Medical tests done and results are in...

Dear friends,
I promised a medical update after I heard about the tests, so here goes...
My liver function tests have gone up above normal some, not much, but enough for my oncologist to order a CT scan which I did on Thursday. This was also because I have had some pain in my right upper abdominal area and some acid reflux. I haven't gotten the results yet, but since they didn't call right away, that is usually a good sign.
I'll tell you about my digestive track first. My intestines have some streptococcus bacteria growing in them which we are going to work on getting out. I am doing a three week digestive cleanse then I will be doing probiotics also. I have "leaky gut syndrome." This means the lining of my intestines is thin due probably to, most of my life, eating dairy products which I was allergic to. I only discovered this allergy 7 or so years ago and my life has totally changed since. If you wonder what the symptoms are, look for diarea, sinus drainage, acne, gas, abdominal bloating and sometimes stomach cramps. This test I just did also showed that I am allergic to dairy and that I don't have a gluten problem. My intestine is inflamed also.
The doctor on Monday agreed that I probably have a hypo-thyroid problem and agreed on my taking the meds for it for several weeks to see how I react to it. I just went to a full pill yesterday, so I don't know yet. Hypo-thyroid can explain my tiredness and being cold a lot (in between hot flashes).
"Stage 3 (out of 4) adrenal fatigue," is the next one. Cortisol is a chemical/hormone produced by the body. When working properly it is key in producing a chain of lots of other things that are essential. My body has apparently come under the impression that it is constantly stressed- like it would be if I had to run from a fire or lift a car off my child. The cortisol is in response dealing with that stress instead of doing it's usual thing of getting that chain reaction started and continuing. The result for me is that my body isn't making as much progesterone as I need and I am overloaded and imbalanced with an overload of estrogen. My cancer had receptors for both estrogen and progesterone. As far as I know, a balance of the two, keeps them both in check. I need to do some more research on this to make sure. SO, we are going to try and get the cortisol problem fixed so that my adrenal gland can get restrengthened. It being out of whack makes my body more prone to infections or things like not being able to fight cancer as well. I am on a med for this, and we are checking into whether I should take DHEA or not. This has possible implications for the receptors I mentioned above, and none of us wants to inspire cancer to grow again.
My total Antioxidant function is deficient, so I've added some supplements for that. My pancreas isn't producing enough enzymes- another supplement. I am also going to do a diet low on the glycemic index. That means I need to eat things that take longer to turn into sugar in my system. This makes me feel full longer and I should be able to loose some weight. I meet with the dietisian at the oncology office soon and she will give me some more guidelines to follow.
This Thursday I will have my 1st of 3 knee injections of Euflexxa. They say that this either works or doesn't for knee pain. My knee is very sore and can't be fixed, so this is the plan. I hope I am one of those it works on. My friend, Deb's, worked for five years! We can pray, right?
So that about sums it up. If anything bad shows up on that CT scan, I will let you know.

PARTNERS ANNUAL MEETINGS
We are in the middle of our busiest week of the year at Partners. We have several dozen visiting from out of state and out of country. I love to hear the reports from the field of what our partners are doing, and this year is no exception. What amazing things are happening. I will be able to share more when we get the safe version of the reports. That way I won't jeopardize any of the ministries. Greg's team is having dinner catered by me on Monday night. Since there will be over 20, my friend has offered to host the meal at her house. I will try to remember to take some pictures. We are talking about a Kidzana training in Asia this fall which I am very excited about. More about that later.

THE KIDS
Laura is in Baltimore continuing to seek the Lord's direction for her. Allison just bought a car in FL where she is interviewing for many nanny jobs and is working part time also. She needs a good fit that will also pay enough. Jenni is finishing her jr. year at Grove City and is still looking for an internship for the summer. Jesse is at Army Boot Camp and graduates on May 14th. On the 15th, he is supposed to fly to AZ for the next phase of his training.

Well, I need to feed Greg dinner before he dies of hunger. We have enjoyed the afternoon off and having the sun shine too. Blessings to you. Nancy

My Laura is 25 today!

