The Follow Up
Happy Saturday, friends! It is currently 62 degrees outside and it feels glorious!! That may not seem warm, but for those of us living in this frozen tundra, otherwise known as Minnesota, it is very welcome. We know it’s only for a day, but we will take it, and do ALL of the things outside that are possible between thunderstorms. Haha!
Signs of Spring are all around!
Yesterday Darek and I met with a surgeon at the Masonic Cancer Center in Minneapolis. He is a surgical oncologist which gives him a greater understanding of the entire picture and course of care with cancer patients. He did a great job setting us at ease. He explained ALL of our options, answered ALL of our (let’s be real - Darek’s) questions, and found common ground talking Twins baseball with us. We even had a brief Sauna pronunciation discussion (this one’s for you, Michael) as he is from New York and pronounces it like us, but has a friend who adamantly pronounces it Saw-oo-na. Nonetheless, it provided some humor during our visit.
Ultimately we have come to the decision that I will begin Chemotherapy in the next week or two, after having a port placed in my chest. I will have two months of chemo on an every other week schedule. The first infusion each time will be in the clinic for 2 hours, and then I will be sent home with a pump attached to continue the treatment for an additional 46 hours. Then I will be finished for the week, and have a week off until we do it again. The point of this is to allow the tumor to shrink, as well as make sure we know that this chemo will work toward curing me. The tumor is resting near a major blood vessel in the liver, so shrinking it as much as possible may provide a major benefit during surgery. It is our prayer that it disappears completely during this treatment.
After two months, I will have a CT scan to confirm results and take a month off of chemo. At month 3, I will have surgery if the tumor is still there (laparoscopic is the goal) to have a small part of my liver removed surrounding the tumor. The surgeon, Dr. J., believes that this is the best option, given my age, health, and ultimate long term plan of curing me.
Post surgery I will have a month to recover, and resume the same chemo regimen for FOUR more months. This is the standard of care, and they will be scanning me every 3 months for the next 2 years to make sure everything is clean and clear. :-)
Given all of these details, it looks like this will take us to the end of the year. The only real concern the medical staff has is COVID. Avoiding COVID will be very important for me during the next 6 months. I have already had it twice in the past 6 months, so hopefully those antibodies will work for me for a while.
I really did mean to keep this brief. Ha! Apparently I am long winded. I know you are all surprised by that. I will end by saying that we left the appointment with Dr. J. feeling very encouraged and optimistic. We continue to pray that I will be placed in the care of the best providers for me, which will lead to the ultimate outcome of being cured.
PS I am compiling a playlist of Fight Songs to listen to during my infusions or just anytime I need the encouragement. If you have a suggestion, please send it my way. I have a pretty good start, but would love to add more.
May this weekend bring you great JOY!
The birds are singing here, the sun is shining (which was not supposed to happen today), and it is Well with me!
