TGIF

It is a rainy one today. It is not the best day for the last high school football game of the year. Though I was considering going to it, I guess I'm a fair weather kind of fan because I have decided to open a window and listen to the announcers from the comfort of my home. That's one advantage to being close to the school. We had parent teacher conferences and again all the kids are doing as expected. They have all made improvements and I know where our challenges lie again this year. Who said the that parents have the "easy" job?

Tom continues to balance home, work, and the task of instructing. He is working on a presentation that he has to give next Wednesday. Luckily Kyle is, what I consider, hi-tech and is helping his father put together a powerpoint. All those months of Kyle making little movies and such has given him the understanding of how the software package works. It is interesting to watch son teach father.

The order for a PET/CT scan is now in the hands of Tom's primary doctor. His office manager has called me to confirm that they are submitting this to have it scheduled. The insurance will more than likely need a Letter of Medical Necessity, which I believe holds up the procedure more so than the other types of scans. We have time to wait anyway so this time I am not jumping on the phone everyday to see if it has been approved.

Thanks again for all the phone calls, e-mails, and conversations. I know that it is hard to understand the procedures and the past week the question was asked by many, why do you have to wait so long for another test? The best answer I can give is that the doctors do have a plan of attack and are being cautious in this plan. I have confidence in these doctors that are caring for Tom. I also have faith that even though I do not understand the path that we are on right now, there is a purpose for events that happen in our lives. This summer as I was on one of my many walks I stopped asking the "why" is this happening. I acknowledged this hard path and started asking God, "what" do you want me to do with this?

Time Will Tell

Thanks again to Dawn and Tom for putting us up for the night. Also, thanks to Grandma for taking the kids for the night and getting them off to school. It was nice to know that all was well in the home front as we traveled across our state. Tom and I joked about how well we are learning Ann Arbor and how we can get around so that we did not even bring the map this trip! OK, so I forgot to pack it, but it was not needed anyway.

We met with Dr. Prince this morning and had a good "Meet and Greet" He stated that he had looked over the September scans and patiently answered my questions. Basically the consult was covering this once again:
Only the thyroid can create C-cells (calcitonin)
Calcitonin levels means that these cells are somewhere in the body
Calcitonin levels can fluctuate but a steady increase means an increase of levels indicating activity
These cells can grow rapidly or take a longer course of time to form into a tumor

Choices are either to do nothing or repeat scans. Here are the scans we can choose:
Octreoscan - Most of the time the dye is receptive to this type of cancer, small possibility that it will not be receptive
CT scan - Shows lump size where there may be infection, does not indicate activity
PET scan - Active cells show up the more active the cancer is the brighter the indication, hard to decipher if there is cancer if there is any infection or what is possibly the effects from a surgery
PET/CT scan - Done together is the most effective way and as we have a history of the cells uptaking this type of dye there is a good indication this will happen again

So with that being said, we will choose the course of a PET/CT scan. This will be done sometime in December on our side of the state. Dr. Prince also explained the reason for waiting a minimum of 3 months between scans. The first and foremost is that when these scans are done they do contain radiation and there is precaution as to how much a patient should receive. The other reason is that doing scans farther apart gives the active cells time to form and to find where the cancer is. He stated that the tumor could likely be either in his lungs or in the lymph nodes behind his lungs. He did not feel that it would be in the neck area due to the extensive surgery and radiation in that area, but would not entirely rule it out. Simply stated "They can't treat something that they can't see."

For now we are in a wait and see pattern again. As Tom and I were heading home we once again talked how this is possibly what life will be like for the rest of Tom's life. It is hard for Tom and I to understand all the whys and hows, but once again we will go on as life as usual, no with a better appreciation for life. I will thank God everyday that he is here. One year after surgery is a huge accomplishment and I do not take that lightly. Thanks Prayer Warriors, as you have covered us in your prayers, you have help us through one more step. My last thoughts I will share with you comes from 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 "What a wonderful God we have-he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them the same help and comfort God has given us."

Impressive

We are definitely enjoying the bright sunny and somewhat warm days here at the Andrews' household. I love to see the colors change on the trees and Tom loves the cooler temps. Tonight is homecoming in our town and we plan to cheer on our Wildcats as it will be a perfect night for a game! Tom and the boys enjoyed the Western Michigan Bronco's homecoming last weekend with some of the "boys" while Katie and I saw a movie and had great time with the "girls"

This week Tom received a call from Dr. Prince, who is the U of M doctor we will see next Friday. He was looking over Tom's file and had a few questions that he called to discuss. For some reason, their office had not received the last tests that were done here on the West side. He stated that he wanted to look them over and have his team ready and the right people to meet with Tom as we were coming a long way. I was shocked and Tom was impressed that he was looking at our file so early. Thankfully their office has time to get the films before we go and can have a clear understanding of where Tom's disease is at.

Well, until then our days are plenty busy. Each day we have something going on in the evening at our house. The days will thankfully go by fast as we start to anticipate what this meeting will entail. I pray that the "team" we need is present and that the next step is clear to those who have Tom's life in their hands. Thanks again for all your prayers that cover Tom.
Psalm 116:1-2 "I love the Lord because he hears my prayers and answers them. Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breath!

One Year Ago Today

The road was long with ups & downs. The doctors said surgery was the way
We talked with many to understand why life's road led us here today
The morning of surgery I kept my tears at bay
We said our "Good-byes,& I love yous" as they prepared to roll you away
I tried to keep calm on that warm beautiful day
Eight hours of surgery seemed an eternity away
Your sister came to sit by my side
We laughed, we cried, we prayed
That all happened One Year Ago Today

When the time had passed that your surgery should have been done
My mind kept thinking "Why so long? Could something possibly have gone astray?"
It took all my strength to sit and wait for the doctor to come out and say that you were OK
I couldn't concentrate on anything, I hardly had words to pray
Three and one half long hours later the surgeon finally came to say
that you had quite on impressive amount of cancer and would have a long hospital stay
That all happened One Year Ago Today

Two more anxious hours later they led me back to you
I tried not to cry as we talked a lot of things through
You don't remember a thing, but I do
I just could not take my eyes off of you
Thanking God you pulled through
That all happened One Year Ago Today

A year has passed and we have had a tough road.
We have both had to carry a heavy load
We learned lots of lessons all the way through
I understand I took a lot for granted and now everyday I thank God for you
It started one Year Ago Today