Dear friends-
LAURA
A sunny Saturday before some more rain arrives tomorrow. I want to reflect shortly on Laura turning 25 today. She is my oldest and tallest daughter, and my most beautiful curly headed daughter. She was born at home with a mid-wife (as were all our kids) and she was beautiful from the get-go. Laura had a tender heart and an awareness of the Lord and His truth even at a young age. At the age of three, I recorded a conversation she had with me about telling people about Jesus so they could know God's love and go to heaven instead of living in eternal darkness. She continues to grow and mature in her faith and is one of my resources for spiritual counsel. May the Lord give her direction as she seeks next steps in her life.

TEST RESULTS COMING IN
The last blog I wrote listed some tests that I had done a few weeks ago. I got some of the results back on Thursday. Low in D and some of the B's, a little high on liver, and possibility of hypothyroid happening. I have begun a med that will help us figure that out one way or the other in the next 2-4 weeks. If that isn't helping, I may go see a rheumatologist (sp?) to rule out anything in that realm. On Monday I see my other doc for the rest of the results for 2 other big tests I had. I will tell you what I find out. Blessings- Nancy

Doing better

Dear friends,

Hey thanks for praying for me if you did. I suspect that the last time I wrote, that I had somehow missed the med I mentioned last time (Effexor), the night before I wrote. It was sitting there, and I thought I took it, and didn't want to risk taking double. But after I wrote my last blog and took my meds that night, I started to feel better- at least the crying and dizzy part.

I saw my internist last Monday. Some of the labs were done and so far I know that my liver numbers are a little elevated and my D is a little low. My white count is up to 4 which is the highest it has been since chemo 4 years ago. 4 is a normal level. Mine has just been low and they told me that is common for some after chemo and radiation. Last week I also collected stool and saliva viles for my integrated medicine doctor and mailed them off. There are so many things they are checking for. I'll have to let you know what they figure out. I will be having appointments to get the results after they are all back in a week or two.

We are gearing up for the Partners International leaders from around the world to come to Spokane on April 13th for a week. We will have 2 ladies staying with us, and I am switching Jesse's room some to make it more user friendly and less teenage boy. Speaking of Jesse, we have gotten some letters with good stories. He writes one story to Greg and me and sends other stories to other family members and has us share them so he only has to write them once. He is working hard. Soon he will be shifting into the "white phase" and at that point will be allowed to use his phone. So we are hoping to hear from him soon. I included his address in my last post. He is asking for any mail anyone wants to send him.

So I am going to sign off now and head to bed. This is Holy Week for us Christians. Our church is having special services each day at noon. Thinking about Christ being made sin for us in our place- was the focus today. Wow. He paid such a high price for us. It is simple and deep at the same time. He knows us all intimately. He even knows my "secret heart" (Psalm 51). I don't even want to admit to myself what is in my secret heart, but He already knows and loves me anyway.

Blessings-
Nancy

Not so great today...

Hey there,

First of all, please pray for my boy at Army Boot Camp. And if you want to write to him, he would LOVE to hear from you:

PFC Fritz, Jesse
C Co 3-60th INF, Regt (1st PLT)
Fort Jackson, SC 29207

He is doing OK he writes. He left here with a lingering cold and said that he is still dealing with that. He has written a few times. He is 2 1/2 weeks done with his 9 weeks.

It has been a long day. I went to see my integrated medical doctor yesterday. He was top of his med school class at Harvard and has a practice that integrates traditional medicine with alternative medicine. He listened and thought and put pieces together and ordered a LOT of blood work. I just do not feel well at all. Today I went and had the blood drawn for the tests. It took 3 tries even though the ladies in the lab are the best. My veins were just not cooperating. We got done in about an hour and I was suggesting that I should start paying rent! 7 tubes are being processed. For example, he wants to make sure I didn't pick up some parasite in Africa last summer.

