Another Good Thing About Cancer...

You get to see people that you haven't seen in YEARS! A good friend of mine from high school was "in the area" this weekend (it's Iowa... it's relative) and came by with her family to say hello! They live in the Chicago area, so we're not super close for visits, but it's still nice to know my support structure is out there! It's too bad they're not closer, Kile is already complaining about missing his new friends and they only left an hour ago!

I'm finishing up some things around the house this weekend, getting ready for a week of work and planning on leaving the morning of the 11th for Rochester. I've been in touch with the Hope Lodge up there, and hopefully won't have to wait too long for a space to live.

Not much else to report!

: )
Carpe Diem. - Trela

Mayo Part 2

All things considered, my Mayo trip went relatively well. No new cancer discovered, numerous ultrasounds/ mammograms/ MRIs/ CTs to rule out anything else suspicious... So, where does that leave us?

I'll be beginning a five week course of radiation on February 11th at Mayo in Rochester. My radiation oncologist (a new one... bonded with her MUCH better than the first one of a year and a half ago) decided giving me a week and a few days to organize my house and classroom wasn't going to impact treatment at all, so I have a little extra time. I'll be in treatment about 15 minutes a day, five days a week, and will hopefully feel well enough to drive home on weekends.

After my radiation course I'll take another break of anywhere between 3 and 6 weeks before surgery. Exactly what that consists of gets a little gory, but the basics are that they'll take a 5 centimeter area of tissue which they'll need to replace with something... apparently that'll be tissue from my back. The good news is I don't have enough tissue on my tummy to allow them to do a TRAM flap, so they'll do the back procedure instead. Yum. Can't wait. Sarcasm overflowing. Apparently it's supposed to be less painful, but we'll see.

So anyway, that's the news for now! We'll spend the next week organizing our lives, trying to figure out Kile's school schedule so he doesn't have to miss school while I'm living up North, and writing copious amounts of lesson plans!

Thank you for all of the positive energy and prayers. We truly did get the best possible news this week considering the options, and I look forward to beating this once and for all. All we learned with this latest setback is that my race is a marathon, not a sprint. (Which is good, I haven't been very fast since about 4th grade anyway...)

Carpe diem.
Trela

Mayo Part 1

First things first, the initial reports are that my cancer has NOT spread. They're ordering an ultrasound to check out a "funny" thing on the other side of my chest, but my oncologist pretty much said he's not worried about it. I am, of course, but it seems these days I always need something to worry about.

We'll meet with my oncologist, a surgeon (actually the one who did my mastectomy), and a radiation oncologist tomorrow so they can bicker about what to do next. Surgery is a definite, likely radiation as well, but we'll see.

As Dr. O said, in the grand scheme of things, this isn't bad news. The tumor was literally on my mastectomy scar, so he agrees with our theory that it's likely leftover cells from a year and a half ago. He said local recurrance, but then practically downgraded that further to still being a tumor from the primary cancer. A fine line, I'm sure, but hey, if it makes a difference, we'll take it!

Off to the chapel...

Oh, midway through my appointment while my oncologist was on the phone to radiation, I got a text from the student I've been tutoring for the last 4 years -- he got into college!!!! I'm SO happy for him! Way to go, Kevin!

Carpe diem!! - Trela