Wagon Load Got Bigger

Met with Dr. Patrick Brillant Friday. What a character! Tall and handsome and still wearing those cowboy boots. He is the surgeon that performed my colon surgery 5 years ago...exactly. He came in with his entourage (two interns) and we had a tough conversation. "This mass shouldn’t be here, just shouldn’t be here," he said. "The growth we took out 5 yrs ago was barely able to be called a cancer. But all of that doesn’t negate the fact that it is here and we have to deal with it."

Right now, the main concern: the mass is around the sciatic nerve, a very important part of our body. The biggest challenge is removing the mass with as little damage as possible to the nerve. First order of business will be to find a doctor willing to do such a delicate and dangerous operation. He immediately called one of his colleagues, Dr. Sharts, a neuro-otho???surgeon, that trained in Pittsburgh. University of Pittsburgh, I assume, as they have a fine, fine, medical school there. Not to mention a beautiful campus. It is right by Carnegie Mellon University, where Lauren went to graduate school.

Dr. Sharts asked that Brillant order a MRI specific to the region of the tumor and he would review it and decide if he would be willing and/or able to operate.

I asked if we should consider another hospital, Duke or Chapel Hill. Dr. Brillant didn’t seem to think they had anything any better than what Greenville has to offer and said if we need another hospital, he had very close contacts with the Mayo Clinic, where he trained and they were only a phone call away.

Dr. Brillant said the only good thing here is that we only have the one nasty mass, it is not in any other part of my body, hasn't invaded my liver or lymph nodes. If it were showing up in other places, then our only option would be to immediately begin chemo and radiation. With it being in one place, we do have another option...we can operate. Chemo and radiation may play a part in the process also, to possibly get any immature rogue cells that may be floating around in the blood stream. He didn’t want us to look back years later and second guess ourselves.

I have tried to prepare myself for this all along, but it is still hard to hear these things. But John and I are strong and we have so many good things in our favor. We will make it through all of this. Just have a bigger load in the wagon.

On a very good note; my pain has been more manageable recently. Prayers, love, meds...whatever, it is helping...and that is a good thing. Last night, I had the first (almost) full night's sleep in my bed, since July.

Life goes on. Got my fall scene started today. John and I went and "borrowed" some corn stalks from a neighbor. Pulled out all the old gourds we grew last year. Got a few bales of hay and put my "great pumpkin" on top. Looks grand!

Had a wonderful plate of BBQ for lunch with SWEET tea and divine hush puppies. John had Juan wash the Tahoe and farm truck while I listened to the ECU-UNC game. Got a steak out for dinner that will be cooked by an award winning chef... and heading out to pick a few vine ripe tomatoes for the salad.

Stay tuned.