I have been crying on and off all day. Whatever else is going on, I am feeling very emotional. I feel like I do when I forget to take one of my meds (effexor). Ringing in my head. Dizzy and light headed. Feeling like I will pass out and very emotional. I have been crying on and off all day today. The difference is that I didn't forget to take my meds. I think my body is just imbalanced in some way. I will see my internist on Monday about my abdomen soreness, and by then hopefully at least some of the blood work will be back. Meantime, Greg is taking good care of me, and I am laying low.

I visited with a breast cancer survivor friend yesterday, and I told her about how I have layed off most of my supplements for several months. I think I was just burned out. She shared how she feels that way about part of her treatment too. Sometimes you just do all this stuff all the time and you just feel like you can't do it all anymore. You ask yourself what difference it makes anyway. So many doctors have told me they don't put any stock in supplements. Anyway, Dr. Corell is helping me set the "restart" button on my body and I hope to be feeling back on track soon. I would appreciate your prayers for that.

My hand doctor told me last Thursday that there is arthritis in the middle of my right hand that surprised him. It didn't show up in my x-rays in Sept, but it is definitely there now. The only treatment would be a radiologist putting in a shot of cortizone with ultrasound because of where it is. It would be tricky to get in there without bothering any nerves or veins, etc. We decided that we will hope that it just gradually gets better. I put some topical cream on it that I use on my knee, and it really helped....My gyno/urology doctor and I talked about bladder treatments, and if I got the implant that helps deal with the side effects of my interstitial cystitis, it would make any future MRI's for diagnosis impossible. I don't think it's worth it.

Our neighbor had a heart attack yesterday. Greg went to see him tonight. We'd appreciate prayer for Brian. He and Katie have 4 children and he is in his 30's.

Helen from the Gambia spoke in FL on the 17th and Greg told me tonight that the event was amazing. So many were there that the police had to come in and have some move their cars. The police ended up staying for the meeting too. Her story touched so many hearts. I will write more about her later.

Please pray for this country of ours. We are on a precipice. My heart is heavy. But God is in control and nothing can happen outside of His will. He tells us to pray for our leaders. Our growth group prayed for our nation last night. It was good to give our concerns over to the Lord.

God bless-Nancy

He's in the Army now!

Dear friends,

Well, my boy is now officially in the army now. He left us at 6:00 a.m. when he when into the courthouse downtown to start his enlistment. They gave him another physical, interviewed him to get information regarding his government security clearance, & planned his transportation to boot camp at Ft. Jackson, etc. Tuesday they flew him to Ft. Jackson, SC.

He called Greg for 3 minutes on Friday and told us that on Tues. he arrived at midnight. They processed them until 4:00 a.m. and sent them to bed- UNTIL 4:15! Then they got up and stood on lines until 10:00 that night! He sent me a postcard that said,"Hello! I'm good. Got my hair cut and didn't sleep. Gotta go! Jesse." His hair was very short when he left, so he must not have any now! Greg told him to remember the big picture and Jesse agreed that is what he is trying to do. He is also trying to stay unnoticed. Where he is, getting noticed means teasing and extra push-ups or some other "bad" thing. His birthday was yesterday and since we don't have his address yet, couldn't send him any greetings. He actually begged us not to. But we did think of him and thanked God for him. Adjua's 19th birthday is on Thursday this week.

We currently are enjoying a visit from Helen, one of our partners from The Gambia. As we met last evening and were getting to know each other, we realized that she had met Jesse when he was there last year. She remembered him. I get to have the fun of introducing her to America some before she heads to a big womens' event in FL next week. She has just begun telling me about her ministry. So far I know that she and her husband head up Inter-Varsity in their country and she is doing many facets of education and ministry related to HIV with women in the Gambia. What a privilege!

Friends are asking me to share about my health, so I will give an update. My right wrist has been hurting quite a bit lately. It is the one I had carpal tunnel fixed in last fall. I saw the hand doctor after I got home from Denver and learned that it is very unusual to be experiencing any pain this many months out. The carpal tunnel symptoms are gone, but I have some swelling and other tenderness in my palm and wrist. Sometimes it hurts a lot. He had me go for an MRI last week and I see him Thursday to go over the results. The nurse said that the report showed a bunch of things, so it isn't a simple PT solution.

