get started.

However once we sat down with the coordinator we were informed that the stem cell transplant schedule was booked up. To make a long story short - I have to wait till Thursday to start taking chemo. Disappointed yes, but at least we got the schedule set and there are no questions left to ask.

So tomorrow we're putting the cancer cells on notice and we get this show on the road.
I have said it before but it is worth repeating ...thank you's go out to everyone for all the support and prayers. Just getting here has been quite an ordeal but because of all of you, we are as ready as we can be.

Frank

Good morning.... Not being a morning person, this will be quick.

It's 5:15 am.. (yawn). We are about to leave for Little Rock. Frank went down yesterday for his ECHO and MUGA scan and then came home.

We had a sweet night with the kids and friends. Frank and I went to Zach's soccer game. Zach gave us a good going away happy by scoring 2 goals! We won 2-0, so that was pretty cool.

He has a pulmonary scan at 9 and we see Dr. Barlogie at 12. I'm tired of guessing what happens next. It's been such a long wait.

We still need insurance approval. The results of these 3 scans have to be submitted. Let's pray this happens quickly.

We are going to check in to the apt, drop off some stuff and plan on coming home tonight. Then we'll pack the rest... and get the party started.

Todays K-Love verse is Ps 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd. I have everything I need.
Oh, so true!!
Peg

Amazing..... It's been a long time, but we are finally getting somewhere. The hold up was actually with UAMS. But we still don't have approval.

We leave in the morning for Little Rock. Frank needs at least 3 more tests: ECHO, MUGA and pulmonary function. I don't know if there are more or not.

And things got set up at 5:00 on Friday so we don't really know when the test are. Because of that, we are thinking we may drive back tomorrow if we can and stay one more day. If it doesn't work out, we'll just stay. We get the apt on Wednesday.

For you Memphis folks, Chandler wrote an editorial to the paper and it got printed in today's paper. Check it out.... We found out about it from Frances.. one of her friends called her. Small world, huh?

Well let you know when we know!

In His grace, Peggy

Everyone is asking if we have any plans yet. The answer is "No, not yet. We are still waiting on insurance to approve the transplant."

UAMS emailed us and told us Humana was requesting a Hep B, C and AIDS test. Ummmm, Okay? Get right on that!

Frank emailed our doctor here and told them he's always been curious as to whether he had aids or not. Now he'll know for sure!

Here a little funny about insurance while we're on the subject..... love to all.

Medical Insurance Explained:
Q. What does HMO stand for ?
A. This is actually a variation of the phrase, "HEY MOE." Its roots go back to a concept pioneered by Moe of the Three Stooges, who discovered that a patient could be made to forget the pain in his foot if he was poked hard enough in the eye.

Q. I just joined an HMO. How difficult will it be to choose the doctor I want?
A. Just slightly more difficult than choosing your parents. Your insurer will provide you with a book listing all the doctors in the plan. The doctors basically fall into two categories: those who are no longer accepting new patients, and those who will see you but are no longer participating in the plan. But don't worry, the remaining doctor who is still in the plan and accepting new patients has an office just a half-day's drive away and a diploma from a third-world country.

Q. Do all diagnostic procedures require pre-certification?
A. No. Only those you need.

Q. Can I get coverage for my pre-existing conditions?
A. Certainly, as long as they don't require any treatment.

Q. What happens if I want to try alternative forms of medicine?
A. You'll need to find alternative forms of payment.

Q. My pharmacy plan only covers generic drugs, but I need the name brand. I tried the generic medication, but it gave me a stomach ache. What should I do?
A. Poke yourself in the eye.

Q. What if I'm away from home and I get sick?
A. You really shouldn't do that.

Q. I think I need to see a specialist, but my doctor insists he can handle my problem. Can a general practitioner really perform a heart transplant right in his/her office ?
A. Hard to say, but considering that all you're risking is the $20 co-payment, there's no harm in giving it a shot .

Q. Will health care be different in the next decade?
A. No, but if you call right now, you might get an appointment by then.

Chandler with Frank at her Valentines dance.

