one hurdle behind us

both of my procedures went as planned and i am happy to have the invasive part of this behind me.

the thoracic surgeon was successful in removing a whole 'golf ball-sized' malignant lymph node on wednesday. this was larger than they were hoping for and should help with pathology. (apparently the architecture of the node provides information about the type of cancer, growth pattern, etc.) the vascular surgeon installed the port in my chest yesterday with no problems. i was pleased to learn that he is a neighbor of mine at stone harbour... the thought of bumping into me at the pool, marina, parking garage, etc. down the road should have provided increased motivation to be careful as ever. ;)

i'm swollen, bruised, in some pain and having some trouble moving around but taking pain meds and laying low. i'm super thankful for my family around to stay by my side and help with the little (and big) things. i'm still hoping to get pathology news today, otherwise early next week... in the meantime comfort will be my objective for the next few days. i hope you all have a good weekend; it looks gorgeous outside... enjoy! :)

game time!

i finished my last day of work today. this party gets started tomorrow at 7:30am with the biopsy. i was given the choice of accessing the lymphnodes in my chest through an incision along the base of my neck or through my right side. given that the risks and benefits were comparable, i opted for the right side in hopes of walking away from this with a few fewer visible scars. on thursday at noon i will have a second procedure to install a port in my chest for easy chemo access over the next several months.  the thoracic surgeon estimated i'd be in the hospital for a few days while the chest tube does its job and my lung reinflates, etc. i'm hoping to have pathology results on friday... keep your fingers crossed!

good news: 1 of 2

i received my PET scan results today, which confirmed that the cancer is only in my chest/neck and has not spread below my diaphragm... great news!

'one learns to itch where one can scratch'

today i'm radioactive for a PET scan and have to spend some time in solitary confinement. thankfully, my ipod and blackberry are allowed, giving me a good excuse to draft an update and figured i'd start with the back story... in march, while on a girls trip with my virginia tech friends, i started with this chronic itch. i chalked it up as a seasonal allergy that kicked in due to some new allergen in the florida air. while that itch followed me for the next four months, i spent many sleepless nights and frustrated days waiting for allergy season to end. when it did, and my itch didn't, i began appointments with allergists/dermatologists. at the urging of my brilliant, insightful  and medically-inclined mom, i got a second opinion from a dermatologist who ordered a chest x-ray and the rest is history...


i am hoping the next week will reveal a) that this cancer is contained in my chest above my diaphragm, and b) that the suspicion of hodgkin's is confirmed by pathology. i understand that hodgkin's will be a much easier road for me than the other lymphoma alternatives. my radioactive day today will confirm wish a; biopsy next wednesday will confirm wish b.

'we cannot control the wind, but we have the power to adjust the sails'

so, i never thought i'd have a blog; then again, i never thought i'd be facing cancer either. i realize that communication will be important yet challenging for me over the coming weeks/months. the industrial engineer in me likes the idea of an efficient 'pull' system for people to get updates (as opposed to 'push'ing emails on you unnecessarily). moreover, i know i'll need to be in touch with my friends and family to gain lift from your support.

i feel incredibly grateful to have so many amazing people in my corner.... a winning corner, by the way! i know I will beat this; not only because i'm determined to, but because the odds and modern science are in my favor. i always feel so fortunate to have the most amazing husband & family in the world; i am more grateful than ever to have them on my team right now.

as many of you know, peter and i recently started taking sailing lessons. living on bristol harbour, we watch sail boats all season long through our bedroom window. my best friend, beth, shared this quote with me at the start of this journey last week and it seemed a fitting blog name.

if you're reading this, thank you for all of the support you have provided me, peter and my family. i am eternally grateful!