Tumor Lottery

Alright, I admit it.  I've been a horrible blogger lately.  How long has it been since my last update?  I can't even remember!  To be fair, there hasn't been a great deal of excitement around here.  Pete and I began our college courses this week, so we've stayed busy with classes and homework.  For the younger crowd who is reading this blog, I'd just like to say -- Stay in school, kids.  It's hard trying to study when you have kids and a dog all competing for your attention.  And it's embarrassing to be the only student in class who remembers the Reagan administration. 

In other news, it seems that Pete has won the tumor lottery!  Blood tests confirmed that he does have the 1p/19q co-deletion, so he should respond quite well to chemotherapy.  I've tried my best to do research in hopes of understanding what all this means, but it seems that genetic typing in tumors is still somewhat new and there isn't any information on mean survival rates.  It's good news though, so we'll take it!  The doctors did inform us of a new concern at the last appointment.  Pathology showed that there are "pockets of anaplasia" within the tumor, which basically means that there are areas where the cells are dividing at a faster rate.  These pockets are still classified as grade II (low-grade), but doctors feel that this is an indication that Pete should begin chemo treatments now rather than later.

Pete continues to make a fantastic recovery!  He begins chemo tonight (1 pill before bedtime. Nice, eh?)  and returns for his 3 month post-op MRI in October.  We're keeping our fingers crossed for good results.  As always, thank you to everyone who has continued to support us with prayer and encouragement.  These last few months have made us realize just how lucky we really are to have all of you!

The results are in!

The day has finally arrived!  Pete and I met with Neuro-Oncology today to receive the final pathology report and discuss a treatment plan.  I have to say, with everyone asking us "Have you found out what it is yet?" the experience has been oddly similar to finding out the gender of a baby.  And since the cool thing for expecting parents to do now is have Gender Reveal Parties, I began to wonder if the socially acceptable thing to do would be for us to host a Tumor Reveal Party.  But then I considered how depressing that would be, and figured no one would want to eat the cake, so I quickly trashed the idea and added it to my rather lengthy list of "Worst Ideas Ever".

We began our visit with the obligatory goofy face picture.  If there's anything we've learned this past month, it's that tradition is important!

We then attempted to assess Pete's pain level according to the oh-so-accurate smiley face chart.  About a week ago, his pain would have been a 5. (Also known as the "I've really got to pee and we're 10 miles from the nearest rest stop" face)

However, due to a speedy recovery, Pete determined that his pain was actually at a level 1. (a.k.a. the "Heck yeah I want a pony!" face)

We then met with the neuro-oncologist, who went over the final pathology report with us and answered my butt-load of questions.  The official report is that Pete has a low-grade oligodendroglioma.  At first, I was really disappointed, because I had big plans for making some "Kiss My Astrocytoma" t-shirts.  But, as it turns out, this diagnosis is much more favorable.  In general, oligodendrogliomas tend to be more slow-growing tumors.  Furthermore, the tumor contains IDH mutations, which means there is an increased likelihood for 1p/19q co-deletion.  I honestly have no idea what I just said there, but the doctor explained that this is the best type of glioma to have.  It means that Pete is more likely to respond well to treatments and have a prolonged survival.  Now, the bad news is that it's still a glioma, which is considered incurable.  The surgeon told us before surgery that he wouldn't be able to remove all of the tumor, and he was right.  We saw before & after MRI images today and were quite surprised to see how much of the tumor was left behind.  Part of it had grown close to the area of the brain that controls motor skills, and they chose to leave that part alone rather than compromise Pete's physical abilities.  So, part of the tumor is still there, and as time passes it will progress into a more aggressive type of cancer.  However, doctors have been quick to reassure us that 10-15 years is a lot of time for new developments to take place in the medical field.  We're remaining hopeful!

So, they drew blood for labwork today in order to determine if Pete has the 1p/19q co-deletion.  We return to Vanderbilt in 2 weeks for the results.  From there, we will most likely proceed forward with chemotherapy.  Luckily, the chemo has very mild side effects and comes in a pill form that Pete will take for 5 days, and then come off for the remainder of the month.  At the beginning of the next month, he will begin another 5-day round.  Treatment will last anywhere from 6-12 months, at which point they will stop chemo and evaluate the tumor with MRI's every few months.

After the appointment, we stopped by to visit a couple that we happened to learn about through some mutual friends.  Bo and Kristin have been at Vanderbilt for over a month now as Bo fights stage IV colon cancer.  We were completely blown away by the faith and strength they both displayed, and also humbled by the fact that our circumstances pale in comparison to theirs.  I know that many of you have followed this blog faithfully and sent prayers our way.  Please add Bo and Kristin to your prayer list as well!  

Those are all the updates I have for now.  Things have settled down quite a bit but I will try to keep the blog rolling.  Next doctor visit is in 2 weeks!  Thanks for checking in, friends!  

Where Have We Been?

Hey everyone!  I know it's been awhile since our last update, but in truth, there hasn't been a whole lot of news to share.  Pete has continued to recover quite well from surgery.  They put him on steroids to reduce swelling, which have given him some sort of supercharge.  He has a hard time sitting still for more than a few minutes, and he's turned into a cleaning fanatic.  This is great, because I'm a terrible housekeeper, so there's been plenty to keep him occupied.  In fact, our house is so clean now that the kids come home from school and ask if we're expecting company.

