Saturday, June 25, 2011

Monday Morning

so quick update.... this week has been a whirlwind. i had my PET and CT scans last week, and it isn't what we were hoping for.

we chose R-EPOCH chemo, a more intense chemo, in hopes killing this thing off. and to avoid radiation.

well the tumor has shrunk, but the cancer has become more "active."

so dr. poisson suggests radiation. which nolan and i are very against. and we have been exploring all options.

the first two days after hearing this we have dove into all available treatments. traditional and non-traditional. we've been on the phone with survivors, clinics, and anyone else you can imagine.

cancer is a FULL time job. we are exhausted.

dr. poisson has been in contact with OHSU and their team of lymphoma specialist. i am meeting with dr. maziarz this next week. he is their stem cell transplant guru. he is very very very good. and so is his team. dr. maziarz would like me to get a biopsy of the mass to make sure it's where we think it is.

PET scans can be a little dishonest at times. so it could be better than we think, or worse. but either way the only way to be 100% sure is a biopsy. only i cannot do a needle biopsy like last time, that only produces a very small amount of tissue.

so monday morning i am going in for surgery. the whole put you under, deflate your lung, and take a huge (1in x 1in) chunk of this sucker. i should be able to come home wednesday. i don't have any details on the surgery yet.

in this whirlwind, i was not able to meet with the surgeon because time simply did not allow. but rest assured i am googling the heck out of him. and dr. poisson highly recommends him. so my fears have kinda been put to bay.

but if you know me, i like to know ALL the details, digest them, sleep on them.... so this is very hard for me. not meeting the doctor until the morning of my surgery? my whole body screams OUTRAGEOUS! but i don't have a lot of options right now, as this mass is a fast growing mass and time is of the essence. but we are doing everything to make sure i am getting the best care possible.

so we will have to wait and see what the biopsy shows. we will probably harvest stems cells no matter what and store them in the fridge (or freezer?)

and possibly do radiation.

ugh. i hate saying that. i do not want radiation. too many side effects

heart disease, heart attacks, lung cancer, lung problems, breast cancer just to name a few long term side effects. just doesn't sound appealing to me. but.... what other choice do i have? there are a couple clinical trials i have been looking into. but still.

i can only speculate at this point. we will  know more towards the end of next week.

4 comments:

  1. not to make light of the situation or sound like a hippie, but cant you use hemp oil as treatment? i dont like the sound of radiation either >.<

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  2. you are in my prayers daily aimee! stay strong in the Lord :)

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  3. i will look it up andy! thanks for the suggestion :-) i am open to try anything....

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  4. Aimee,

    I don't know if you remember me, but I'm from Ketchikan (I'm your brother Daniel's age), and I just want you to know I am praying for you. I know the Lord is able to heal you, and that is what I am praying for. You're going to stay on my prayer board until this thing is healed. You are such a warrior. I pray for the Lord's comfort and peace to abound. Exodus 14:14.

    Standing with you,
    Katie Hopkins

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