Saturday, April 4, 2009

The Blog Is Born

Hi to all Brenda's Healing Village...

By now most of you know the story. Over the last several months I have been watching Brenda's neck getting thicker and I really thought our personal trainer was getting a little too aggressive with her back workouts! As Brenda put it...she was beginning to look like a line-backer.

We left for our trip to Tahiti on March 9th and every time I looked at Brenda's neck, I continued to be concerned. Something just wasn't right. On the trip our friend Karen, an ICU nurse, also noticed the swollen nodes and when I asked her what she thought, she suggested we talk to our friend Amanda, a doctor, who was traveling with us. Both Amanda and Karen were quite concerned but didn't want to ruin our vacation so as true medical professionals, they strongly but gently suggested that Brenda see our GP when we got home. 

Brenda did that on Wednesday March 25th and our GP immediately (like that day) sent her to an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. He discovered a "MASS" in her sinus cavity and proceeded to take some samples to biopsy. To put it in Brenda's terms...he tried to pull her brain out of her nose." Got the visual? She then went for a CT/PET scan on March 31st and we went back to Dr. Heiland (the ENT) on April 1st to hear some news.

Who says the universe doesn't have a sense of humor...on April 1st, the doc told us that Brenda had cancer in her sinus cavity that had traveled to her neck lymph nodes. The air was sucked out of the room with that news. He really didn't like this beast at all and bumped another patient to get her into surgery on Friday April 3rd. Talk about moving fast. Thank heaven the train was moving fast, but it certainly was hard to hang on!!! 

It was at that point that we really started rallying our loved ones into Brenda's Healing Village...this was nasty and it was going to take everyone pulling together and reaching out for prayers and positive energy to beat this thing back. The power of the "PACK" is an awesome thing.

Our dear, dear friends from Pittsburgh...Cal and Vic...had planned for months to come and visit. They were due to arrive on the 2nd. The amazing thing is that Vic is an internal medicine doctor. How lucky we were that they both were here to help us understand all the medical mumbo-jumbo that was beginning to fly around our heads and to support and help us through these next crappy days. There are NO accidents in the universe!

If you know Brenda, when I asked how she'd like to spend the night before her surgery, she said, "Let's have a Tumor Be Gone Party." So that's exactly what we did. All our dear friends here in Phoenix rallied at our house for one of the most hysterical...as in laughter...parties we have had. I got a bunch of Ding Dongs (individual snack cakes) and each of us decorated them like the tumor in Brenda's head. Then each, in turn, and with much gusto, destroyed their tumors. I have this on video if there are any doubters out there. Those damn tumors were crushed, stabbed, chewed up and spit out, hammered into mush, blended, yelled at, and I even got on my Tahitian shirt and pareo (Tahitian cloth that you wrap around your waist), took my shoes and socks off to display my new Tahitian tattoo on my foot, and war danced to the dining room table where we were. I then proceeded to jump up on the table and stomped and ground the tumor into chocolate mush with my tattoo foot. Do you have the visual? That damn monster just didn't know what it was up against. 

Friday was absolutely horrible...our friends again rallied at the surgical center and we began the long wait. Let me just say that that was the worst day of my life and then it ended up with a huge sky full of hope. Going into the surgery, the doctor gave Brenda and I a very bleek picture of the outcome. But after 3+ hours of work, the doc walked into the waiting room where we all were...(the air was sucked out of the room again)...and he gave us fabulous news and a rainbow full of hope...he was able to remove the entire tumor that sat at the base of Brenda's brain and had invaded her sinus...THROUGH HER NOSE!!! AMAZING!! He got a lot of hugs that afternoon! The monster was a "moderately differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma." It was nasty and rare. Brenda never get's normal things!!! 

Brenda even got to come home last night...YEA!!!... and had a relatively calm evening reclined in our living room chair with a vaporizer going. It was sooooo reassuring having her home resting in the chair like nothing was wrong.

The next path is to get the bale of gauze stuffed up her nose out and then to schedule to have the affected lymph nodes in her neck OUT! The doc wants them out as quickly as possible. We think that should be in about a week to 10 days. OUT! OUT! OUT! NOW!!! 

The doc also suggested that we travel to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center which is the center of research for this type of cancer, to see specialists who will staff Brenda's case to outline the best follow-up treatment. Again the universe is directing us...that's where Cal and Vic live and Vic will help lead us through this process and interpret the unique language of doctors and medicine. AMAZING!

So to all our friends who continue to stand by us and help us...you'll never know how much all you love, prayers, support and positive energy means to us. Words escape me, but we love you all. The power of this village is simply amazing...and the healing has begun.

So this blog will help us stay connected and updated on the latest news. This blogging stuff is new to me so we'll just learn as we go. Feel free to share your thoughts, laughs...we love the laughs... and any words of wisdom as we travel this difficult path.

