Hope & Hot Potato

Dear Friends,

I met my surgeon from Ohio State this morning, He was young but very knowledgeable. He was also encouraging and he seemed to have a plan tailored just for me. He has scheduled a microscopic ultrasound and a pet scan for the first week of January.  These tests will determine the stage of the cancer.
The following week, my surgeon and oncologist are going to go over the results of the testing with me and we will be able to map out a plan. Surgery is a sure thing, chemo and radiation therapy is probable, it all depends on if cancer is found in the lymph nodes. I just won’t know the order of things until tests are completed and reviewed.

Like I said, my doctor was very encouraging. He said this type of cancer IS curable and that I am appearing to be in the early stages. He also said that the surgery will be rough and will have a recovery time of 6 to 12 months.

I’m so thankful that I was able to get an appointment at Ohio State so soon! It was a God thing for sure. It was relayed to me – somehow (and I’m still not clear on this) – that I would need to bring all of my previous pathology results to my Ohio State appointment, which made perfect sense to me. So Jeff and I made some phone calls and did some running around and I was able to bring them with me to my appointment this morning. When I handed them over to the staff, I got a little bit of a weird vibe. The reason was revealed quickly; unbeknownst to me, I had requested and received my actual pathology specimen. It made for a quick game of “hot potato” between me and the staff. That was a much needed laugh! I was told this is the first time they have ever encountered a patient bringing in their own pathology specimen. I'm not surprised.

I have renewed hope today. Thank you for all the kind words and the prayers. I cherish them. I most likely will not be able to respond to any Facebook messages or posts. I’m taking a break from Facebook right now, I just feel it’s something I need to do.

Much Love,
Gigi