Things Are Moving Forward

Christina came home earlier this week (Wednesday, October 13). She's pretty sore from the surgery, and is limited in the number of visitors she can see. Please call me if you have time to come by; if she's up and able she'd like to see you.


Friday evening we got a call from our Oncologist, Dr. Sawhney. He reported that he recieved the results of the genetic testing for Christina. She is positive for BRCA1. He also had the results for the hormone receptor tests; they came back negative for all three hormone receptors. This is ambivilent news. If the tests had come back positive for estrogen receptors, that would have allowed us to use hormone therapy (a little misleading, this therapy involves *blocking* estrogen, not adding to it), which is highly effective and lessens the amount of chemotherapy needed. However, that isn't the case, so a more rigorous regimen of chemo is required.


It is a testament of the care Dr. Sawhney is giving us. He had been calling the lab every morning, until Friday morning they committed to having the results ready after 5pm. So, he waited until after 5pm to call them again, and then immediately informed us. As disheartening as the news was, it reinforced in us the professionalism and compassion of our medical team.


We meet with Dr. Sawhney on Monday (October 18), where we likely will be discussing the chemo recipe he is recommending, and what the routine and schedule for that will be. We also will likely be given recommendations on genetic councelling, which will clarify what the positive BRCA test means for us. We are also hoping to get a better sense of what the risk factor is for other types of cancer (notably, Ovarian).


Later Monday we will also meet with the surgeon to get Christina's bandages re-dressed and the drain tubes removed. Dr. Wynn (our surgeon) is a nice guy, rather jovial and light-hearted who has a very confident, calming approach. It will be good to get some of his time.


I finally got a chance today to peel away and put some time into the RBC. I'm assigned to a total of 4 Kingdom Hall projects, so it's nice to make a little headway, plus it gives me a chance to focus on something other than the Big C. I am grateful for the chance to work at something I love (Construction Engineering) for Jehovah's work.


It's been a very busy week, and the few notes I've been able to write here cover just a fraction of the stuff we've had to get through. In between all of the medical procedures and recovery efforts, we've been besieged with assistence and visits from our friends and family. Celia has been able to get some of her schoolwork done thanks to the help from some sisters that were willing to pick her up from school and host her for a few hours each day. My Mom has been invaluable, doing all the little (and big) things around the house. I've had several friends call me personally to convey their love and concern not only for Christina, but also myself. All of this is incredibly kind and greatly appreciated. Please keep calling, sending cards, texting, emailing, commenting, and all the other means you've used to share your love. Visits are continuing to be welcome, but please call first so I can monitor Christina's level of strength and to reduce over-stressing her.


Take care, all, and I'll update you as I have news.