Sending Off the Scans

Somehow, someway, under some miracle, my husband has actually taken the initiative and SENT HIS SCANS TO THE EXPERTS!!

Let me back up.

Earlier this month, my husband went in for his second scan post chemo. His first scan showed this “thickening” on the bladder/kidney area, which scares the bajeezus out of me since this is what I hear all the time on my Appendix Cancer Facebook page of what indicates a recurrence. So I was really hoping for some clarity with this most recent scan — but, I didn’t really get that.

Our appt was on a Tuesday. We got to the office and did our COVID screening, no temps, no travel, no symptoms, check. Mask on, check. My husband is taken back to get bloodwork (he ended up going through with the port removal, so they had to stick him this time in his vein to get the blood — sort of serves him right, lol) then we’re directed to sit in the waiting room and wait for his name to be called. I’m not really nervous this time around. I don’t know if my husbands calm demeanor or his take-it-as-it-comes attitude has finally worn off on me a bit, but for some reason, I am not nervous going into this appt. We’re called back and they get the normal set of vitals, they get his weight and once the scale lands on a number, my husband takes his hand and hides the digital readout so I can’t see the number!! He says, Don’t look! in a joking voice. Well, haha, that’s not going to happen! Also, the nurse needed to see the number so she could record it. His weight: 180.2 lbs. That is a full 40+ lbs LESS than what he weighed before all this started! I mean, lets be honest, I’m not mad at it! lol My husbands new slimmer, more narrow build is NOTHING I’m mad about! But to see that number, it really puts it in perspective the physical change he’s gone through. Sigh.

So our oncologist enters the room, sits down and starts a little small talk. She gets to the scan and says, Welp, there is nothing that I see. Everything looks the same as it did last time. I let her finish her thought, and I ask about the thickening area on the bladder that was noted last time. She said that the area remains thickened and there is no change from last scan. So I turn to my husband and tell him that we should send the scans to MD Anderson. The oncologist (who, might I remind you, we don’t really like) looks at me with this discontented look and asks me what I think the thickening means? I tell her that I’m not sure, but it could mean something and that the specialist team might be able to give us a better picture of what it might or might not be. Honestly, no harm no foul. I know this oncologist we have is not a specialist and I don’t fault her or the radiologist who interprets the scans for not knowing how to properly evaluate them for my husbands rare cancer. It just is what it is. But I wanted to make a point to say something.

And good Lord, it’s a July miracle! Almost a week to the day from our meeting, my husband got a hold of the oncologist we met with at MD Anderson and nonchalantly, almost in passing, like it was no big deal, informed me that he sent his last 2 scans to him.

WHAAT??! OMG!

I was so elated I basically fell out of my seat when he told me. He did this without me having to nag him. He did this without me mentioning it 20 times. He did this all on his own! I feel like such a proud wife! lol I just want to squeeze his cheeks and pat him on the head and say Good job, buddy! I had the BIGGEST smile on my face when he told me about this, I just could NOT believe he took the initiative and did this on his own! I was SO happy! I was SO relieved! Maybe some of my harping on expert opinions and making sure we involve the specialists is wearing off on him?

So now we’re back to waiting on what the experts have to say about the scans. At least this is progress!

In other news, we ended up having my daughters high school graduation party and it was a HUGE success! I know, I know, covid, covid — blah, blah, blah. I’m over it. We were safe, we had a big portion of it outdoors (yes, in the July heat, in St. Louis, it was H-O-T, so that’s saying a lot!) and I was so happy with the turn out! They had a socially distanced outdoor graduation ceremony and it was actually AMAZING! There were awesome pyrotechnics and even tho it wasn’t a “normal” graduation, by any stretch of the imagination, I still got all the mom feels about seeing my daughter walk across the stage and receive her diploma! In the end, it didn’t matter that it wasn’t a normal graduation, she was graduating, and I was proud!

Now we’re in the throws of figuring out what to do with this upcoming school year. Our youngest will start Kindergarten, the middle-est will be a Sophomore and my oldest will be away at college. Trying to understand the plan for the Kindergartner is my top priority since working full time and having a full time 6 yr old at home is really not a plan at all. I’m sure it will all work out in the end, but it still makes me nervous not knowing how things will turn out. I can only hope that by the time my middle child is a Senior, all this will be done and over with and we can all go back to normal!