November 10th 2010

Mark had his temporary stints replaced yesterday, the procedure went fine. Late yesterday afternoon Mark had a reaction to the Chemo/Stint replacement causing a fever so he had to stay overnight in the hospital. Due to his blood counts being so low he is getting a blood transfusion today. He needs two pints of blood to help his counts come up so that he is no longer anemic. He wants me to assure all of you that he is doing fine just a few minor glitches in the road to recovery. He will do Chemo tomorrow and Friday. He wants to thank everyone for the cards, letters, and e-mails. Please keep us in your prayers and we will keep you updated as to how the blood transfusion goes and how he is feeling after his Chemo.

October 27th 2010

First I want to thank everyone for all of your thoughts and prayers, sometimes it is just what we need to hear to make it through a tough day!
  Mark had a port put in yesterday, so that every time he gets chemo they don't have to keep using the veins in his arms. He said he was a little sore, but it was better then getting poked with needles every time he goes in for Chemo! Mark is doing his first Chemo treatment of the week today and will do another one tomorrow. He seems to be taking everything in stride, he said he is tired and really doesn't feel like eating much after his Chemo treatments. He is also still going to do acupuncture and drinking his special tea! Will update you all soon with new info!!

October 22nd 2010

Mark and Carol have returned home from their trip to the Mayo Clinic. We were hoping for a miracle of course, but Mayo said the doctors here are right on the money! They said that Mark's blood counts and response to the chemo is amazing! Though we did not get a miracle cure, we received piece of mind, which is priceless. We now know for sure that Mark is getting the very best treatment option right here at home. We will continue to post updates as we get them. Mark is glad to be back home and will have a few days to rest up until his regular chemo treatments on Thursday and Friday of next week. Please keep him in your prayers, as that is the most positive healing there is!

October 14th 2010

 Mark's tumor has shrank by about 25% which we are very thankful for. Mark had a fever earlier this week, which the doctors say could just be from all the cancer cells being killed! Due to the fever his chemo was pushed off by a day. Mark had chemo today and will also receive a round tomorrow. Mark will have a couple of days to recover before his trip to Mayo. Mark will be leaving Monday for the Mayo clinic. Mark is going to get a second opinion and see if they can offer any more treatment options. If all goes as planned Mark will return home the following Monday with some options to discuss with his doctor here. We will keep everyone posted as new information comes in. As always thank you for all of your kind thoughts and prayers!

October 6th

Great news today! The tumor is shrinking!!!!! I will post more details as soon as I can!

October 5th

Great news! Mark will soon travel to the mayo clinic for a second opinion. He is going just to see if they can offer any more options then what he is receiving here. He will leave here on the 18th. The initial trip will last four days, if Mayo can offer some better treatment ideas, then Mark and Carol will decide to stay. Mark has been doing well and seems to be feeling better! We were at the property with him this weekend and had a great time. Mark and Brian worked on the tractor and the rest of us enjoyed some time with nature. He is responding well to chemo and had a PET scan done to see if that can give a clearer picture of the tumor's size. Though it is hard we have to keep in mind that it takes a while for chemo to get in his system and start working on the tumor. We are praying for wonderful things from Mayo, and looking forward to the next step!

September 29th 2010

 Mark's results from the CT scan came back, they were not exactly what we had hoped for, but still okay. Clinically he is doing much better, the liver is happier, and he is responding well to chemo. They could not tell if the tumor was getting smaller at this time. His doctor told him to try to get into the Mayo Clinic, so the next step of the journey begins. We will keep you posted as new information comes. Mark and Carol will be applying for an appointment some time today. We will hopefully know this week when they are leaving. His doctor said that he wants to make sure that they do everything possible to get this kicked. We need all the prayers we can get right now, so please keep them coming.

September 27th

We had Mark and Carol over for dinner last night. We had a great visit. Mark was a little tired, he said the effects of the chemo seem to be holding on longer this time. Ashlyn sang him some funny songs she has learned at school. He has an appointment today for a comparison MRI. We are hoping and praying that the tumor has shrunk! I will post an update as soon as we get some answers on the MRI. Thanks again for all the wonderful comments that have been left on the blog.

September 23rd

First of all Mark would like to thank  all of you for your thoughts and prayers, as he received good news on Monday that the liver cancer has not spread to other places in his body, including the bone marrow! He has another CT Scan on Monday to compare the size of the tumor now, to the size it was two months ago. According to those test results he will receive chemo on Wednesday and Thursday of this coming week. Mark's Oncologist insisted that he get a flu shot yesterday,because he can not get sick during periods of receiving chemo. Let this serve as a reminder for all of us  to get our flu shots.

September 22nd

Today Mark has a long day of doctor's appointments. He had an MRI this morning, an appointment with his doctor, and an acupuncture appointment this afternoon. The acupuncturist gives him some yummy tea to drink. Brian tried it and said that it tasted like sweaty socks and used motor oil. I have to laugh about this, I am going to try it and see what I think. Mark seems to be keeping a good mind set about everything, and taking it one day at  a time. He should have some results on his MRI soon. Please pray that the chemo has been kicking some tumor butt! I will post a new blog as soon as I have some new info. Thanks to everyone who has been leaving comments, it means alot to Mark.

September 16, 2010

Today Mark had  round 2 of this weeks chemo. This time the chemo seems to be causing a bit of nausea, along with some other new side effects. Mark smiled and said that it is still better then the alternative. Leave it to Mark to put everything in perspective.  He was cracking jokes and smiling which is always good. He pretended to throw up on Brian as he was sitting at the kitchen table, Brian ran like a little girl. Carol, Mark, and I could not stop laughing.
      Mark will be getting an MRI and comparative CT Scan during his next visit to the doctor. We will update everyone as soon as the results come in. Please keep your prayers coming!!

September 15th 2010

Mark had round 1 of this weeks chemo today. He handled it really well, and seemed to be feeling pretty good afterward. According to Carol he was in pretty good spirits and piddling around the house when she left for work. The first round is the least harsh of the two he undergoes this week. The round he receives tomorrow usually leaves him with an extreme sensitivity to cold. He can't eat or drink anything cold, seems to be easily chilled, and of course between the two rounds he is easily tired for the next couple days. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers!
     Mark also said one thing at the very beginning of this that I would like to say in the blog. Mark told everyone to make sure they get a yearly physical and not to put it off. He was doing just that when they discovered the cancer. If you want to do something that would mean a lot to him, call your doctor and set one up today!!!!

September 13th 2010

Hi everyone,
 I know that lots of people have been asking about Mark. He seems to be in good spirits as always, and wants to extend his heartfelt thanks for all of the cards, e-mails, thoughts, and prayers. He has not been feeling well enough to keep up with all of the e-mails, letters, and phone calls, so I have started a blog to keep everyone updated. Mark had his first round of chemo last Thursday and Friday. The doctor is happy with his blood work and how he is handling his chemo.
   Mark will be receiving his second round of chemo this Wednesday and Thursday, he will continue this schedule every other week. He is suffering from lack of sleep due to discomfort in stomach and stiff neck from sleeping in the same position all of the time. He is taking acupuncture with supplements to help relieve pain and anxiety. He still has fire in his eyes, and spirit in his heart to take the battle head on. A Niederschmidt knows no other way. After the next several chemo treatments they will be doing a comparison cat scan. We will update everyone as soon as we have the results. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

August 2010

My father in law "Mark Niederschmidt" was diagnosed with liver cancer, and has begun the fight of a lifetime. This blog is to keep all friends, family, and co-workers up to date on his battle. You can feel free to leave your thoughts, prayers, and questions on the blog, I will try to respond to all inquires.