Toodles for tonight...I've got to try and get some shut-eye...we're all pooped!

9 comments:

  1. To my "WONDERFUL SISTER" Brenda! oxoxoxox!! Was so glad to hear that the first stage of your surgery went better than expected. We all love you and even had the whole College of Idaho softball team sending you lots of prayers and good mojo! They all were glancing up at me during each inning to see if Dee had reported in yet. We were all thrilled that you had a good outcome. Hugs to you today as you rest and heal at home, and as for that wacky nurse in your life hug her as well. Keep up the good work Dee! We wish you all the best in the next steps ahead.

    Yes Brenda is right, our family has such a sick sense of humor to get us through tough times just as we did in Amy's breast cancer. Which does not surprise me that they had their tumor be gone party and smashed ding dongs. I would of loved to have been there :) So here is a funny memory of my sister and I as kids speaking of noses. HA We used to sit in our room playing games and listen to Cheech and Chong Albums, laughing so hard and trying not to pee our pants. There was a story of a man who took his son into the doctor because he kept shoving things up his nose. First it was a bean, a piece of rice a ju-ju-b, then small change, a penny, nickel, then quarters, he had Fort Knox up his nose!! So doctor please help me get these things out of his nose, please! So the doctor took his chisel and tapped his nose and everything came flying out. The man screamed..Doctor you did it everything is out of his nose, doctor thank you, and oh by the way...keep the change!!! So Brenda, keep those things out of your nose!

    Love ya SIS!!
    Rhonda and family :)

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  2. Looks great Dee! I love that you are doing this. For those of us who need to do follow every detail, this is so helpful.
    love, hugs and get well wishes
    Julie

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  3. Thanks for doing this, Dee. There are many who care about you and Brenda. We do want to keep informed and this will save you from saying the same thing over and over in emails or phone calls!

    Brenda - I already miss your laugh from down the hall, so kick this thing quick and get back to work!

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  4. Agree, this is great! Brenda, we love you, but know talking 24/7 on the phone to fill us all in is not what you need to get better. Our thoughts and prayers are with you every minute. Our prayers get answered in ways we don't expect, in roundabout ways that lead us to think they weren't answered at all, and sometimes the "silence" is an answer. I think the smile on Dr. Heiland's face yesterday when he walked out said it best. He's just getting to know the hard-headed, stubborn Brenda we have known for years and you surprised him right off the bat! Our pastor told a story today - in biblical times a man was mad at his neighbor for never keeping his dogs tied and letting them range onto his land. Time after time he told the neighbor, begged the neighbor to keep his dogs tied up. Finally, the man had it and tried a different approach. He gave 2 baby lambs as a gift to the neighbor's (the one with the dogs) children. Of course the neighbor accepted, for his children could never understand if he did not. The lambs grew into adults, had lambs of their own, and the neighbor found that he now had a flock. He had to protect the flock...and tied up his dogs. A roundabout way to finding a resolution to the problem, but a resolution nevertheless. Our prayers get answered in that roundabout way at times, and I have no doubt that the answer to all of our prayers in regards to your current challenge will meet with an unusual answer...you don't ever do anything the "normal" way as Dee said earlier. We love you, and are with you. Please call if you need anything...let all of us out here help as we can. Love, Pat, Kim and Caleb Shroyer

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  5. Dee and Brenda - WOW - Amazing how the Universe came together to help you through this week. Vicki and I were so pleased to hear they could take that thing out through her nose! Unbelieveable. And to haave Vic there to help you through the next steps in Pittsburg - how great is that! Your Cancer stomping party sounded like a hoot! Only the two of you could come up with this - great idea!
    Know we are thinking of you daily, sending positive energy your way.
    Much love,
    Jill and Vicki

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  6. Hi Boss

    Wow...what a shock, but glad you are on the first stages of recovery....my thoughts and prayers are with you...Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything...Sending you nothing but positive energy...

    God Bless

    Tom

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  7. How was the Tueday check up and what's next?

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  8. We miss you so much here but so glad you're in such a wonderful facility. I think Orson is out there somewhere looking over you....talk about stars aligning! And Dee, thank you so much for keeping us all updated on all the happenings. Love and prayers to you both.

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  9. Brendita and Dee,

    I was stunned to hear the news today. I love that you still find laughter. I think I would have liked that ding dong party. :) (Brenda, you know where I went with that thought!)
    Laughter is the bond, isn't it my friend?? Of course, learner that I am, I will go back and read every piece of this blog to catch me up on the events of the last 3 weeks, and will check it daily to track your progress. This is officially my first blog. My sister and kids can't even get me to create a FaceBook.

    You will be in my prayers each and EVERY day. And, to sister Rhonda, somehow sitting in a room with Brenda, one is often tempted to laugh until peeing. . . Love and prayers

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