The 1st appointment Dr. Przy told me the pathology report from last week's surgery had clear margins. There were two specimens from the center that showed some atypical cells, but they were most likely inflammation from the radiation. So, he will be free to close the wound next Monday with a graft from my leg. I didn't know what to think - just couldn't believe him. I was so sure the news would be bad.
The dressing was removed and a soft one applied. Then we went to see a PA who pulled the report up on the computer and let me read it. She said she was hopeful and made me feel better. Guy said it was just an answer to a LOT of prayer. THANK YOU ALL!!!!!
Then I had the MRI of my head and CT of my chest, abdomen, and pelvis. We met Mark for lunch and then went to the 1:15 appointment to find out the results of my scans. I was finally beginning to feel the elation of the morning path report, when Dr. Powers came into the room. He is the most kind, compassionate man I know, but he didn't waste any time getting to the heart of the matter. The CT scan showed a 1.1 cm spot on my liver - that was not there June 20 when I got my last scan. I felt like someone just socked me in the chest!! How could that be???? The scary thing is that it is now on the move - no longer confined to my head. Both oncologists have told me this would eventually end up in the liver or lungs. Thankfully, that was the only spot and it was small. The MRI of my head was clear. (Well, no metastasis to the brain!)
How can you go from feeling so good to feeling so rotten? He said we had a couple options. He wants to start me on Avastin - a completely different chemo drug from what I was taking. Good thing about that med is almost no side effects. Bad thing is it slows healing and you can have absolutely NO surgery for 6 weeks after you stop it. It acts by seeking out the cancer cells anywhere in the body and cutting off their blood supply. Thus, they cannot multiply. It is particularly affective against cancer in the blood. Beginning that immediately is out, since this wound on my head and graft site will have to heal 1st. In the meantime, since everything else looked good, he referred me to an interventional radiologist – just down the hall from Dr. Przylecki. By God’s grace, I was able to call and get in with him this afternoon after getting the dressing changed back to that metal piece. Apparently, this is all he does – microwave ablation. I would be asleep, placed under a scanner and a needle will be placed through my abdomen and guided by the scanner, the needle will be directed into this liver lesion. Heat will be applied and that lesion and its margins will be burned up – it will be gone. They will follow with CT scans every 2 months to be sure it heals well and no more come back. After that we wait for my head to heal before starting the new chemo – which is given once every 3 weeks. I don’t know for how long.
I’ve already got 2 nurses in LR lined out to help me with dressing changes from the surgery and graft site.
You know, as bad as it seems for me, it could have been a lot worse. When we left Dr. Power’s office, I told Guy, “I can’t even cry – I’m just numb!” And I didn’t cry until the nurse in Przylecki’s office had to remove the plastic tape dressing covering my head to place the other dressing on it. That one wasn’t done quite right the 1at time she changed it, so she had to remove it again and redo it. THAT made me cry!!!!!! And I didn’t have any pain pills with me in my purse. But there was no time to mourn the pain because, I had to beat it down the hallway to see the new doctor before he locked his doors. When we left, all the other doors were locked, so we took the stairs and got locked in the stairwell. That place is a maze!! A LOCKED maze at 5:00 pm. Thus, a wonderful drive home in RUSH hour traffic.
Oh, one more thing. You know I had this ominous nagging in the back of my mind that this trip was not going to go well. That’s why I was so shocked when Dr. Przylecki said the path report was good. I never dreamed that Dr. Powers would be the one to confirm my suspicions. Sometimes we just have that 6th sense….
Oh, sorry.....one more. I had the nurse take a picture of the wound on my head after she removed the dressing and before putting the new one on. Sorry, that one won't even be posted at the bottom of my blog! That one nearly got to me!!!!!! 7 cm circle of GROSSNESS!!!!
I guess this ended up kind of long after all…..oh, well…
As always……I remain in His hands,,,,,,no where else to go….
P.S. Here's a picture and little blurb I posted later in the week.
This was Annie after we got home Wednesday. I think she was more tired than we were! 😀
My hair (what I have) is a "reverse-skunk" do! The top and back and most of other side are bare (radiation). You know people wear such weird hair-dos today, I don't think I even stick out
much when I go out. My head is too sore right now to wear anything on it. It really doesn't bother me to just walk around like this.
It's Sunday night now and In Overland Park again. Gotten to be quite a habit! Was to be at hospital at 6:30 in the morning but got a call that my surgery was postponed to 1:00 pm. Yikes! I'll be starving by then! Oh, well....just want it over. Will need a graft from my leg (hopefully from the already numb area from previous surgeries) to close the wound. Not looking forward to all the dressing changes. I've got a couple RNs from home that will help me with the dressing changes. The last time I had a graft, was with the original surgery, and I was here in OP for 3 months, so I had home health care take care of that. I can manage my leg dressing changes by myself, but not the back of my head.
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