The Update is...there is no Update!

We are on hold with an official decision regarding radiation until next week. My surgeon is presenting my case to a "tumor board" at the hospital on Thursday, (basically a bunch of doctors who confer on difficult cases) and my oncologist will discuss my case with his colleagues this week as well. I fall into a "gray area" as far as treatment goes, therefore a decision won't be made until all the proper authorities agree!

The reason for the "gray area" is that my pathology report shows peri-neural invasion. This means that the cancer could be traveling along a nerve somewhere that we don't know about. I also could still have some cancer hiding in the base of my tongue. (My surgeon is concerned that because the tongue acts as a muscle, when he initially performed surgery on the area the tongue could have actually retracted and therefore hidden some of the cancer). Kind of hard to explain, and understand, but that's where we are at with things. A PET/CT scan at this point would do no good, since the area is still healing. Also, PET/CT scans are not 100% accurate.

Due to the fact that this is an aggressive cancer, the first two years of treatment is critical. If the doctors choose not to treat me with radiation, then instead I will have PET/CT scans every 3-4 months. If anything lights up on the scans, we would make a decision then.

I feel very comfortable with the doctors making this decision. The oncologist made a phone call to the surgeon right then and there to discuss things before sending me on my way. I am comforted knowing that they are not taking this decision lightly, and that several doctors are weighing in on my case.

I guess the toughest thing for me and Jason is that we were kind of floating on cloud nine, thinking this was over. And it's not over. It sort of feels like we got the cancer-smack right in the face again. But this time, we are only waiting on treatment decisions. I am still stage one. My surgery was still highly successful. There really is no need for us to feel anxiety. But we still do!

Clearly God has more to teach us! I know that I need the daily reminder that this is out of our hands, and in His hands!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Thank you for being so faithful!