A Full Week
The week was full.
Monday (12/11/23) held the typical to dos (school, work, errands, kiddos extracurricular activities, etc.) with honestly the underlying weight of the week ahead. A consistent play of Firm Foundation by Cody Carnes was helpful. Life goes on, even while you’re in the waiting on hard things and still surrounded by so much uncertainty.
Tuesday (12/12/23), Kelly had his PET Scan.
Thankfully a painless process, and one that we could do together without the kiddos in tow thanks to a dear friend hanging with the boys and getting baby girl off to her PK class. We were even able to take a moment post scan to grab some lunch together, just husband and wife, and discuss the completion of our Christmas shopping needs for the kiddos before heading to our next appointment. We then met with a local naturopath oncologist - an attempt to be aware of all the options provided before us locally. We also got the call from surgical services regarding the “exact” time for Kelly’s port placement the following day - we quickly learned that an early morning was ahead of us.
Fortunately the patient portal provided answers regarding the PET Scan before the evening completed. Don’t think for one minute Heather wasn’t watching that portal like a hawk. Praise God, per the PET Scan, no other areas of cancer were noted beyond what we already knew, a 10-11cm mass in the mesentery of the gut.
If you’re like most, I bet you’re thinking, what’s the mesentery. So for those who want to know more, here is a link to info about the mesentery. In short, cliff notes version, the mesentery is the tissue that holds your guts, the lining that connects your small and large intestines to the walls of your abdominal wall.
Wednesday (12/13/23), Port-a-Cath Placement.
5:15am departure from the house. That was a fun 04:45 wake up call after a late night for Team McGoo. The kiddos came too, tablets in hand and a promise for breakfast treats once Daddy was in the operating room. We got Kelly back to the hospital in time for his 06:00 check-in, prepared and ready for the port-a-cath placement. The kiddos did great. The procedure went well and we were home by 10:15a, which provided enough time for our regularly scheduled household events to unfold. Kelly was also able to have the opportunity to get the much needed rest his body needed.
Thursday (12/14/23), follow-up oncology appointment.
We were headed back into town for the follow up local oncology visit to discuss the PET Scan results and reaffirm their suggested plan of care now that the PET Scan information was available. We are so thankful for the dear friends that kept the boys, and those that picked up baby girl from school, allowing us to go solo to the appointment. I can’t imagine trying to process appointments like these with kiddos surrounding. The recommended plan of care, per the local oncologist, continues to be some form of chemotherapy with a plan to “watch his kidneys”. We listened and thanked them for their recommendation, letting them know that we were continuing to obtain information regarding all treatment options available for Kelly and his specific needs regarding kidney function, and would be in touch.
Friday (12/15/23), consult with an integrated oncology provider that has a comprehensive cancer care option.
Since Kelly’s diagnosis we have been pursuing every avenue available for cancer treatment and looking for providers that would partner with us on helping preserve Kelly’s kidney function as much as possible while also equipping the body to fight the mass found in Kelly’s mesentery. At 1:00p we had a Telehealth consult with a facility in Arizona that looks at the entire body, and desires to help the body reduce its risk for further creation of cancer while also reducing the current cancer load that has been identified. Over 1 hour later, we completed our call and look forward to receiving their full plan of care recommendation.
Please pray with us for discernment.
