What if green hair grows on my chest?

The title of this blog is from a Shel Silverstein poem I'm sure I read to my kids, but they're all convinced I made it up since they don't remember it. I was reminded of it today because we had another oncology appointment where we asked a lot of "What if?" questions. We found out that although there is no cancer in my adrenal glands, it is still considered Stage 4 since it is in my bones, so the plan for my treatment hasn't changed. I will still be getting two types of chemo and Avastin as we had discussed.

I talked with Dr. Segota about my family's desire that I get a second opinion today. She gave me great recommendations, and we've decided to postpone my first cycle of chemo until after I hear back from the doctors at Sloan-Kettering, which is known for excellence in its studies of lung cancer. She said there is no risk in such a slight delay in my treatment, and it is actually safer to wait because many studies won't accept me for participation if I've already begun chemotherapy. I called Sloan-Kettering this afternoon, and they have already been faxed much of my information, so hopefully I'll have an appointment there next week. Mackenzie and I are excited that we'll get a trip to New York City out of it! I'm pretty sure I deserve a vacation :-).

We met Dr. Segota's very personable nurse Debbie today, who explained much of what to expect during my treatment. I remember a lot from going through it with my mom, but it's a good review, and my family appreciated her information. My son Steve, who is a Naval hospital corpsman (or surgical tech), joined us at the appointment today, so he could enlighten me about all the scientific and more technical medical information when we were at lunch afterward. You'll just have to trust me that it was fascinating because I'm not even going to attempt to repeat the details he told us!

A few days ago, God placed a woman in my path who further boosted my outlook on my condition. Unfortunately, I never got her name, but she sat across from me as I waited for my nails to dry after a manicure. She told me that she has been living with cancer for three and a half years, after originally being given a six month estimate. The cancer is not completely eradicated from her body, but it has gotten much smaller, and she remains on a maintenance dose of chemo. She gave me great tips from her experience and gave me a whole new hope in considering my cancer. I had originally thought, I'm either going to be 100% cancer-free, or I will die from it, but now I see there is even another possibility. People live happy lives far beyond a terminal prognosis, not without cancer, but managing their cancer so that they can return to doing all the things they enjoy. So many people have told me stories of friends who received miraculous healing or who far outlived their prognosis, and I am so thankful for God's blessings on them. But it was so encouraging to meet one of these people face to face as she is going through it. I am thankful that she was willing to talk to me about what God is doing in her life.

After the appointment today, it's been fun times with Bob, Mackenzie, Steve, Dawn, Emma, Annabelle, and Addison! Dawn brought a bubble machine that was a big hit, and the kids fell in love with the built in camera on Mackenzie's Macbook. Getting them to sit still for a picture on the camera was another story completely!