My Journey with Cancer: A 2017 Health Update
August 24, 2017
Greetings,
For those of you who pray for me, I thought I’d update you regarding my health since my last post on this in 2016.
- I found out in June that my radical prostate surgery of August 3, 2015 did not get all the cancer. My PSA has been steadily rising. My doctor cannot give me radiation because I need 5 years to be cleared of colon cancer and if that came back, radiation would be a first priority and I can’t get radiation for both. He told me that the cancer is slow growing, I should have many years to live and if my PSA reached 4.0 (its .65 and should be .03 or so), we would start hormone treatment or radiation.
- I have had two PET scans this year and one colonoscopy. The good news is that I was found completely clear, so I will do these twice a year for two more years, then once a year for two years and if I am clear after 5 years, I will be declared in remission. The bad news is that a chemical indicator of recurrent cancer in blood work tests—CEA—should not be higher than 3.9 and my last 3 tests were 4.1, 4.3 and 5.1. There is mild concern about this, but there are false positives regarding CEA, so we will continue to monitor it every three months when I go to the cancer center to have my port flushed.
- For some odd and unknown reason, starting 4 months ago, my liver enzyme readings are 2 ½ times higher than normal. So they did an ultrasound on my liver and found nothing. At this point, I get blood work and see the specialist every 2-3 months. We are trying different things to see if anything works, but at this point, it’s a mystery.
- You may remember that last fall, I had to stop chemo for 5 weeks to have an operation on a lesion on my arm. Believe it or not, the lesion was a very, very rare skin cancer than none of my doctors or the local labs had ever heard of (my dermatologist and plastic surgeon have been in practice 30 years and had to look it up on the internet). It is called a sebaceous carcinoma rooted in Muir Tore syndrome. Only about 2000 Americans have this, and 98% of those who do have the cancer appear around the eyes. I am one of only 125 cases in the US who have it appear on my body. I had the cancer removed through surgery last fall, I have about a 7 inch scar on my left arm, and they removed a bunch of lymph nodes because this sort of cancer metastasizes and is life-threatening. Well, I now have one near my right nipple and it is likely there is one on my nose. Last fall they had to send my biopsy to Harvard and UCLA since no one here—including no labs—could diagnose it, and both universities came to the same conclusion stated above. I see my surgeon next week, but my doctors are trying to get approval for me to go to UC Irvine to see someone who knows what this is since my doctors don’t want me to have a full surgery every 6 months the rest of my life if I don’t need it, but they don’t want to simply cut it out when clear borders are reached since it may have metastasized. I await approval for the UC Irvine visit.
- My cardiologist told me this week that I have atrial flutter (the top of my heart beats at 200 per minute, my bottom at 100 beats per minute). My heart is very strong, but I have an electrical problem, so he is referring me to a specialist who will run a tube from groin to heart and electrically kill cells that are over-firing. If that doesn’t work, I’ll get a pacemaker.
- Due to the chemo, all 5 toes on each foot are 80% numb and tingling throughout the day. It isn’t painful, but it is distracting and keeps me from walking normally.
In spite of all this, believe it or not, I have had one of the most productive summers re writing in recent memory. And I have a lot of peace and joy. Well, I have to go. I’m taking my grandson fishing. I just thought you should know about all this.
With great warmth and appreciation,
JP Moreland
Dr. Moreland,
I am sorry for all the pain you have to go through. However, your works have changed my life. Keep on fighting, and praying. The world needs you. I pray for a complete recorvery.
Elijah
Take care, old friend! Suzanne and I will be praying for you and Hope.
JG
I’m just a 20 year old college student in Southeast Asia and I have watched some of your seminars on YouTube. You have influenced me greatly. I hope for your well-being, sir.
GOD bless you and give you Peace Dr. Moreland.
JP thank you for taking the time to write. Such a gift to those looking on. You married the girl with the right name: HOPE! You both ROCK! And on Him, you stand! #admiring #cheering
I literally had a dream that you shared a great many things with me about life, your health, and the faith last night. It was so vivid I woke up praying for you and your health. Love and miss you my friend. Thank you for sharing.
I am sorry that you have to struggle with this, but you are one of my favorite people. I am listening to a lecture of yours on YouTube right now. I appreciate you.
Thank goodness we know we have a soul, and yours is in tip top shape.
Been sharing your knowledge deep in the bowels of China. Keep reminding yourself the seriousness of your physical ailments pale in comparison to the sicknesses of the atheist/communist drenched souls.
It was one of your videos on YouTube that got me more interested in explaining to others the health of the soul infinitely outweighs the importance of the health of the body.
Brothers in Christ, Gary John. (A Kiwi)
I am praying for you brother.
Heavenly Father, I pray that you will allow JP to receive joy, peace, and healing into his mind and body. I will give praise, and honor and glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit forever. Amen
Dear Dr. Moreland,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with people you’ve never even met. My wife is being treated for a reoccurrence of ovarian cancer. Chemo will not cure it. The best we can hope for in medical terms is that it will push it back for a time. I’ll spare you the details, but I’m sure you are deeply familiar with all of the generalities of dealing with this.
The last few months have been a difficult journey for us, and the future looks to hold much of the same. Even so, I am greatly encouraged in my faith. I find solace and comfort in God’s love demonstrated around the world through miraculous healings, even if such a healing never comes to us. After all, it makes no sense to hold God accountable for not healing my wife if I don’t also keep him accountable for all the times he does heal people.
That’s all in my head, of course, and the emotional struggle is a series of occasional mountain tops and frequent valleys. And in the midst of all that, the most irritating thing is the dribble of “quark” advice that people come to us with: eat this vegetable, take that supplement, do this exercise, etc. I’m sure you know exactly what I mean.
I have none of those to bring to you. I am just posting here to say how appreciative I am of your willingness to open the door to people bringing all of that, because you had to do that to remain open and honest for your readers and for your God, And sharing your experience makes me less alone. A very selfish response, I know, but I am grateful for that feeling of not being alone in facing not just cancer but all the questions it brings with it.
Thank you.
Dear JP, I heard you had multiple cancers but didn’t know the details. My wife and I were on a cruise with you about twelve years ago. She had recently finish chemo for lymphoma and you invited us to your stateroom for prayer. She is still in remission. We will pray for you together which is something we don’t do enough. God will take of you dear brother.
Hello Dr. Moreland I am sorry to hear of your battles with cancer and will be praying for you, You are one of my heros in the faith, your interview with Lee Strobel on hell changed my thinking about GOD more anything I can remember and I am now 67 years old. I struggle with predestination and election more than anything and would like to know your views.
Godspeed to you and my all Gods blessings in Christ be yours.