Today as we sat in the MD Anderson room I saw a flyer that said Brain Tumor support group, every first and fourth tuesday. It felt not real, like it was a flyer you see all the time and you think, oooh I feel so awful for people who have to go through that, but also count my blessings it's not me. Then it hits you, oh know this is you.
Then you sit in the waiting room and look for all the life and then you see all the saddness and you think, how just a week ago are we here now?
Then I open my phone and email and I see the many emails and text messages, I see my husband who is still alive sitting next to me in a great mood enjoying the breath he has today. I feel all of you praying for us and feel so comforted.
Today we went to MD Anderson for a 9 a.m. appointment and met with the doctor. I will have to pass on all the medical lingo as I am going to let David do the blog tonight, but I felt I owed it to each of you to give you an update.
This is coming from me, the spouse, the non medical person, trying to gain an understanding of any of this.
First, David has most likely a level 4 Giloma Tumor. These Tumor's are cancer.
His has spread and is around his Corpas Collisium.
Like most cancers, this can be taken away, but he will need to be monitored and it most likely will come back.
Risks, of surgery David waking up and not have his speech and other daily functions we need because of where the tumor is.
Good news, David is 40, considered young in the cancer world. He is healthy. And besides his nagging wife, no symptoms.
Statistics are statistics and David is a fighter.
We met with the most amazing Doctor who got to know David has a patient not just a statistic. He gave all the bad news first and then, this time the But that followed, followed with hopeful news.
They will do surgery, remove the tumor and try to get as most of it out as they can.
Surgery is 4 to 6 hours and he could be out of the hospital as early as 3 to 4 days
To follow, 6 to 8 weeks of daily radiation and chemo, what this will do is hopefully kill the rest of what they could not get out in surgery.
The Doctor said with complete confidence that if all goes well, David could be back to work. A fellow Neurosurgeon at MD Anderson had the same kind of tumor and was back to work in only a few weeks.
MD Anderson is on the phone today with our insurance trying to get approval for us to continue care iwith them. If insurance says yes, Please pray for this, then we will come back to Houston Wednesday and have another appointment and then surgery next thursday. They don't want to wait any longer then that, and they also want to get everything in line before we do surgery.
We came back to David's parents house to rest and get some sleep, we are both so exhausted mentally and physically. Trying to get David to rest is difficult:) Doctor told him to take it easy and to relax. Not go running 5 miles like he does every a.m. :) We will go home tonight, spend time with kids. Go to our nephews final game tomorrow, 7 p.m. watch ESPN2:) You may see us. And then head to Houston friday. We will bring the kids to Houston for the weekend to have family time. Then come back monday get things together and David and I will return tuesday or wed.
I hear so may success stories from each of you and I hold tight to that, I also hold tight to God and how God can do all and a Tumor CANNOT!
Sweet Katie C. sent this to me today...
What a tumor CANNOT do...It cannot cripple love, it cannot shatter hope, it cannot corrode faith, it cannot eat away peace, it cannot destroy confidence, it cannot kill friendship, it cannot silence courage and Praise God it CANNOT reduce eternal life. :)
David will update blog tonight with all the medical details and I will send a pray list of all our doctors tonight if you would be praying for them. And also lets continue to pray for insurance to CALL us today and give us the yes:)
Love to all of you!
Dana
