A bump in the road...

This is copy/pasted from my Facebook page.  I don't have the energy to write another post right now, but I know not all of you are on Facebook, so I wanted to make sure to update on here as well.  I hope to update later this week when a radiation plan is put in place.  Please pray for all of us.  

Hi Friends,
The good news is short and becomes invalid quickly, so don't stop reading if you really want to know how my trip to Boston went. Thursday's meeting with the surgeon brought a lot of hope. She felt that surgery was a viable option for me, as long as my next PET scan showed stability.
Now for the bad ... Those nagging feelings something isn't right allowed me to find the courage to share all my current symptoms. Most symptoms can be explained as chemo side effects: fatigue, fuzzy thinking, slow word recall every now & then. 
Now for the ugly... evening headaches & occasional blurry vision that started about two weeks ago. The surgeon ordered a brain MRI. It came back showing the cancer has metastasized (spread) to my brain. I will start radiation next week. Chemo stops. Right now all the fight goes towards my brain. Yesterday I had a spinal mri because Dr. Overmoyer thinks it has likely spread in my spine too. I know none of this is good. I'm scared, petrified, really. But I have a loose plan and I have the best team of doctors looking to firm up this plan ASAP. I got the call about the brain metastases while finishing chemo yesterday. My chemo nurse was amazing. She took on the role of patient advocate, doctor, and scheduler. The scheduler was in no hurry to do the mri marked "urgent" by Dr. Overmoyer, saying that she didn't "think" they could do same day scans. The nurse practitioner that saw me yesterday said the same and that it could happen Monday. My nurse quickly said "think" wasn't good enough and that she needed to try harder. It was an awkward conversation, but my nurse pushed and the scan was done. This way when I meet with radiology on Monday they will have all my info and we can make better decisions. 
So, while I am terrified, I am also at peace. I've known something was off. Finally the right person heard me and the right tests were done. You can't treat what you don't know. I am feeling blessed that the symptoms are not constant and at this point they are minimal. Prior to the phone call from Dr. Overmoyer with the bad news, I passed a neurological evaluation with flying colors. Dr. Overmoyer was shocked that the symptoms are not worse. That leads me to believe the cancer is probably extensive, but I have not asked for that detail yet. 
I know many of you will want to help. I honestly have no idea what we will need. Winter weather is hard for traveling, but it also allows more flexibility for Jason and my Dad to take me to appointments. My mom & sister work for an amazing company that allows them flexibility to help with my care, as well. You can start praying now. Pray for Owen. He's my biggest concern right now. I want so badly for him to grow up with his Mommy. Pray for Jason. Being the spouse is hard. He has no control as he watches this all unfold. He plays the role of Mom when I can't. That's a heavy burden and he does it while running his business. Pray for my doctors. Help them to gain wisdom in this medical case that keeps getting trickier. Help them to feel motivated, rather than discouraged. Pray for my mom & dad. Watching your baby suffer, whether she is 4 or 34, has to be the worst feeling in the world. Pray for my sister. She is my biggest cheerleader. Help her to not get discouraged because I need her encouragement so much right now. Pray for my friends, coworkers, and students. This is all so scary for them, too. Finally, pray for positive results from treatments. Pray that the cancer in my body stabilizes and that the brain metastases disappear. My God is capable of miracles and I am not giving up hope. This is just another bump in the road, reminding all of us how precious life is. Hold your loved ones close. ❤
John 16:33

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