MRIs (Plural)

Yesterday's MRIs ended up being at 9:40 p.m. both with and without contrast. So Philip (and Mikayla) ended up there for quite some time. However, they are done so when the oncologist schedules, she will have results. 

On that note, it's time I gave some credit where it's due. Philip has a girlfriend named Mikayla. She is an absolute Godsend. I used to work with her dad and was shocked when Philip told me who she is. They have known each other for some time (over a year). 

Mikayla used to work for a medical company and knows which offices in the valley have competent staff. She also calls ahead of time for his appointments to check that his test results were sent. Doesn't mean the staff won't change their story once we arrive. But it does mean she have a point of contact to go back to. So, shout out to Mikayla. Thank you for everything!

Update

The appointment with the urologist yesterday gave us some new information. The next steps include an MRI and consultation with an oncologist. Depending on when she can fit us in, it may be a couple of weeks before we know any more. So nothing is really going to be happening for a couple of weeks. I will update again when more info is available. Hugs.

Round 3

So here we are again. Philip has colon cancer. I will try to keep this blog up to date for those who want more than just a short answer over the phone. So far...

• It does not look aggressive
• It is in the very early stages
• It is most definitely operable

He is trying to get an appointment with the surgeon to talk about when they'd like to do the surgery. It will most likely be in the next few weeks. We will be staying at home for the holidays due to this and LK's foot surgery. I'll post more information as I receive it myself. Hugs to all.

Never Have I Ever...

...Wanted to post another thing to this blog. But here we are. 

More to follow, when I'm sober.

Numb. And not the comfortable kind.

So, after three surgeries (yes, three) Gregory is now headed to 12 weeks of daily radiation (yes, daily). He has his spirits up so that's a good thing. Call if you need more info.

When It Rains...

OK, so, the week is over and I feel a little safer posting.
Sunday - Go to work to make up some hours for Monday.
Monday - Gregory's second surgery. Doc wants to see us Friday for results.
Tuesday - Short reprieve.
Wednesday - Out to the garage at 0430 to go to work. Pipe has burst and there is now a hole in my wall and the bottom of said wall is leaking water for about 10 feet across. Call plumber and leave for work. 
Plumber comes out after work - $1600. But they don't fix flooded walls. Call flood control guys. 
"~$6000 AND we have to get authorization from your insurance company." 
Insurance guy - "We'll get back to you in the next three working days." 
Me - "But that means leaving it for the weekend. We are having monsoons here. It's going to mold." 
Insurance and Flood guys - "Probably." 
Me - "Everyone out!" Call Friend Richard. 
Rich - "I'll be right there." Comes out immediately and drains the wall saving me from filing insurance claim. Fireman from next door brings fans. Boyfriend Steve pours me a drink and keeps it full.
Thursday - Sitting in office and the air conditioner starts making VERY bad noises. Call the plumbers back and ask for air guys. Can come out tomorrow.
Friday Morning - Head to doctor's office. 
Doc - "Oops, no results. Come back next week." Drive back home.
Friday Afternoon - Air guy comes out. "Um, that unit is bad and going out. Let me check the attic." Comes down from the attic with pictures. BAD pictures. Well, at least it's the same unit. 
Me - "What's it gonna cost?" 
Air guy Phil - "About $10K." 
Me - "And insurance won't cover that, will they." 
Air guy Phil - "Nope." 
Boyfriend Steve pours me a drink and keeps it full. Schedule crane and installation for Saturday.
Saturday Morning - head to work at 0450 to make up for upcoming Friday.
Saturday Afternoon - Crane and new A/C shows up. Takes all day but they are done around 1800. Boyfriend Steve brings dinner. I pour me a drink and keep it full.

Oh My Soul

No posts in quite a while, I know. The good news was a false alarm and we've been dealing with the misdiagnosis. I was very relieved and happy to hold on to "it isn't cancer" pronouncement but I'm not stupid. I knew that we needed a definite answer to what it actually was. We headed to a very good general surgeon. So good that the tests she ordered were much more accurate than the CT scan Gregory previously had. It wasn't conclusive but the MRI showed it wasn't just a sebaceous cyst. She sent us to an excellent oncological surgeon. Long story short he was headed to surgery. I won't go into the quantity and levels of meltdown which occurred due to tests and other stresses, but it was significant. And not just Gregory.

After surgery, the labs came back showing it to be aggressive fibromatosis (also called a desmoid tumor). While not a traditional sarcoma, it 1) can kill you, 2) can come back, and 3) does respond to chemo and radiation in some cases. The trick is to get it out with a wide, clean margin around the tumor. For more information on this see Treatment of Soft Tissue Sarcomas at the American Cancer Society webpage. Fortunately our surgeon did get clean margins. We were to return after surgery to check the incision and then every three months after that to watch for recurrence.

Our first three month visit didn't go well. Something had started growing. So our doctor had us come back in a month. That appointment was Friday. The new mass shrank from the previous month but is now more painful. There is a very good possibility it is epidural fibrosis (a bundle of nerves getting pinched by scar tissue and fibrous adhesions). The surgery to remove this is significantly less invasive. Gregory has requested a general anesthetic to avoid meltdowns during the procedure. Mom concurs. The doctor's office will call us in the next week or so to schedule things. I'll post when more information is available.