I apologize for not updating here last night. I had many reports from friends that said they checked back repeatedly for updates last night. I am so sorry. Yesterday was an incredibly full day at the doctor's office and clinic. We got out quite late and then headed to the kids' school for Julia's Christmas program. It was a very full day and my mind was numb by the time we got home. I just ran out of steam! Anyhow....
Pseudomyxoma Peritonei. Big words. Rare cancer. After almost two rounds of chemo and ten months, the doctors believe they have a refined diagnosis. Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP) is a rare, slow growing cancer, that usually originates from the appendix. It typically does not spread through the lymph system and is treated most successfully with major surgery. So...we met with the surgeon and we are going forward carefully with preparations for surgery. The surgeon at OHSU is willing to operate; however, he is wanting us to consult with a group in Washington D.C. that does these procedures on a regular basis. We are gathering our wits and our records and will be taking the first steps in what will hopefully make Marc cancer free.
We are cautiously optimistic at this point that we have a diagnosis that makes sense. We have run this race so long now and are wary of getting too excited (or upset) by any news we receive. Allowing all this information to soak in has been tough. We have prayed so hard that he could be cured of this. All the information until now has indicated that would take a miracle. I'll go with that and accept this news as such. People can actually survive this stuff and go on to live normal lives. If what they suspect is true, Marc has a good chance of beating this.
With that being said, the surgery is MAJOR. The operation can take all day. He will be in ICU and on a respirator for several days. It will take him, if all goes well, a month to recover from the surgery and even then there are risks of infection and complications. Fortunately, he remains strong and healthy and will hopefully be able to tolerate it relatively well.
Right now we are making initial plans for all of this to take place. While the doctor in D.C. is looking at his file, we will also be going forward with the doctors here. His last chemotherapy treatment of this round will be in two weeks. He then gets January off to recover and distract himself with work. He has a CT scan scheduled and possibly a laparoscopy. The laparoscopy would be done to assess the tumor in case we can't be treated in D.C. The surgeon here would like a look around to get an idea of what the surgery will entail.
As we are taking these initial steps, we would appreciate your continued prayers. There are lots of details to work out, tests to complete, and information to gather. We need to make wise choices and ask hard questions. If you have time in the next few weeks, would you pray for us? Here are some of the major concerns:
- This new diagnosis is correct
- The tumor is operable. His CT scan is the first week in January. We hope it remains unchanged.
- We are able to have the surgery with this group in Washington D.C. We are hoping they find him a good candidate and accept him.
- Our insurance will cover this surgery -- here or in D.C.
- The logistics work out. We have a lot to organize if we are to be gone from here for a month or more.
- Ultimately, if Marc is able to have the surgery, we pray that it is a huge success and not a difficult recovery.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support. I hope you are as encouraged as I am by all that God has done for us. Please drop us a line if you would like more information. If you are curious about his diagnosis you can find information on Wikipedia -- just type in Psedomyxoma Peritonei. It's pretty amazing.
With love and gratitude....
