Scan Results

It's been a wonderful weekend weather wise and lots of reasons to give thanks. We enjoyed turkey dinner with family and friends, had a leisurely motorcycle ride to Westport yesterdy and Mike came through his hip resurfacing surgery this morning without incident. He is resting comfortably and will be home within a couple of days.

For those of you who 'like the facts, and just the facts', my cat scan results indicated that the adventure continues. On the upside there is no spread to any other organs. The cancer is contained in the liver however there is evidence of growth in some of the cells with possibly new ones appearing. This brings into question the effectiveness of the current medication. I'm learning firsthand though, that as human beings, we are unique and distinct individuals and despite all the advances in medicine, we all differ in our responses and reactions. That means we are increasing the meds over the next two weeks with a further scan in two months. The main side effect is fluid retention resulting in weight gain. (20 pounds so far!)

A liver test was done today through blood work to get a baseline on how it's functioning and progress can be further monitored. It was also agreed that a consult would be in order to determine if any possibility exists for chemotherapy.

There is no possibility of a liver resectioning or transplant.

Overall, so far I feel great, take no pain medication for my back and only two other minor meds for -imagine - anxiety!!

For those if you who don't know, the problem with my liver was first identified when cat scans were done in June for a spontaneous fracture in my spine when the L1 vertebrae burst as I was going downstairs to the family room. Who would ever consider a broken back a blessing in disguise?!?!?

While I must admit the results today were somewhat disappointing, they were no where near devastating. In essence we are still on the same path we were last week and since medicine is doing all it can, the true blessings are in the prayers. I am convinced the reason I feel so well is the outpouring of support through prayers, best wishes and supportive messages that have literally come from around the globe.

We remain hopeful and optimistic knowing that whatever comes along, together as a family and larger community we can take on anything. I find magic in the most unlikely places. An example this morning when Mike was being prepped for surgery and his OR nurse turned out to be the same nurse, Andy, who was with my Dad when he passed away October, 2004. It was totally heartwarming and heaven sent that he would appear in our lives today.

In conclusion, I'd like to share an observation that validates my personal decision to 'put myself out there' in terms of asking for your prayers of support. When we find ourselves in difficult, life changing situations, survival mode kicks in and most of us need to let our world shrink to a size we can manage. That's okay for a while - a year in my case, but then we need to consider how our life intertwines with everyone else we know.

If you can imagine the globe as a giant pinball machine with a huge surge of positive energy created through prayer being sent in our direction. The interesting outcome is the ricochet effect back to the sender and onward to others. We continue to live every day, live the clichés, they are all true and we may still be 'rushing through life' had the 'Adventures in Prayer and Medicine' not come our way.

For those of you who have an interest in reading more, I will publish the mission statement I wrote last year when first diagnosed with high risk endometrial cancer
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Thank you, thank you, thank you. The emails have been washing over us like a waterfall and while I'd love to respond to each one individually, please know I've tucked your message into the envelope of my heart and treasure it dearly. Until next time. God Bless.....