Great News!

Monday I had my first appt with my specialist, who is an amazing dr. not only did he answer all my questions, he asked all the ones i didnt think to ask! It's nice to leave an appt feeling better about everything that when i got there. Basically, all I have is good news. Because of the stage and earlyness of catching everything, we are not opting not to do any treatments and just doing frequent bloodwork and a 6 month check, which we will do every 6 months from here on out. The chance of return is 1%, which is awesome!

Now I am off to Vegas! I mean, where else does one go to celebrate! I am meeting my friend Brittany who has been dedicating her time to the peace corp there, we are set for an excellent few days! Brit, I can't wait - it's hard to believe I haven't seen you since August! Next week I had out to San Diego to see James and go to the Cubs/Padres series! It's gearing up to be a great summer!

Still dancing!

Well, the results are in, drum roll please. I have cancer. Now wait, didn't I already know that? Yes, but now it has been confirmed by my local Dr's and also by Mayo Clinic - which means I finally got my second round of results back. Not only was the cancer on the left side confirmed, Dr's also found three spots on the right side - which is where the largest tumor was located. I really dont feel any different with this information - had they come back and told me they were wrong and it wasnt cancer, then I would have experienced emotion. I am meeting with an endocrinologist on Monday to talk about the next step - I am glad to be finishing everything before my vacations (which we will working around, they have already been informed!). So, check back for updates after that.

I have been very blessed with a fast and easy recovery. My scar is healing very well (in fact, it is almost embaressing how small it is - I was hoping for a little more in the beginning) and feel 100%. I am taking temporary medication with is making my skin dry and my hair brittle and I go from hot to cold a lot, but this is all very minor.

Thanks again to all of you who have been so supportive with everything! It's amazing how giving people can be when there is need, from my family, the relay team, my friends, and the people at work! You have all been an awesome support.

The waiting game

I hate waiting. As a person who is always on time and early, there is nothing I hate worse that waiting for people (thought i have been a bit pokey lately). I had my post-op follow up on Thursday. I was anticipating stitches out (they are!) and results. My dr starts by asking if anyone has called. Um, no. Then he tells me they had to send them to Mayo clinic, at which point my heart drops. Mayo clinic and cancer do not go together well in my book. He then explained they needed to have a second diagnosis, but he wasnt too concerned, they just had a couple questions. So, it will be another week. Because I dont have enough going on this week, you know? He also started me on the replacement meds, which is good - they are just temporary, but he wants my body to get used to them. Not a huge deal. So, we wait. Some more.

On a happy note, I am feeling great and very recoved! It's been a week since surgery and I feel about 97% - the only thing holding me back in not being able to turn my neck. And yawning and the hiccups. Those are pretty minor compared to other effects. I am almost disappointed in my scar, it looks fabulous, I havent even been wearing a scarf, it's so clean and small. I was hoping for a good story to use in Vegas, it looks like I may need to find something else!