Hi folks!
Great news and so-so news from last week. First the great news. A close family member had two MRIs on Monday for chronic pain. The results came back four long days and nights later and the cause of the pain appears to be manageable with physical therapy. Thank you, God! An answered prayer, once again.
I don't ever want to compromise the privacy of my family or report the things going on in their lives in a public forum, so I'll leave it at that. But we were all brought to our knees in thanksgiving with the good (not cancer) report. It was the biggest thing on my mind this week and that's why I put it in the blog.
In other great news, my 2-month post-op scan was CLEAR! I underestimated the significance of this until the doctors at Hopkins reviewed it with me on Thursday. Before I got the results I thought, "Why would there be anything there so soon after surgery?" But I learned that with the type of tumor I had, it only takes one lingering "bully" cell to activate a new growth. Therefore, we're on board with starting the recommended treatment as soon as possible: radiation + chemo for six weeks, one month "rest period", followed by chemo only for six months.
That's the so-so news. We knew there was a strong likelihood for radiation and chemo, but I didn't expect the duration to be seven/eight months. We'll get through it though. And savor each day of the journey, followed by a BIG celebration at the end of treatment.
I'll have my treatment locally at Emory, but I'm not exactly sure when it will begin. My consult is tomorrow (8/14), but my understanding is that there is a second appointment to fit the radiation equipment to my measurements before we begin. Thankfully, the chemo drug is a pill (Temodar) and is easier to tolerate than most other chemo drugs. It's the radiation, in my case, that has the most side effects. Anyone know a good place to get a wig? :-)
In other great news, Tad turned 41 on Saturday! Thanks to Becky and Thinh for babysitting, Tad and I got to enjoy a nice lingering lunch and a movie. Happy Birthday, mi amore!
One final note. I often get comments about how brave I am or inspirational my story is. I'm so glad people find inspiration in my story, but it's not because of my own strength. I'm not brave or courageous. About once a week, in fact, I have a good boo-hoo before I recenter around God and give the reigns back to Him. He's in control and that's what gives me peace and hope.
Love to you all! And a special thanks to Paul and Pia Hayner for the beautiful rosary and card.
Here's a pic of SGB singing "Happy Birthday" to Tad.
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