Mom's Current Battle

Well, it seems this battle is going to be more drawn out than I initially expected, so I wanted to take the chance to update everyone at once. What can I say, I'm a fan of efficiency. So, here's the current situation up to present day:

Over the past 6 months or so, my Mom had lost a significant amount of weight. Since this was paired with her conscious effort control her portion size, we thought nothing of it at first. When the weight loss was later paired with persistent fatigue and general discomfort, she decided to go to the doctor to get some things checked out. The doctor ordered a CT scan to see if she could figure out what was going on.

The week before Memorial Day weekend, my parents met with the doctor to discuss the results. They were told that there were lesions found on my Mom's kidney, liver, and pancreas. Mom was then referred to an oncologist. Fortunately, she was able to request the same oncologist who handled the cases of her aunt and uncle, so he was somewhat familiar with the family history. She was scheduled to see him the Tuesday after Memorial Day.

Over Memorial Day weekend, I was able to take a personal retreat up in PA and I truly believe that the Lord used that time to set a foundation of peace that I would need to cling to during the weeks to come. When I got in my car to return home on Sunday, I found a voicemail from my brother telling me that they had admitted my Mom to the hospital for a blood clot in her leg. So, I headed to Frederick for the next two days. While there, I was able to see the amazing support system that had been put in place by the people from my parents' church. Although there were several times all five of us family members were in the hospital room, it was very rare that it was just the five of us. If any of you are reading this post--THANK YOU! You have no idea the measure of peace that was given to me knowing how well my family is cared for while I can not be there!

My Mom was put on blood thinners through an IV and was still able to meet with the oncologist on Tuesday. He scheduled a biopsy for Thursday of that week (May 28th). This biopsy would be taken on the liver. Mom came out of the biopsy just fine and was discharged from the hospital on Friday afternoon. She was given a prescription for blood thinners that she would have to administer via injection as the blood clot had not yet dissolved.

The following Monday, she met with the oncologist to discuss the results of the biopsy. He told her that there was no sign of cancer, but he was still skeptical. He was sure that we were dealing with pancreatic cancer, so he ordered another biopsy, this time for the pancreas. It was scheduled for that Thursday. The biopsy results were also going to be sent to the Mayo Clinic for a second opinion. In addition to this, the blood clot was still causing a lot of pain and discomfort for Mom.

Although we were not supposed hear anything until the following Tuesday (June 9th), the doctor called on Friday afternoon to tell my Mom that he was sure it wasn't pancreatic cancer. So, we celebrated.

Over the past week and a half, Mom has gone in for more tests and had several appointments to try and diagnose what exactly we're dealing with. Yesterday, she had an appointment with the oncologist to go over the results from the Mayo Clinic. Unfortunately, we were told that they were unable to confirm or deny that it was pancreatic cancer. So, after spending a week celebrating and looking forward, we ended up being thrown back to square one.

The oncologist is leaning towards treating it as pancreatic cancer unless he can prove otherwise. At this point, prayer is the only option. This is completely out of our hands and in His. Pray for my family. Pray for my Mom as she still deals with the pain and discomfort every day while waiting for a diagnosis. Pray for the rest of us as we wait to see what the next step will be. Pray that we would lean on the One who has unlimited strength instead of leaning on our own. Pray for the doctors, that they would be able to figure out what it is they're treating. Thank you for all the support you have already shown to myself and my family!

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." ~Isaiah 42:16

Random Facts...

So, halfway through writing this first post I realized that I could have just started by explaining the meaning behind the name and address of my blog. Wow, sometimes my intelligence just floors me! Anyway, instead I pled complete confusion as to where to start and instead of jumping right into the world of faith and pop culture I figured I'd start with a list of 10 random, little-known facts about myself. Enjoy! (Note: There are 4 random pop culture references in this post. You find them, you win!)

1. My favorite word is "conundrum"...and I always say it like Natalie Portman in "Garden State".

2. About 60% of my pet peeves relate to other peoples' driving habits.

3. I don't like pickles or beer and I wish I did--it is not for lack of trying, though.

4. Part of my life story includes the phrase "During the six months I spent in Africa I actually had to flee the country for about 2 weeks..." (it's actually a great story--feel free to ask...)

5. I have moved every year for the past 7 years (sometimes twice in one year).

6. My Mom has never had a bed-side manner, but I still always call her when I'm really sick.

7. When I was about 7, I had an alter ego named "Super Betsy". I was a superhero :) (I was such a dork...)

8. I was really adorable and photogenic until I turned 8. It was all downhill from there...I like to believe I'm beginning to redeem myself.

9. I rock a Harmony...Okay, I own a Harmony guitar (it was my mom's in college) and it sits in my room waiting to be played. And has been for years. I'll get to it!! (For the record, I did teach myself a few chords several years ago, I just didn't keep up with it...I really do want to start it up again.)

10. I cried when Jerry Orbach died. And then I named my fish after him. (The fish later perished in a freak, 'my room mate's cat pushed his tank off the shelf' accident).

Bonus Fact:
11. I know that 'it's' is supposed to have an apostrophe, however, I always make the spell check correct it when typing e-mails at work. I honestly don't know why.

So, there we go...11 random, little known, mildly embarassing facts about me. Next time we'll start with the real stuff!