The business and blessings of our Beckstead family.

 We're two treatments down now. Here's a general update of how it's going: -The first round we were bracing for it to be worst case scenario right away. That was not the case. We were so grateful. He had a lot of nausea but was able to mostly go about business as usual without it affecting things too much.  -The little amount of hair that Sid started this whole thing with us hanging in there and holding strong! -Chemo in general brings the main symptoms of nausea, tiredness, poor immunity, etc. Two symptoms that are specific to his drugs are neuropathy and cold sensitivity. Sid is experiencing this mostly in his hands and face. His hands tingle a lot and when they - or his face - are exposed to cold, it's painful. Last weekend we were out in the snow and the flakes stung when they landed on his face. Our house will be unusually warm this winter.  -The cold sensitivity is not limited to his exterior. If he eats or drinks anything cold it can cause spasms in his mouth and

Sid's molecular study came back. The results led Sid's doctor to change the treatment plan. It will now include targeted therapy and immunotherapy alongside his chemo drugs. This is encouraging news as studies are showing good results with this combo of drugs. The target therapy attacks cells that contain a specific receptor. His cancer cells have this specific marker. It is also a lot less toxic than chemo. These drugs do come with risk in that they can have negative side affects on the heart; thus the echocardiogram today. We spoke with Sid's oncologist this morning. I'm happy with his efforts thus far. I trust him and honestly think he is doing his best for Sid.  We haven't ever heard of anyone that enjoyed chemo, but we're ready to get started. Not only does this game plan sound positive but we feel rejuvenated after a great weekend with family watching General Conference.  I feel my Savior's love In all the world around me His Spirit warms my soul Throu