My knee is hurting again. The shot has worn off. My knee doctor talked about trying that new kind of shot in my knee that isn't steroids. My friend Deb said it worked for her knee for several years. I will be going to see him sometime in the near future.

I have a sore place in my abdomen. I am fairly certain that it is a result of scar tissue from my TRAM flap surgery 10 years ago. I will talk to my oncologist about it when I see her next month. I see my gyno-urologist next week. I tried taking a very difficult medication to help grow a lining in my bladder. It was hard on my body and had to be taken on a completely empty stomach, which meant 3 hours between eating 3 times a day. After 2 months I decided that it was taking over my life, and giving me extra headaches. My doctor has another treatment she wants to talk to me about. I will let you know more after I find out about it.

One conclusion I have come to lately is that all these little things that are going goofy in my body are mostly (if not entirely) due to the side effects of having chemo twice and radiation once (like the scar tissue from my TRAM flap surgery). One of my doctors told me that not that many women have lived for 11 years after cancer, so even the medical community is learning what the side effects are long-term from these treatments. So the bad news is that there are lots of medical issues to deal with now, but the good news is that I am alive to experience them! I am approaching my 11th anniversary of discovering my cancer the first time, and almost 4 years since the 2nd time. That is pretty cool! And I am pretty grateful!

Thanks for hanging in there and reading all this. I know that there are at least some of you who read this and let me know when it has been a while.

Helen just got home, so I need to sign off and learn more about the Gambia. Blessings- Nancy

Dear friends,

My Time In Denver

I just returned from Denver Sunday night. I got to be in my old stomping grounds for a week and was able to meet with lots of friends and family. I enjoyed a little snow and beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains. It was fun to back where I knew where to find what I needed and even ran into friends and former co-workers here and there. Such gracious friends gave me places to stay and helped me pick up cars to use. It was wonderful to attend our church in Denver. Seeing familiar faces and hugging old friends was a blessing. I heard stories of friends' struggles to find jobs, of others going to be with the Lord, and hearing what every one's kids are up to. (Here I am with Greg's sister and two Bible Blasters having fun last Sunday.)

I had lots of meetings and also did a program on the 14th for the Bible Blast kids about Ghana. That was the main reason for my visit. I wrote a lesson on the north part of the country where the Muslims live, and where our Partners International Ghanaian partner is doing church planting. The kids got to practice carrying things on their heads and babies on their backs, doing the Ghana handshake, playing a talking drum and other instruments, and praying for children there who have hard lives. They also go to stamp cards and fabric with Adrinkra symbols that I carved into stamps. They got to see pictures and learn about Fu Fu and learned their "day names." They also heard stories of witch camps and two fettish priests (witch doctors and 45 women accused of witchcraft come to Christ as their Lord and Savior. All these things were done both hours with a total of about 120 kids.

At the end of the second hour I was shocked when I was presented with a very large check from the offering of the Bible Blast kids. It was given with expressions of love and appreciation for our ministry and the blessing we have been to them. It made me cry! Wow, Bible Blasters! You have certainly been a blessing to us and our ministry all these years too!

What Happened Yesterday

Besides Greg having a birthday, we got a message from a friend from the mid-eighties Caleb Project days. We haven't communicated for a long time. She lives in TX with her family. She wrote:

"Hi Greg and Nancy,

I hope you're all doing well. I just want to send a quick note because I had a very vivid dream last night about your family. I woke up at 1:30 and took it as a signal from the Lord to pray for you. I went back to sleep and this time I dreamed that I randomly ran into you at an airport. I told you I had a dream about you and asked you how I could pray. There was an extra girl named Jennifer...I noticed in your pictures this morning (after having the dream) that your family has an exchange student named Jennifer. I am just going to go ahead and assume God wants me to pray for her as well... Beth"

