Lauri and I spent this morning at MD Anderson meeting with our Surgeon (again). We have set a date of December 11, 2008 as the day of surgery. Our Surgeon will run another CT Scan on December 9 just to be sure there are no other spots of interest, and to confirm the location of the spot he is already targeting. On December 10, Lauri will have her Anesthesia Consultation, which is standard procedure before surgery - just a review of what to expect with the anesthetic. We moved the surgery up to December due to personal schedules on our side, not due to a change in urgency by the MD Anderson team.
Our Surgeon says to expect another 3-5 day hospital stay (yay, memories!). The procedure will be the same as before. Based on the location of the spot, he says the surgery should be straight forward with the spot easy to get to for him. In fact, our Surgeon will use the same incision line for this surgery as was used before, meaning no new scars (gill lines) on Lauri's back. He will also try to use the same incisions for the drain tubes as well. Lauri thinks this is all really great. Me? I think getting some extra gill lines would be pretty cool, especially at the next swim party... Now if we can just get Lauri to swim like Phelps... Seriously, though, it is really a wonder at how good our Surgeon is - and how considerate he is to making the incisions the least invasive and visible as he can.
Our Surgeon says it is a good sign that only one spot has shown up over the past year. He says the goal of the surgeries are to remove all of the "seeds" of cancer. With only one spot showing up after the last two surgeries, this can be a positive indication that we are making headway in removing all the "seeds". While there will always be a chance for it to return, we hope and pray he is right - that these surgeries bring us closer to being cancer free forever.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Cruise
So I just got back this morning from a 4 day cruise to Cozumel I took with 3 of my best friends. We had a great time, the weather was awesome and the food was fantastic. This was my 4th cruise and the first one that was only 4 days long. It was just the right amount of time to be on a boat. Michelle and I did a little shopping while in Mexico, and Lesa and Krislyn went to a private beach. We both had fun. We even got to watch some of the LSU game on the ship as well. There were a bunch of Tiger fans on board, but unfortunately, we lost in overtime, but it was fun watching the game with the other fans. So anyway, I have some pictures from our trip. I hope you like them.
Click here.
Or watch the slideshow:
Click here.
Or watch the slideshow:
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Here We Go Again
Lauri and I visited MD Anderson today to get the results of CT Scans, Blood Tests, and X-Rays taken the day before. You might remember that two months ago we had a similar checkup that found a 4 mm nodule that had not been there in previous scans. The scans taken yesterday served as a second data point to see if the nodule was growing or was staying the same size. Growth would indicate cancer, while no growth would indicate something benign - like scar tissue.
Unfortunately, the CT scan showed that the nodule, located in Lauri's right upper lobe, has grown to 7 mm in size. Our Oncologist looked into previous scans and knowing the location of the nodule now, she was able to see a spec in the same location as far back as February 2008. If there is any good news to be taken from this it is that the growth of the tumor is fairly slow, only growing to 7mm over 10-12 months. Further, only one spot was found.
Since we are within 1 year of the last surgery, our Oncologist says that chemotherapy is not required. We are instead proceeding directly to surgery. Surgery to remove the mass will take place sometime in January. Our Surgeon who completed the last two surgeries, called Thoracotomies, will be doing this surgery as well. He was brought up to speed on Lauri's case today, and agrees with our Oncologist's treatment plan. The scheduling team at MD Anderson is working on a final date for the surgery.
Our Oncologist believes that we have likely not seen the last of Lauri's Sarcoma. It will probably become more of the norm to continue to battle this cancer for the rest of her life, with the constant goal of ridding the body of all the cancer cells. While there is certainly no guarantee that the cancer will return again after the surgery in January, there is no guarantee it will not either. Since it has returned after her previous round of surgeries, it does make it more likely for it to return again. There is always a chance it will be gone forever, so we will keep praying for the chance, no matter how small...
The reality is that we are now assessing the prospect of having to pick up with life with cancer. Knowing that the disease is here, possibly to stay, means that you have to take advantage of every moment, never let your head fall, and keep a positive attitude in the face of great stress and adversity. Sounds easy, right? If there is anybody who can do it, Lauri's the girl. And if she is gonna do it, then I better figure out how to do it too...
Having a family is very important to us, and plans for that family have obviously changed due to the latest news. We discussed family planning with our doctor, and there are great risks that Lauri and I have to evaluate before we can have the blessing of children. To give you an idea, Lauri would have to risk her life to have children. Our Oncologist will not be able to run her scans to monitor Lauri's condition during the pregnancy. We would have to rely solely on symptoms: shortness of breath, excessive coughing, labored breathing - to get an idea of if the cancer is growing. The cancer would need to grow significantly to show symptoms, and may be so advanced that the doctors can do nothing to fix it. In our favor is the fact that Lauri's cancer growth has been slow to this point. While we have no reason to believe that rate will change, there is always a possiblity that it could.
