Today's Dr Appointment

As scheduled, we went to Lola's Oncologist appointment today. The doctor, Dr. Wynn, was super nice and spent a lot of time with us, answering questions and giving Lola a thorough examination. He confirmed a lot of what we have learned prior to the appointment, in that the type of cancer that Lola has is very slow growing (this is what low-grade implies) and isn't quick to metastasize. The surgeon that removed the tumor had been in close contact with Dr. Wynn throughout this whole ordeal, so he was quite familiar with Lola's case.

There are many possible scenarios that could play out, with the best case scenario being that the surgeon was able to remove the entire tumor completely. If this is the case, then we may be just looking at having MRIs every three months for the next year and then backing off to a regular schedule of once a year to insure the tumor doesn't regrow. If just a few cells were left behind from the surgery, that is all that is needed to sometimes allow it to grow back--sigh. This could mean additional surgery. If the catscan or mri shows that they didn't get it all, then they may have to cut, go back in, and try to remove the rest. The surgeon can only get so aggressive with where he cuts, due to the nerves and being so close to the spine. If they can not remove the entire tumor due to the risks involved then they may have to do radiation or some type of treatment. This would be second to worse case scenario. With the worse case scenario being that this tumor is secondary to something else.

With all this being said, we left the doctors office today with a planned appointment for a MRI and a complete body CATSCAN to obtain as much detail as possible to see if the tumor was completely removed and if there is anything else going on that may have caused this.

The positive notes we left with are: It is more often than not, that the surgeons are able to remove the entire tumor the first time and basic monitoring is all that is needed afterward for this type of cancer. Also, they were able to draw blood and do tests in the office that showed a lot of indicators are in the normal range -- phew.

We are remaining cautiously optimistic at this time and appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers. It is a scary time for us, but it is so comforting to know that we have such great family and friends to help us through this time.

We don't have a set date for when the next round of tests (MRI and CATSCAN) are, but when we know, I will post it. Lola needs to be sedated for the MRI, so we are waiting for the hospital to coordinate a time when they can do both tests at the same time so she only has to be sedated once.

Stay tuned.