Mass Confusion

Scan time again already!  I've just received the news on my tri-annual Pet/CT scan and my bi-monthly Brain MRI.

The news this time is mixed, but basically good.  My lungs, liver and abdomen are all clear.  On the other side of the ledger, one of my brain tumors has slightly increased again (2nd scan in a row) and the previously noted femur tumor is highly active, yet presenting as if it is confused about who and what it is.

A month or so ago I started having what I thought was hip pain.  As it turns out, the pain is actually coming from the bone lesion on my right proximal femur.  I mentioned it to my oncologist and since I already had a PET/CT scan scheduled for the following week, she decided to wait and see what it showed.

I was not surprised at all when the PET came back with news that the femur lesion was worsening, both in size and in intensity.  That lesion has been hanging out for awhile but has never caused me pain until now and, in fact, showed healing four months ago.  The strange thing is that the PET significantly flagged this spot, yet the CT didn't even mention it,  only noted another lesion on the sacrum that seems to be healing.

My doctor sent me right away for an X-Ray to see what is going on.  The X-Ray was inconclusive.  There is no evidence of a pending fracture (yay), yet there is a "suspicious area" nonetheless.  Our next step is an MRI of my right upper leg and hip to see what is really happening.  I don't know why this is proving so difficult to nail down but I am definitely anxious to settle the matter.

This is the first real veer off the healing track that I've had in quite some time and I continue to feel very positive and optimistic about where I am overall.  As I've mentioned often, bone mets won't kill me, just bother me.  Nevertheless, I am feeling the winds of change and believe more radiation and a medication adjustment are in my near future.  Not great for my energy level but certainly worth trying to beat this back before it turns into a raging wildfire.

Here's hoping that the brain tumor stops its slow growth and that we can get a clear picture of what is going on in my leg!

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

It's official.  The preschool days are behind me.  Today is the first time in 15 years that I have not had a child at home during the day.  I never thought it would happen, but somehow it has.  I now have six hours, five days a week. All. By. Myself.

YAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOO!!!

Don't get me wrong, I really love my kids.  I look forward to spending time with them, especially with one or two of them at a time.  I rarely go anywhere without inviting a subset to come with me for one-on-one or two-on-one time.  I am a mother who prefers summer to the school year simply because we can hang out without the pressure of homework and packing lunches and getting seven children out of bed, dressed and organized properly before 7:15.  I'm exhausted just writing it!

Nevertheless.  I am looking at my desk piled high, baskets full of rarely-used toys and drawers full of clothes that no longer fit and I am SO EXCITED that I finally have time to devote to organizing my home!

Mostly.

If you know me, though, you can probably guess the very first thing I did when faced with this reality. That's right, I got fingerprinted, TB tested, and Virtus trained so I could volunteer at their schools for the first time ever.

And maybe I'll actually get organized too.