Here is the deal: 7/1/11

This blog is like a journal for me and my family, so that is why I started this second blog to pull away from our family blog. Second I hate repeating myself over and over again, so it is easier to post about what is going on rather than tell everyone the same story time and time again.

So today I had an appointment with Dr.Riddle he is the ENT doctor that originally took out my thyroid. My step mom came with me because Phil was pouring cement today and wasn't able to make it. And it is always nice to have some moral support when you already know your getting bad news.

We got there around 9 and saw the nurse practitioner and we had to wait for the doctor to come over in between surgeries at the hospital. It was really nice of him to do that because he wasn't even supposed to be in the office today but he really wanted to talk to me today.

Around 11 he snuck in and we chatted about what is going on. So when I had my pet scan done the radiation really left some hot spots/ highlights in my neck. There are some tumorous lymph nodes that have cancer in them in my neck that are resisting radiation. So we are unsure if they got left there from last year, or if they are just appearing now. He said the cancer is pretty aggressive and that we are going to have to take some bigger steps.

So he told me I have 3 options:

#1 Have a large dose of radiation and go from there. But where I've had so much radiation already and it's showing resistance to that it might not be a good option for me, especially with my age.

#2 Go in my scar and pull out that tumorous lymph node where the hot spots are in my neck area. Same day surgery kind of thing pretty minimal but I may have to return again and have more taken out at another time.

#3 Go in make a incision across my entire neck and completely remove all lymph nodes in my neck and dissect all of them, and see what really is going on. Stay in the hospital overnight, possibly 2 nights, longer recovery, bigger scar, bigger chance of having problems with my voice box for the rest of my life.

I asked him honestly what would he do if he was me, and he said to do the 3rd option. Even though it has the most side effects, I think he is right then I don't have to go back in and have surgery a third time. So I'm pretty sure that is what we are going to do. I know its a lot of information, and I've been pretty emotionally drained that I am trying to have the best attitude about this as possible.

Thanks for every one's support, I really appreciate all of it! I am so blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. It really makes you appreciate life more and realize how important the little things really are!