Well, What a week this has been. But after 3 trips to Little Rock, we have a plan.

The fine needle aspiration showed 20% myeloma plasma cells in the lesion. It is a confirmed relapse as Frank said earlier.

Dr. Barlogie wants to do another transplant. But not like one he's had in the past. The other transplants are Melphalan (chemo), then stem cells to follow. This time he wants to use a combination of chemo that he's had before: VTD-PACE (all of the letters stand for a different chemo med) PLUS Melphalan, and then stem cells to follow. Sounds tough doesn't it?

Well, the good news is the he's using a reduced dose of 2 of those drugs. So, we're going to call this a Mini-Tranplant. Sort of like the 100 calorie snacks! Just enough to do the job, but not so much we wish we'd never had it!!

Dr. Barlogie is so so busy. He usually has someone on his heels that trying to learn from him or help all around him, etc. But he came in alone and no one bothered us. We had a good long time to talk about all our concerns.

We'd been told in the past that statistics show each remission shortens. Dr. Barlogie told us that was nonsense!! He said he has a patient that has had multiple relapses and she's been in remission for 5 years now since then. Frank asked him if we were running out of options ~ and his reply was "no no no no no."
So, for the first time all week, we came home a little lighter on our feet and more encouraged than we had been so far.

As soon as we hear from insurance, we'll get our schedule to return. Frank has some work things he wants to get done before we leave.

Please pray for insurance to cover this transplant. For the kids as they deal with this, for all details to fall into place as we plan to be gone 3-4 weeks.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask of think, according to the power that works within us; to Him be the glory in the church adn in Christ Jesus to all genereations forever and ever. Amen" Eph 3:20-21

Hello Everyone:

Today was definitely one of those days that I would like to have a re-do on.

In many ways Monday February 4th was just not a good day for the Carlton family.

Peggy and I went back to Little Rock this morning with the hopes that Dr Barlogie would pat us on the back and tell us that the “spot” that appeared to be non-cancerous back in November/December was just that, non-cancerous. And, we had hoped that the last round of chemotherapy had done a number on the cells and the site had gotten better.

Regrettably, Dr. Barlogie had to tell us the exact opposite…my cancer has returned. In addition the original site has grown and there is also second lesion now.

We will be traveling back to Little Rock on Tuesday for a fine-needle aspirate of the lesion (for all you in Alabama this means they are going to stick me with a long, thick needle and suck stuff out of my bone marrow & it hurts) and then return on Thursday to get his recommendation for treatment options.

It’s about 9:45pm as I type this note and my brain is just now getting wrapped around what I am about to have to go through - the treatments, the time away from family and friends, missing church, missing work (hey I like my job), and the host of other “normal” activities that feeling cruddy and being severely immune-O-compromised takes one away from. If I didn’t already know that we can beat this thing, it would make me depressed.

However, my experiences tell me that this can, and will be something that can be overcome. God has allowed me to enjoy His good graces before and I must trust that He will do so again.

It will probably come as a bit odd, bit I thanked God tonight as we all sat down for dinner. Ephesians 5:20 tells us that ‘in all things we should be thankful’….so I thanked God for this terrible day. I thanked Him for the blessings that I have already received from all of you (yes, you know who you are) and for the fact that this gives Him another opportunity to show us all how great a God we serve.

We will share more as we know it, but for now I gotta go get some sleep. Tuesday is going to be another long day.

Frank

Hi everybody,

We have a return date. We go back to Little Rock for testing on Thursday, Jan 31 and see Dr. B on Monday, Feb 4th.

Frank is in the middle of the VTD cycle. He takes 3 of 4 in the morning. He's doing great.

I'm mad at him right now.... He decided he's not happy with his extra holiday weight. So, he's been walking on the treadmill 3 times a day. He announced last night that he'd lost 3 pounds already. I could do the same thing and I would've gained!

So not fair..... and I'm dealing with my anger..... women: can I get a hand raised??

