Battle Plan - Phase 2: Burn the Bitch to the Ground

I had 30 sutures removed from my skull by my neurosurgeon’s NP to start our super fun day at UW Hospital and Carbone Cancer Center today. It feels so much better to have the sutures out; they were pretty tight at the bottom and starting to pull. Also, I’m glad that I took an oxy beforehand, otherwise that would’ve been a bit much to sit through. As it was, I was feeling no pain. ;)

We found out last week that the bitch tumor was a cancerous grade 4 tumor. Today, we found out that the bitch tumor was also a glioblastoma. Another question we got answered today was – yes, I do still have cancer. And I will wear that scarlet C like a badge of honor. Though my neurosurgeon was able to remove 100% of the tissue that was picking up the dye on my MRI, the cancer cells still exist in my brain.

Onto Battle Plan: Phase 2…

In two weeks, I will have an MRI to make a map for my radiation treatments. I will be doing 27 treatments of a special kind of radiation that one of the UW doctors created. Of course, UW has THE guy. . The radiation treatment I had 6 years ago was given in higher frequency/shorter length doses. This radiation treatment will be lower frequency given over a 30 minute time frame. Our cells naturally repair themselves when exposed to radiation in the world; this lower/longer dose allows normal brain tissue to repair itself as it would naturally when exposed to radiation. I’m not sure if this will have any effect on how I will feel after radiation treatments, but it will be better for my body.

One of the pathology tests wasn’t back yet today, so we don’t know if I will be doing pill form chemo along with the radiation or not yet. If the bitch tumor pathology comes back as methylated, then I will also be doing the same chemo that I did last time. My oncologist thought that the test should be back within the week. The UW Carbone Cancer Center will be my new home for the next several weeks

We don’t know and won’t know why or when the bitch tumor started growing again. We only know that it transformed from the site of the original tumor.

We have an uphill battle for sure, but it is one that I refuse to lose.

Fight like hell.              

       

The Naughty C Word

The naughty c word... CANCER...

Part of me had accepted that the bitch tumor was likely cancer, based on how quickly she had grown back, but it was something that I had never really wanted to completely admit - not to myself, not to my N., not to our families, and not to the rest of the world. I think I knew, but that I didn't want to say it outloud. I would always correct people when they said that I had had cancer the first time ... because I didn't, we caught it before it turned into cancer.

My oncologist  [and all of us] suspected that it was a grade 4 cancerous tumor this time. She grew back so fast and hard that I had to have somewhat emergency brain surgery to relieve pressure. [See ETV surgery post] Dr. Baskaya's NP confirmed initial bitchtumor grading yesterday as a grade 4.

It is ironic to me that I had [have?] brain cancer, but the bitch tumor was dead and removed before we ever even knew that I had it. This just further vindicates our decision to do the #bigassbrainsurgery. Now, we just need to beat that bitch back into the hole whence she came so that she can never come back out.

I woke up this morning so rested and ready to fight. I have down shifted into a whole new warrior woman mode.

Onto Battle Plan - Phase 2 (Burn the Bitch to the Ground) ...

Fight like hell.

[@crumblyz is an amazing human!]

Battle Plan

After several appointments with UW doctors/surgeons and with my neurologist from the Mayo Clinic, we have decided on a battle plan to subdue the bitch tumor.

I am scheduled for a craniotomy surgery on the 18th to remove as much of the bitch tumor as safely possible. Minimally, I will be at the hospital for 5 days to recover.
From there, UW will do pathology to determine what the treatment plan will be [chemo, radiation, etc., which is dependent on the tumor composition/genetic markers].

The good news is that we have a lot of treatment options that have shown successful data and results in other patient cases.

We're still hopeful that the bitch tumor is a grade 3 tumor, but signs are pointing to the naughty c word glioblastoma. The treatment plan for a grade 3 or grade 4 are likely similar. We actually have more available options if pathology proves it is a grade 4 glioblastoma.

We are confident that this battle plan will give us the best prognosis. First and foremost, we need to understand what type of tumor I now have so we can apply the most effective treatment option.

For most of you, you know that I have a certain amount of ... passion [RAGE]. Bitch tumor best be ready because all of that rage is being directed precisely on removing her unwelcome ass from my head.

FIGHT LIKE HELL.