Peter was feeling so well this past week that we were able to take an impromptu trip to Indiana to visit my sister and her family.  Since I am now the official family chauffeur, Pete was kind enough to contribute 6 straight hours (each way) of detailed driving instruction.  And what a joy it was.  I'd like to say that his instruction was completely unnecessary, but we have a video of me trying to parallel park in downtown Carmel that would strongly suggest otherwise.

We had a really great time visiting family and sightseeing over the weekend.  We took the kids to the Indianapolis Science Museum and visited some cool restaurants in Carmel.  As always, Pete and I managed to get into some trouble.

Having fun at the Hot Wheels exhibit.  You can already see the improvement in my driving skills!

I found a horsey just my size!

Pete found a dinosaur with a brain tumor.  They've become very good friends and are thinking about starting a support group together.

Being inappropriate with the statues in downtown Carmel

She does not look amused

Good Cop? ....or Bad Cop?

As you can see, we enjoyed some much needed R&R.  Here's hoping that the rest of Pete's time off work will be as enjoyable.  We've got the update on final pathology, so I'll be working on that blog entry next (just as soon as I finish Googling everything to make sure I understand it)!  I'll be checking in with you all soon!

Reflecting on Simpler Times

I came across this old photo of Pete and me from waaaay back in 2002.  There are so many things wrong with this picture.  I have braces, you can't see it but he is wearing wide-leg jeans, and we're both sitting on the crime against all furniture, my parents' pinstriped wool-blend 80's couch. (Please note that I have neglected to add my Grumpy slippers to the list of things wrong with this photo.  Those slippers were amazeballs and shall not be criticized.)  But look at how happy we were!  Those were the days before mortgage payments, before children, and yes, before fighting cancer.  They were also the days when we had no real jobs, no direction in life, and no responsibility.  

Fast forward ten years, and here I am asking myself what we would have thought if we had known then what we know now.  The doctors estimate that Pete's tumor has been around for 5-10 years, so it's possible that Pete had cancer back then and we just didn't know it.  It's hard to say what decisions we would have made if we'd had that information, but I feel pretty safe in saying we would not have the life we have now.  For one thing, I'm fairly sure we would have decided against having children.  It wouldn't have seemed fair to bring them into the world, knowing that Pete might not be here for the majority of their lives.  And so, I can truthfully say I'm grateful we didn't know then what we know now.

This is our son, Ryan.  Not only is he a little clone of his daddy, but he is one of the sweetest and coolest kids you could ever want to meet.  And he's a momma's boy!  He picks me flowers, writes songs for me, and even tells me I'm beautiful each morning as I stumble through the kitchen in search of the coffeepot.  Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for choosing me to be his mom, and now I'm even more grateful.  Because every time I look at Ryan, I see so much of his dad.  And I know a day may come when I'll need that reminder.  

So, as I look back on that old photo and realize life hasn't turned out quite the way we'd expected, in my heart, I know it's even better.  The time we have together now has become so precious that we can't help but make the most of it.  We are so much more aware of the blessings God has strategically placed in our lives, and we are more grateful for them. And while the path we've been given is difficult, we know we can manage it.  Because it is one richly filled with purpose, value, and love.  And above all else, it's ours.  

Surgery? What surgery?

It's no exaggeration to say that I am shocked by how quickly Pete is healing!  His condition literally improves two-fold every day, and today he seems almost completely back to his old self.  He has a few physical limitations.  He isn't allowed to lift more than 10 pounds, and he's supposed to keep his head above his heart at all times (easier said than done), but other than that, he's just the same old Pete.  It's good to have him back.  :)

3 days post-op.  Amazing!

I've always heard people talk about things happening in "God's perfect timing", but this past week is the first time I've witnessed it for myself.  Peter was discharged from the hospital on the kids' first full day of school.  The fall semester for our college courses doesn't start for another three weeks.  That means we have three entire weeks to rest, recover, and get things done while the kids are at school during the day.  This couldn't have worked out more perfectly if we'd planned it ourselves!

Today we had to give goodbye hugs and kisses to my amazing sister, Rachel.  She was sweet enough to pack up and drive down here from Indiana for the third time in two months to be here for us during the surgery.  She stayed here at the house and took care of the kids while we were in the hospital.  Besides being extremely thoughtful, she also just a lot of fun to be around, so we were glad she stayed for few more days after we got back home!

We're still another week away from hearing the results of the final pathology report.  Luckily we've had enough to keep us busy so we don't think about it too much.  We know that life will most likely require some big changes and different kinds of planning in the near future, but whatever it is, we're ready for it!

Going Home!

Pete is being discharged from the hospital!  I've noticed a HUGE improvement in him within the last 12 hours.  This morning he is in a great mood, he's been talking a lot more, and his pain is extremely minimal.  Thank you everyone for the prayers.  They have worked wonders!  He's off work for the next 6 weeks, so stop by to visit and check out his new haircut.  :)

Just a Quick Update

Pete is doing well this morning!  He spent a little time sitting up in a chair and took a short walk around the ICU floor.  It's hard to believe he just had brain surgery less than 24 hours ago!  At this rate, I'm sure he'll be back to his old self in no time.
They performed a post-op MRI last night and one of the residents stopped by to tell us that everything looks great.  Our neurosurgeon should come by to see us later on today to discuss things in greater detail.
If all goes well, we'll be heading home tomorrow!