We'll keep you updated when we know something. Love, Peggy

Well..... we FINALLY have an answer from Little Rock....... and I won't keep you waiting any longer. It was great news! Praise the Lord for His constant mercy our family.

Now that you've exhaled ~ I'll fill you in on the details. As many of you know, we've been waiting on test results that have been conflicting. They probed some more, and then those results were conflicting. The final word from Dr. Barlogie's PA was that the new lesion seems to be pre-cancerous. The fact that is was there cannot be ignored, but it was caught early. All the digging around in the new lesion didn't result in anything abnormal (although still waiting on the gene array).

So, she said Dr. Barlogie wants him to continue the next cycle of VTD (Velcade, Thalidimide, Decadron) and come back when that's done.

They'll do a limited scan of tests to "just make sure" and maybe mix up the way he's getting the chemo or change drugs.

I'm not a doctor (although I like to watch them on TV ), but I don't think he'll get off chemo in March like they had told him he would in November. I expect they keep on something for the next 6 months at least.

We were in Little Rock the week after Thanksgiving. This is the longest we've ever had to wait on news. We've often said that it's easier to be "in the ring with your gloves on" than in the waiting room. We still agree with that!!

I'm reading a new book by Carol Kent called A New Kind of Normal. It's been good so far. I like it because it's relevant to the subject of redefining "normal" in your life without the topic being about cancer. I find myself reading her thoughts and thinking ~ "oh my gosh, I could have said that, that how I feel". As we were still waiting on news last week, I underlined these words that I could so easily identify with ....

"Some days I feel anxious, wishing God would hurry and let me see the whole picture for my life (our life), but I realize that patience and waiting and trusting Him are the characteristics that God is still working on in my life. My husband and I are practicing walking in faith, secure in knowing that God's plans are bigger, wider, and higher than we could ever imagine. He holds us in the palm of His hand, shelters us from the storms, calms our souls and brings peace to our hearts. We are living a new kind of normal, but we have found that "Jesus is enough" is not just a cliche' for us. His character, rather than our own hopes and dreams, is the bedrock of our lives."

Please pray with us that the next round of VTD will be uneventful, and that Frank'll be protected from all the crud going around town.

Thank you for keeping Frank and all of us lifted up before our heavenly Father.

Love to each of you........ Peggy

I figured that I would make an entry since its January 3rd and it is possible that a few folks are wondering what I know about the biopsies and the plan for my treatment.

Well we still don’t have any firm answers from the UAMS team that calls the shots on ol Frankie.
They have told me they would like me to return in about a month, once my current cycle of chemo is complete. (I started today)

If you took the time to log in I can’t let you leave without some reward, so I am posting these quotes.

I will keep everyone updated......enjoy!

• A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.
• A round man cannot be expected to fit in a square hole right away. He must have time to modify his shape.
• All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.
• Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
• Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.
• Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
• I can live for two months on a good compliment.
• I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know.
• It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not to deserve them.
• It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.
• Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
• Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation.
• Humor is mankind's greatest blessing.
• Grief can take care if itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.”
  
  Mark Twain

Dear Family and Friends:

Many of you have already heard, but since many have not, I am obliged to type words I have learned to really, really dislike. After noticing an abnormality in some previous test results, Peggy and I were called back to Little Rock for some specific biopsies and tests.

Unfortunately they found some new activtiy n my right hip, which means I am no longer in remissioin. The ambiguity of the situation is that until the samples have been analyzed, we don't know yet that these cells are Myeloma. But I (we) am not going to kid myself, why else would a lesion show up on a PET and MRI unless the battle has begun again?

With respect to Multiple Myeloma, we do know something abnormal is going on. The severity of the situation and the treatment options will be decided after the first of the year.

Plese keep us in your prayers and specifically pray that whatever abnormalities are there, they will be easity contained and destroyed by whatever they prescribe for me.

Now, for all of you that come to this page, I must also tell you that despite the circumstances, the Carlton family ~ Peg's family and mine, plan on celebrating Christmas and experiencing JOY this year.

