To ballon or not to balloon...

I went to the radiation oncologist today and got another CT scan. They will put the balloon in on Thursday and then do another scan to see if it will really work(must be symmetrical etc.). I it is then I will start radiation on Monday twice a day for a week. Glad I have that Turbo Beetle!!!
If it doesn't work than I do once a day five days a week for seven weeks. Go Balloon!!
Great news from sleepy girl and twin. Makes a mothers heart sing! Patti

Sleepy Sister!!

Well Lindsay had her lung biopsy today and beside the fact that she couldn't eat anything past midnight last night and her procedure wasn't till 1:00 pm today, aka she was very hungry before she even went in, everything went very well! I was able to see her in the recovery room around 3:30 and though she had a VERY sore throat (the procedure had the instruments going down her throat) she was in good spirits and really craving some In and Out Burger with a strawberry shake!!! The good news is that the initial results came back clean!! Though she will not get the final results till next week. So at the moment she is still snoring nicely with her cats all curled up around her!

Good News and Bad News

So I was a little confused when Brooke texted me the other day asking what was for dinner on Sunday and even though I explained to her that Stella was cooking some Philippino specialty which probably involves spam and lots of fried foods, she still agreed to come. Of course I still believe her main motivation is to enjoy the warm southern Californian sun :)

And as it turns out she couldn't have timed it better because I got news that the doctors do want me to get a biopsy of my chest to figure out what was showing up on the pet scan. So on Tuesday I go in for the surgery, which unfortunately sounds about as much fun as my mastectomy.

In the meantime, the doctors are being proactive in setting up my surgery and treatment, assuming that the biopsy comes back clean. They have scheduled my mastectomy for February 20th and still hope to start my chemotherapy about four weeks after the surgery. Although now that the dates are set, the reality of what I am about to go through is a bit overwhelming. Regardless, finally knowing what the plan is makes it easier to face then what I have been going through the last few weeks. At times I felt so incredibly powerless over my future and circumstances but now I am ready to kick some cancer @ss!!

Mother knows best!!!

Well Patti though it would be best if the twins got together to use their wonder twin powers! So I am headed out to WARM Southern California on Sunday, to first defrost, and second help Lindsay conquer all these doctor's appointments!

...and still waiting

I know everyone has been waiting to hear the results of the tests and believe me, I have also been anxiously awaiting to hear back from my doctors. Alas, they finally told me that my CT and bone scan are clean!! However, there is still the issue of the cancer in the lungs that the Pet scan detected so I am off to yet another specialist to review the inconsistencies between the tests.

In the meantime, over a month has passed since I was diagnosed and I still have not started any kind of treatment or scheduled my surgery...which makes me wonder if the cancer will have spread during the time they have spent determining whether the cancer spread!!

Hurrah for Dr Lynne Clark!!
I just got the news from my doctor and she got all the cancer. There isn't any in the nodes that they took out so I can get the five day radiation!!! I am up and around today and getting better rapidly. Paul and I are spending a nice, relaxing day reading and watching tv. We don't get to do that together very often. Took a short walk with my friend Phyllis, got flowers from Paul's folks and enjoying the wonderful food everyone has brought. Thank you everyone. Patti

Sore but fine!

I had a lumpectomy and and two nodes removed yesterday. It only took an hour and went smoothly. The preliminary on the nodes is that they are clear of cancer. They still have to go to the pathologist and I should get that report this week hopefully. My cancer is non-invasive and very small. When I get the report, we will know what kind of radiation I will get. For now I'm just lying on the couch with the dog and cats watching DVD's. Our neighbors, Bob and Pam have been feeding us a lot with wonderful homecooking and friends have dropped by with food and flowers. The outpouring of caring and love from our friends is phenomenal and is keeping us going through our worries and hopes for Lindsay. Strong and brave is our beautiful girl. Brooke has taken on the job of communications person for Lindsay and I know that is a heavy load sometimes. This blog that Brooke started will help with that. Kirstin is keeping close contact and she and Klaus, Kristoffer, Kasper and Kira are our touchstone of normalcy. Grandpa Vernell and Uncle Hank are charged with making us laugh and they do. Grandma Horning is the quilt maker and has already sent one to Lindsay to snuggle in when she needs to. With our family and friends I feel like we have a small municipality supporting us!! Your comments are ver appreciated. Love Patti