Lab Rat

Last night was very rough.  We got the news that it's non-hodgkin's lymphoma, -- still to be determined is the subtype, either B-cell or mantle cell.  Each one is very aggressive, advanced and bad news. But certainly people have beaten it, so we will too.  One test was inconclusive for mantle, so another molecular level test is being performed, and should be done in 2-3 days.  It would all be really fascinating if it weren't so terrible and personal.  I'm giving thanks though, for all of the amazing scientists who work to unravel these seemingly unsolvable puzzles, and find ways to cure these terrible diseases. I never really gave them much thought before, but i think about these people all the time now.

This morning we went in for the bone marrow biopsy -- not a favorite!  Andrew had to lie on his stomach while Dr. W. screwed some sort of tool into his back, into the bone and extracted many samples.  Dreadful.  But my babe took it like a champ. He says he's feeling a bit like a human experiment by this time -- they've done so many procedures on him.  He's feeling very weak but his spirits are up.  We're just impatient for treatment to begin.  Tonight we have to make our decision about Sloan.  We still haven't been able to be seen by them because the biopsy results are inconclusive.  Fear and frustration are the constants. Our doctor in Kingston, Dr. W., has been beyond incredible, attentive, and available to us.  We are growing very attached to him, and have gathered lots of info to help us decide what to do.  Ultimately, we are very short on time and don't feel any sort of delay is wise.  Our doctor here has described the chemo protocol (depending on the biopsy diagnosis), and we can start next week.  He will even get us going on Thanksgiving if need be, though the office is closed.  We feel incredibly grateful to have landed in such fantastic care by chance.  Andrew's family is all here today to help us make our decision, which is very comforting.

Sorry for the lack of pictures.  We're so sleep deprived and stressed at this point, I'm lucky to remember my own name.  I'm actually hoping this post doesn't sound like crazed ramblings -- but i wanted to make sure everyone was updated.  Send us your energy and love, we're sucking it up like oxygen!
xo
L