In the last few sermons at our church, we've been given a "roadmap" for peace and joy this season. We plan on following God's plan which includes choosing to trust in God's providence (James 1:2-3, and Hebrews 10:34) and drawing on Christ's power. (Phil 4:13)

So, as my brothers is Christ sang out in concert the other night, "Hallelujah, to the Lord of heaven and earth!"

God is with us, and no matter what the circumstances, He will meet our needs.
Always has - always will.
Frank

A funny story about vanity………..

Hello everyone! I thought I would share this little tidbit from our last visit to Little Rock.
On the Tuesday morning that Peggy and I were lined up for the latest battery of tests, we were doing the usual scurrying about.

Peg was doing her make-up. I was packing up our bags and checking out of the hotel. In the hurry, I was going to the car, loading up our belongings, and simply getting things packed away.

This “packing” required me to make several trips through the lobby of the hotel and with each pass I kept seeing various people. You know fellow guests, staff, and the like.

Well being that most of the people that I passed by happened to be female AND each of them would get a bright look about them and smile real big….. I started thinking, hey I just “got noticed”.

Of course being the friendly type I would return their smiles and say ‘hello or good morning’ and I would smugly enjoy my sense of being complimented by these strangers. (or so I thought)

In the end, when I finally sat down back in our room, waiting on Peggy to give me the “I’m ready” signal, I looked down and noticed that my fly was open!

I got noticed alright, but maybe it wasn’t for the reasons I had imagined.

At 43, I still got to XYZ.

Frank

Wow! It's December! 2007 went by very fast. And for us, it was year of remission and thankfulness!

Praise the Lord, Frank is still in remission.

Dr. Barlogie wants him to continue with 3 more rounds of what Frank calls "chemo lite" and then return in 3 months.

Thank for you continued calls and prayers and love that you've shown our family.
We'll be in touch!

Merry Christmas!
Love, Peggy

Good morning... We are in Little Rock.

Frank is in his PET scan for a few hours. We aren't allowed to be together while he waits because he's glowing in the dark apparently.
So, I'm in the library on the computer.

Hopefully Frank will do the next entry. I'm trying to encourage him. We come back to see doctor on Thursday.

Love to all... peg

Happy Saturday to you! It is so nice outide ~ I love fall weather!

We are having a low key weekend. Chandler and Zach are on a senior high retreat with the church. Chase is hanging out with the old folks. What a thrill for an 11 year old!

Everybody is doing well. Other than some fatique, Frank is doing very well. His is very glad to not be in the clinic every week. We return to Little Rock after Thanksgiving for another check up.

We receive email from the Myeloma foundation and UAMS from time to time. I read this article today and wanted to put the link on here.

I am so very thankful for God's wisdom in the area of medicine. I believe it all originates from Him. He is the author of all wisdom, and the giver of every good and perfect gift... and of course... our Healer.

This article is very encouraging. Click here to read the UAMS article.

Have a blessed weekend! The Carlton gang!

Wow, I can't believe it's been since August since we updated. Remember, when there's no news, that's GOOD news.

Frank is doing well. He gave him self a must needed break from the chemo. Sometimes you just have to do what's right for you, you know what I mean? Dr. B is wonderful, but I think he'd have Frank taking something everyday ~ including holidays. Respectfully, of course, Frank told him he would take a few months off... and he did.

He's completed 2 (of 6) rounds. He hasn't been sick, but just some normal side effects that Frank takes in stride and keeps on keeping on. He's working hard at Elliott Data Systems, traveling more than ever, training a new sales guy, and having fun. Our chuch is having their annual Men's BBQ cooking contest. He is very excited about that and plans on having his cooking team with him on Friday. Like father, like son. And of course, Halloween is around the corner. I have no idea what he'll be this year, but if I know him like I think I do, he's already been trying to think of something.

