Karen's Journey

Thursday, May 18, 2006

I talked to the Dr. this a.m., and it wasn't good news. The tumor was bigger than they expected. While the margins around the tumor were clear and the lymph nodes were clear, he said that it is a high grade/rapid growing cancer. So, I will be doing chemo first - after I heal from this first surgery. I'll have to have a second surgery to have a port put in, but hopefully that will be relatively minor. The tumor itself was 1.8 x 1.4 x 1 (cm) which doesn't seem that big, but they have no way of knowing if it got into my blood stream - hence the chemo.

So, keep the prayers coming - it's not the news we were prepared for.

Love,
Karen


p.s. - Kelly B - you dumb girl - you made my day yesterday with your "care package"! Thank you so much - how thoughtful!!!

posted by Karen @ 11:32 AM  

6 Comments:

  • At 12:06 PM, Blogger Kurt and Mattie Krueger said…

    Hi Sis,

    It may not have been the news we were wanting, but we need to focus on the good. It isn't in the tissue or lymph nodes , they are clear.

    With all the love of family, friends and the grace of God we will all help you and Sam get through this; one step at a time.

    I love you,
    Sis

     

  • At 12:17 PM, Blogger Krista said…

    Hi Mom,
    I agree, it isn't what we expected but we are so thankful that it was not in the lymph nodes or the tissue. We have to think of the good things and pray for the best.
    We will be thinking of you and Dad constantly. We are only a phone call away and I am reachable all of the time.
    We love you and we will just give you some time to comprehend all of this and you and Dad have some time.
    We love you Mom & Dad.
    Love,
    Krista

     

  • At 1:33 PM, Blogger Sal and Steph Gonzalez said…

    Karen,

    I am sorry that the news was what it is. However, being in the hospital with Jaden for 5 weeks taught me so much. In order to get through things, a person really needs to keep the focus on recovery, not the what if's.

    It was very hard, but I tried to not let the possible bad outcomes enter my thoughts and conversation as much as possible. When they tried to tell me Jaden would probably need a feeding tube put in because that is usually how it happens with heart babies, I cut them off mid sentence and said he will not need one.

    He does not have one and that is extremely rare :-) He proved them wrong and is eating great on his own. Of course, that does not always work but our bodies, mind and soul are all affected by how our attitude is.

    So push through it really hard and know that we can all help carry the load to make it eaiser for you and Sam. The best thing is, you are not alone and you have so many people surrounding you who love you.

    We love you very much and will come to see you guys when ever you may want. Who knows, maybe holding our little trooper might give you that extra strength from with in. He can share his incredible strength with you.

    We love you so very much!!!

     

  • At 2:29 PM, Blogger Stacy said…

    Hi Mom - I agree with all of the comments posted ahead of mine! We have to stay positive and be thankful that the lymph nodes and surrounding tissues are clean! It was caught early so that is
    GREAT!
    I told dad that I was thinking about coming down this weekend. I thought that way you could go flower shopping with me. I will just have to arrange them. I know that you enjoy doing the flowers so let me know what you think.
    I will leave it up to you and dad if you want company this weekend.
    Let me know.
    I love you both!!!

    Luv, Stacy

     

  • At 4:49 PM, Blogger Shaun and Christy's Grandma Linda said…

    Hi Karen,

    Bummer! You're right, that's not the news we wanted for you. My gosh, you've got to be happy you had your checkups and caught this early. With all the treatment, it sounds like the doctor is taking no chances, which is a good thing. Keep your spirits up and fight like everything! You are really lucky in that you have such a neat, supportive family and friends network around you. This blog gives us all an opportunity to keep in touch and let you know we're all pulling for you!!

    Linda and Doug

     

  • At 6:29 PM, Blogger Krista said…

    Cancer=bad. Clear margins=good. No lymphnode involvement= good. Chemo and radiation= sucks, but... Knowing family is keeping in thoughts and prayers and all that kind of stuff=priceless. It's only a bad experience if we can't make it something positive for ourselves or others. Hang in there, we all love you. Ken

     

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