I've been keeping a secret from my readers - {yes, all five of you! ;)}
It's actually two secrets.
Unfortunately they aren't good, juicy secrets.
And no I'm not pregnant.
They're kind of sad secrets.
So here it is -
I'm coming clean.
They found more tumors in my Dad. This time they weren't just in his bladder, but in his ureter. If you're like me and have no idea what a ureter is and stutter every time you have to say ureter (u·re·ter, but say it fast), it's the tube between the kidneys and the bladder that transports the pee-pees. His bladder also remains ripe for more tumors despite many rounds of treatment.
What does this mean? Well, it's threefold. First of all, it means he'll have to have those new tumors biopsied (June 4). Then he'll undergo three months of Chemo. As early as this fall, he'll be a bladder lighter (and depending on how the tumors respond to treatment, they may remove his right kidney as well).
On the same day we found out about my Dad's condition, we learned that Matt's mom has Multiple Myeloma. It's really too bad that I don't grasp cells and blood work well - it would make understanding this cancer a lot easier. Multiple Myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells that basically ends up poisoning the bone marrow. Her Multiple Myeloma is considered Stage 2 (there are 3 stages). She'll be heading to Arkansas June 4 for a week of tests to determine if she's a candidate for their aggressive Multiple Myeloma treatment program. If so, she'll stay in AR and begin treatment which includes two weeks of aggressive Chemo followed by a Stem Cell transplant once her cancer is stabilized. Then they will repeat this treatment (it's called a tandem transplant...see I'm learning). If she's not a candidate, she'll most likely receive treatment at Duke (which is a less aggressive program, but still has a decent outcome). Multiple Myeloma is a treatable, but non curable, form of cancer. However, medical advances over the last decade have improved a patient's chance of remission and their survival rate.
It's actually two secrets.
Unfortunately they aren't good, juicy secrets.
And no I'm not pregnant.
They're kind of sad secrets.
So here it is -
I'm coming clean.
They found more tumors in my Dad. This time they weren't just in his bladder, but in his ureter. If you're like me and have no idea what a ureter is and stutter every time you have to say ureter (u·re·ter, but say it fast), it's the tube between the kidneys and the bladder that transports the pee-pees. His bladder also remains ripe for more tumors despite many rounds of treatment.
What does this mean? Well, it's threefold. First of all, it means he'll have to have those new tumors biopsied (June 4). Then he'll undergo three months of Chemo. As early as this fall, he'll be a bladder lighter (and depending on how the tumors respond to treatment, they may remove his right kidney as well).
On the same day we found out about my Dad's condition, we learned that Matt's mom has Multiple Myeloma. It's really too bad that I don't grasp cells and blood work well - it would make understanding this cancer a lot easier. Multiple Myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells that basically ends up poisoning the bone marrow. Her Multiple Myeloma is considered Stage 2 (there are 3 stages). She'll be heading to Arkansas June 4 for a week of tests to determine if she's a candidate for their aggressive Multiple Myeloma treatment program. If so, she'll stay in AR and begin treatment which includes two weeks of aggressive Chemo followed by a Stem Cell transplant once her cancer is stabilized. Then they will repeat this treatment (it's called a tandem transplant...see I'm learning). If she's not a candidate, she'll most likely receive treatment at Duke (which is a less aggressive program, but still has a decent outcome). Multiple Myeloma is a treatable, but non curable, form of cancer. However, medical advances over the last decade have improved a patient's chance of remission and their survival rate.
So...these things have pretty much consumed my little brain for the last couple of weeks. I wake up at night thinking about these things - the life changes that are about to happen to my family, the quality of lives that are about to be affected, the sheer exhaustion that both my Dad and my Mother in Law must feel (because I'm mentally a little exhausted just thinking about all this) .. and yet, none of this seems real.
You can follow Donna's journey through her Caringbridge page:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/donnakidder
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/donnakidder
4 comments:
xoxoxoxo
I hope I'm counted in the 5....I read! Thinking of you and both of your families. XOXO. Prayers for you guys.
Praying for your dad, mother in law and all those affected by these diagnosis.
I'm proud to be one of your readers :-) Have you followed Tara's Dad's blog on his journey with MM? http://walkingwithbigez.blogspot.com/
Praying for your family, thats a lot to deal with.
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