It gave us chills to read this from Beth. Yesterday at 5:30 p.m., I was listening to the news and there was a report that they uncovered a plot to poison the food at Ft. Jackson. Jesse will be there in a week and a half for basic training! Did they uncover this yesterday- right after the Lord had Beth pray? And Allison, who moved to FL last week, is having a very difficult time with her new nanny job. She is making a decision about what she should do right now regarding staying or not. She cried on the phone on Wed with us for an hour. Laura is traveling over in N. Africa and Jenni has many tests and is in charge of a campus worship event tonight since the leader got very sick. Adjua (our other Jennifer) is working and studying very hard. Anyway, we are thanking God for this specific and very encouraging word from Him through our friend Beth. I hope and pray that I would be sensitive to hear God's voice that clearly!

Blessings to each of you- Nancy Fritz

Dear friends,

Things have been busy here...I went to Portland a few weekends ago to attend the Mission -Connexion Northwest Conference with 7 others from our Spokane steering committee. We are planning the first Mission Connexion Inland Northwest Conference for this September 24-25. We have been assisted generously by those who do the conference in Portland and we went to experience their conference to give us ideas for ours. I rode with a group and got to stay with my brother Paul and his family. We haven't seen each other for a long time. At least we got started on catching up, and I think we will get to do more of that perhaps this summer.

After Portland I road tripped with Greg to southern Washington where he taught a Perspectives class (Lesson 2). We got back very late and he taught the next night here in Spokane. I got to do the World View demo which was fun. Marti Smith updated it and it was great to give them the script while I was there so they can go and mobilize their churches too.

Laura is in Dubai in the Middle East for a few weeks and then will be in several other places checking out ministry opportunities for herself. She made some good contacts at Urbana and felt that a good next step was to do some visiting of teams she knows herself as well.

Jenni is back at Grove City. I do miss having her here playing the piano and singing a lot. We had good discussions too. Jesse leaves for boot camp on March 1st. It will sure be quiet here without him goofing around with Allison and Adjua. He is finishing up at Starbucks in a few weeks. Allison is going to Fort Lauderdale, FL to interview for a few jobs next Sunday-Tues. She might leave quickly after that if she gets one of the jobs. She would appreciate prayer for that.

BLADDER MATTERS
I learned last month that I have a bladder condition called interstitial cystitis. Basically it means that my bladder doesn't have a lining anymore. So the urine is right up against the vessels in the wall of my bladder. There is supposed to be a gel like lining that keeps the acidic urine away from the vessels, but that is missing in mine. A year ago I didn't have this problem. During the year I have experienced more and more trouble with incontinence and frequency. It turns out that my bladder is acting as though it has a bladder infection all the time. Other than the actual presence of an infection. So there is inflammation, irritation and cramping that causes the other problems I have been having. Random pains can happen at different places around the abdominal area in varying amounts and for different amounts of time. So, this is rather a good thing. The pains I have been having have a cause that isn't cancer. There is medication I am trying. It is like Heparin, so I am not excited about it at all. It must be taken on an empty stomach (3 hour window) and doesn't work for 6 months. It is called Elmiron. I think that is the 7th prescription I am on. It is a chore to deal with this, but like I said, it isn't cancer.

My knee is gradually getting more sore, but is still at least 50% less painful than before the cortisone shot. My chiropractor is working on scar tissue in my neck from radiation. I am sore a lot but am able to keep up with a pretty busy schedule. When I don't have to be somewhere, I often sleep in.

I am currently planning a trip to Denver in February. I am planning a program on Ghana for the 100+ kids in Bible Blast on the 14th. I am excited about it. When I am done, Partners International will also be able to share the curriculum with churches we are connected with. I am going for a week so I have time to touch base with family and friends. I am going Feb 6th and returning Feb 14th in the evening (to see my valentine). Please be in touch with me about getting together if this applies to you. nancyfritz@aol.com or 509-990-8465

Well, that is all for now. It is time to get to bed. Blessings- Nancy