Everybody else is doing good too. Chandler's enjoying school and is proud of her straight A's. Her notes look like she typed them... those are not my genes! She's still playing piano.
Zach is loving high school. He's also doing very well. The classes are more challenging and he loves being out of middle school..... did anybody like middle school? Do I see a hand raised? He's still playing competitive soccer, which keeps us busy. We were happy to be in Ft Smith, AR for his last tournament and got to visit some of Frank's family.
Chase had made the transition to middle school (poor guy). He is going to be in the school play ~ Cheaper by the Dozen ~ in Nov. He's practicing every day. He loves being back at ECS and is enjoying everyone he comes in contact with! Chase is very social... which makes the academic process a little more challenging! I might have to take him to a doctor, he has something that looks a lot like a phone growing out of his ear. Any thoughts? All in all they are all having a great year so far. We love seeing them grow into young adults and can't to see what God has in store for each one of them.

I'm settling down into a somewhat normal routine again after a very busy September. I spent most of the month being trained in Limited Obstectrical Ultrasound. I'll be using these new skills at Life Choices where I will work every Friday. It's a pregnancy center/adoption agency that Frank and I had been involved with many years ago. We used to be a cradle care family for them until Frank got MM in 2002. It's a wonderful ministry that we love and I'm happy to be able to use my nursing skills there. I'll also continue my job in the kitchen at Hope. I feel blessed to be serve along side the people there.

We stand in amazement and wonder at what God has done in our lives, and how far He has brought us. We are so very thankful for the healing he as granted to Frank. The 5 year mark is fast upon us. That is huge for us. With the average survival rate still reported as 3-5 years, we feel overwhelmed with how good Frank is doing after 5 years. It is humbling and leaves me at times speechless.... but not tearless.....and not without deep gratitude to the Greatest Physician... our Lord.

Thank you all for praying ~ still ~ and being so faithful for 5 years... and walking this jouney with us.

In His grace, Peg

Happy Birthday to Zach and Frank!!

To my September boys:

Happy Birthday!

Frank: 9-11 Zach 9-19

We love you ~ oh so much!

Well, It's the last weekend before school starts! Sunday's early to bed time. I am so sad... really! I would like a few more weeks.

Frank started his chemo "lite", as he calls it, on Thursday. Usually he doens't look forward to the steriods they give him. But this time, he welcomed it. They gave him a boost of energy that he was long missing, and he has felt some relief from the shingles.
Other that the hiccups that he always gets when he's on Dex, he's doing really good.

These treatments will be 2 days a week for 2 weeks, 10 days off, then the same cycle repeats for 6 months. We'll return to Little Rock after 3 of them for another check up.

Things have been busy in our family. Besides our quick trip to Little Rock and getting ready for school, my grandmother had surgery today for a hip fracture.

I hope this finds you all well and happy. We love you all! Peg

Hello Everyone !

I thought I would weigh in with a few comments.

If you have been keeping up with the talk around the "water cooler" you know that this week has been pretty tense.

It all started with my developing a limp about three weeks ago.

Peggy had started getting suspicious that my problem wasn't a simple leg strain, so she called the Dr's in Little Rock to ask a few questions. Once she did that, well they freaked out, which in turn caused us to freak out, so we (Peggy and I) wound up in Little Rock all week.

They ran a bunch of tests on me and found out that MY CANCER IS NOT BACK!
Yea me! Yeah God!!

The best part is that even though we were scared, we did turn to the Lord in prayer. Some folks even text messaged prayers or called me up and prayed with me on the phone.

The whole week reminded me of the Mercy Me song, 'Bring the Rain'.
The song brings up the fact that it might take "storms" in life to bring us closer to God. Well, I wish I could tell you that I was 100% faithful and had no doubts, but I did have doubts.

I actually got real choked up one morning and prayed for just a sprinkle, I told God that I wasn't ready for the rain,.... not now....things have been just been so good lately.
Well, He delivered....it was, just a sprinkle.

Thank you for your thoughts, kind words, and especially for your prayers. God once again answered by "holding our hands" as we walked through a valley.

The only downer is that I DO have the "SHINGLES".

So please, no big hugs, no slaps on the booty, and no bumping me in the hallway to see if I'll fall over, cause I will.

I am hurting, but it hurts so good! Yes, I am so happy to have the shingles!

Frank