Hey, remember us?

Happy 2013, everyone!  I'm not sure that anyone really checks here anymore. It's been months since my last update.  I originally created this blog to keep people posted on Pete's condition as he went through diagnosis and surgery.  Since we've gotten through all that, there hasn't been much news to share.

We did get a little bit of information during our recent visit to the neuro-oncologist.  The 3 month post-op MRI shows that surgery resulted in a near-total resection.  We knew they wouldn't be able to get all of the tumor, but they came pretty darn close. And, in addition to the tumor having the IDH mutation and 1p/19q co-deletion (both good things), tests showed that the MGMT gene is methylated (also good). From what I understand, this means that the Temodar (the chemo drug that Pete is taking) will be more effective, and the tumor cells will not be able to repair themselves.  So, the fact that this is a stage II glioma with a near-total resection, IDH mutation, 1p/19q co-deletion and MGMT methylation, means that this is the absolute best possible type of glioma anyone can have. Which, to put things in perspective, is about as great as sitting at the cool table in a mental hospital.

By the way, if reading that previous paragraph made you feel stupid, it should. I honestly don't understand half of what the doctor tells us. I go home and google everything to try to get a basic understanding of it before passing the information along to others. I've honestly considered writing a book titled Brain Tumors for Dummies, but it seems a little offensive. ;)

In other news, it's been an entire six months since Pete's seizure! You know what that means? He can drive!!!  He returned to the office this past Monday, and though he complains about not being able to work in his pajamas, I know he really enjoys being around his co-workers.  Actually, it's been good for both of us. We've spent the last six months around each other constantly, and it's enough to drive anyone insane.  Any married couple who says they could spend every waking moment together is either A) Lying  B) Crazy  or  C) Lying.

And on the topic of being sick of one another,  Tuesday was our 9th wedding anniversary.  (Yes, we got married on Elvis' birthday. No, it was not planned that way.) I was sick with a virus that mimics strep (lucky me!) and Pete was stuck at work until 8:30pm. So, when he finally got home, we celebrated in style by eating canned soup on the couch and watching Downton Abbey on the laptop. Yes folks, 9 years and the magic is still alive. In all honesty though, this last year has taught us more than the other 8 years combined.  You stand there on your wedding day and vow to take one another for better or worse, in sickness and in health. And of course you mean it, but it's when you actually face those circumstances that your vows are called to action.  In the last six months, we've been able to prove to one another that we're in it for the long haul, that we meant what we promised all those years ago. I think those opportunities in life are rare, and today it's got me feeling pretty lucky.

Our wedding day, January 8, 2004. Pete looks like a Backstreet Boy, and I have Michelle Duggar bangs. Awesome!

I'm honestly not sure when I'll be updating this blog again.  As I mentioned before, the cancer news has become rather sparse and there isn't much to share.  I'm entertaining the possibility of starting a new blog to follow our whole family, though.  If I decide to move forward with that idea, I'll be sure to let you know. 

Best wishes to all of you in the new year!  Thanks again for following our story and continuing to encourage us!

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.  :)