Bottom line, if Lauri and I decide to give children a go - the world will know. And we will make that decision using the best data, knowledge, and medical opinions available - along with a little soul searching...
That's about it for now. In for another round? Here we go again...
Unfortunately, the CT scan showed that the nodule, located in Lauri's right upper lobe, has grown to 7 mm in size. Our Oncologist looked into previous scans and knowing the location of the nodule now, she was able to see a spec in the same location as far back as February 2008. If there is any good news to be taken from this it is that the growth of the tumor is fairly slow, only growing to 7mm over 10-12 months. Further, only one spot was found.
Since we are within 1 year of the last surgery, our Oncologist says that chemotherapy is not required. We are instead proceeding directly to surgery. Surgery to remove the mass will take place sometime in January. Our Surgeon who completed the last two surgeries, called Thoracotomies, will be doing this surgery as well. He was brought up to speed on Lauri's case today, and agrees with our Oncologist's treatment plan. The scheduling team at MD Anderson is working on a final date for the surgery.
Our Oncologist believes that we have likely not seen the last of Lauri's Sarcoma. It will probably become more of the norm to continue to battle this cancer for the rest of her life, with the constant goal of ridding the body of all the cancer cells. While there is certainly no guarantee that the cancer will return again after the surgery in January, there is no guarantee it will not either. Since it has returned after her previous round of surgeries, it does make it more likely for it to return again. There is always a chance it will be gone forever, so we will keep praying for the chance, no matter how small...
The reality is that we are now assessing the prospect of having to pick up with life with cancer. Knowing that the disease is here, possibly to stay, means that you have to take advantage of every moment, never let your head fall, and keep a positive attitude in the face of great stress and adversity. Sounds easy, right? If there is anybody who can do it, Lauri's the girl. And if she is gonna do it, then I better figure out how to do it too...
Having a family is very important to us, and plans for that family have obviously changed due to the latest news. We discussed family planning with our doctor, and there are great risks that Lauri and I have to evaluate before we can have the blessing of children. To give you an idea, Lauri would have to risk her life to have children. Our Oncologist will not be able to run her scans to monitor Lauri's condition during the pregnancy. We would have to rely solely on symptoms: shortness of breath, excessive coughing, labored breathing - to get an idea of if the cancer is growing. The cancer would need to grow significantly to show symptoms, and may be so advanced that the doctors can do nothing to fix it. In our favor is the fact that Lauri's cancer growth has been slow to this point. While we have no reason to believe that rate will change, there is always a possiblity that it could.
Bottom line, if Lauri and I decide to give children a go - the world will know. And we will make that decision using the best data, knowledge, and medical opinions available - along with a little soul searching...
That's about it for now. In for another round? Here we go again...
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Today show
So you all remember that Lisa and I went to the Today show while we were in New York. In case you missed it, Lisa's husband Josh made a little video and posted it on youtube. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aYAWXTc1Ro
Or:
click here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aYAWXTc1Ro
Or:
click here.
Halloween
Jeff and I went to one of his coworkers parties for Halloween. It was a costume party so we obliged and dressed up. Can you guess what we were?
I was a ner...I mean Flight Controller and Jeff was a nurse. Don't we look great? We had a great time! I was kinda disapointed in the lack of trick or treaters we had in our neighborhood this year. I guess we have older folks living around us and many houses didn't even have their lights on. Oh well. Now what to do with all this candy I bought?
Maggie and Bromley couldn't be left out of the festivities, so here they are in their costumes:
And Bromley:
They were a cop and prisoner, if you couldn't tell.
Anyway, that's about all for now.
I have my 2 month checkup on Monday and get the results on Tues, so stay tuned for results from that. Pray that the "suspicious" area is gone or stayed the same.
I was a ner...I mean Flight Controller and Jeff was a nurse. Don't we look great? We had a great time! I was kinda disapointed in the lack of trick or treaters we had in our neighborhood this year. I guess we have older folks living around us and many houses didn't even have their lights on. Oh well. Now what to do with all this candy I bought?
Maggie and Bromley couldn't be left out of the festivities, so here they are in their costumes:
And Bromley:
They were a cop and prisoner, if you couldn't tell.
Anyway, that's about all for now.
I have my 2 month checkup on Monday and get the results on Tues, so stay tuned for results from that. Pray that the "suspicious" area is gone or stayed the same.
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