Sunday, August 9, 2015

Ready For The Next Step

Since I have finished chemo my family and I have taken a much needed vacation.  We were able to go on our own church history tour finished off by spending time with family in Utah.  First we went to Palmyra, New York to see the Cumorah Pagent, then to Niagra Falls (not really church history), then to Kirtland, Ohio, and finally to Nauvoo, where the Nauvoo Pagent was going on.  It was neat to see all these places and to be able to feel the Spirit.  To finish off the vacation at Bear Lake was perfect.  Now that we are home I am slowly recovering from our vacation.

Steven and I both have been busy getting ready for our next step in our treatments.  Steven went and met with his surgeon as well as his new endocrinologist.  We are both so glad he has switched doctors.  This new doctor has gained our confidence that he knows what he is doing.  Steven is scheduled for surgery to have a total lymph node removal on the left side of his neck on the 21st of this month.  Hopefully that will be all the cancer.  If there is still cancer they will do the radiation therapy again.  The one he had before was way too low of a dose for his cancer is what we have been told.  With all the bad doctoring by his last endocrinologist there is no way of knowing if the cancer was there before or if it is a recurrence.  Unfortunately the last doctor is not a part of UPMC so the current doctor does not have access to all her notes.  So we are pressing forward best we can.

I was able to do my simulation on Thursday for my radiation.  The position they had me in is very uncomfortable.  I have to hold that position for about 20 minutes every time I go in.  I start the actual radiation tomorrow morning and it will go for just under 6 weeks Monday through Friday.  I am told by the 3rd or 4th week it will begin to be painful.  I'm not looking forward to it.

Things are beginning to take their toll on both Steven and I.  It is getting harder to put on a brave face with all that is happening.  But we continue to try and do our best.  I think we are both just tired emotionally more than anything.  Sometimes it is hard to see the good things when we are in the midst of our trials.  I do have faith that this is for our learning and our good, but it is not always easy to have that frame of mind.  I'm grateful for the gospel and the scriptures that remind me of a loving Father in Heaven who knows us and has a plan for each of us.  I appreciate the prayers that have been given in our behalf and ask that you please continue them.

On a more positive note, my hair is growing.  I even went without my head scarf for most of church today.

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