Understanding Cancer

I thought life couldn't get much busier...man was I wrong. Today Kyle stated when we came home from concessions again "You guys are always busy" Katie swims Tuesdays and Thursdays. This past week she did the 500 meter & I was one proud parent. Not that she did anything special as she was told by the coach that all Freshmen would have the opportunity to swim that event, but that she was told after she completed the event from coach, "Not bad for your first time" Knowing that she will have another opportunity in an event she would rather not, she took that very well :) On Tuesday Tom and I rushed around to make it to Hamilton for her meet. We were so proud that we pulled into the parking lot at 5:55, we looked at each other and said wow 5 minutes to spare. We could not believe there were not many cars in the parking lot. No matter, we found a great seat and I pulled up her meet information on my phone to see that it started at 6:30. So I told others laughingly that we spent some quality time & showed them how.....I pulled out my phone and started scrolling different apps. I got a few chuckles from that. I have been helping Tom in the indoor concessions and am getting better understanding and appreciation of volunteers past and present. It takes a lot of work to run the concessions. Cody had his first home game this Friday & Tom was not allowed into the concessions during the game as another booster member told him to "enjoy watching your son play". Though the team did not win, I am glad that Cody is getting so much playing time. They moved him around a little & I know that he doesn't want to come off the field at all. His love for the game is deep!

In between all this we took two days to go to U of M for Tom's scans and results. We arrived plenty early on Wednesday and Tom was hoping as in the past he could get his scans over a little earlier as usual. When we got to the waiting room we both realized this was not to be. It was a packed waiting room. The contrast he has to drink makes him so sick, so we went right after to check into the hotel. He did take me to a little cafe that he found last summer and we both enjoyed our dinner, but he was not up to working on concession paperwork nor did he want to sit in the hot tub or swim. I know he was feeling a little guilty about it but I reassured him that I was not expecting a vacation get away like we had in FL. Thursday we were able to see the doc and get his results. I had a little chuckle as the nurse came into the room and asked Tom how he was doing. He had a smile and said I'm feeling great. She then turned and looked at me with the (Is he telling the truth look) and said "So, how is he doing?" I had to agree this time. From either the pain meds, the mild effects from the chemo, or both he is definitely up and moving better than I have seen him in a while. I sometimes wonder if it is the direction of running the boosters that gives him an extra push to get up and started with his day. On the positive note his CT showed the spine as stable and the chest showed some decrease. The C6 & C7 in the necks also had some smaller lesions. The liver is another matter. The CT showed some small, some stable but a couple went from .8 to 1.1 and .8 to 1.4. However there was one that was at 1.3 previously that is not visible. Doctor Worden said that he wanted Tom to have an MRI so that he could have a better look as the CT is not the best scan to for measurements. He explained that the lung is a "fluffy" organ and the cancer is very obvious. The liver is a dense organ that is hard to read or examine with this scan. Tom was given MRI orders to take back to Grand Rapids as a base-line. In December when he goes to U of M they will make the comparison and see a clearer picture of what the liver is doing. Another concern is the CEA level is up and this is an indicator that the cancer is doing something.

On the way out the door I picked up the Thrive magazine. This is a magazine that is published a few times a year from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. I flipped it to the article that was titled Understanding Cancer Recurrence. Though I think I get what this means I am not sure those who have not been through this either themselves or with a loved ones comprehends this disease, especially when it's rare and not curable. It stated: If the cancer is detected in surrounding lymph nodes to the original location, it is a regional recurrence. If the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body it is called metastatic recurrence. metastasis cancer is also called stage 4. Advances in treatment allow us to manage cancer symptoms and shrink cancerous tumors, but metastatic cancer is rarely curable. The goal for treating a spread cancer is to reduce tumor size and relieve some of the symptoms that the patients experience. this allows us to prolong an individual's life and, in many cases, allows a person to live a high-quality life.

I think in the past some people have been under the impression that stable means the same as in remission or that something was missed as the cancer has not been stopped. Unfortunately that is not the case. Though Tom and the cancer team stay positive we know that the focus is slowing/stopping the growth and the spread, keeping Tom comfortable with the best quality of life a cancer patient can experience. I give a great amount of respect to those who work on the cancer treatment with Tom. I appreciate the positive attitude and sympathy that is given to our visits. I know that this is a scary word in our home and that we are grateful for the days that we are given together as a family. Again I want to say thank you to all who have text, e-mailed, and asked about Tom and supported both of us. I know that sometimes I have a hard time talking about what life brings. I've even walked away from a conversation or two at work because I've been in tears with coworkers; but I DO so appreciate the concern from others. I could not do this alone. I could not accept this all without help and support. There is more than just the fear of the disease, there is Hope, Love, Joy & laughter that keeps us going daily.

Ecclesiastes 6:10 "All things are decided by fate; it was known long ago what each man would be, so there's no use arguing with God about our destiny"