Saturday, December 13, 2008

Back in Portland, for the moment.

After a very intense but ultimately satisfying week in Houston, we're back among the tall dripping trees and clear air of Portland. We slept in familiar beds and are currently drinking some real coffee.
Long story short:
-The PET scan was totally clear except for one pesky spot that we already knew about. This is fabulous news, and confirmed our mantra that this f^&*er is isolated.
-Because it's so isolated, our wonderful doc in Texas has recommended a treatment plan that combines low-dose chemo with radiation (which is the standard, tried & true treatment for cervical cancer, regardless of cell type and pioneered at MDACC). We'll do this over the course of 6 weeks here at OHSU, starting the week after next, because...
-I've managed to qualify for a study in Houston that will give us even more information about this little beast (on a microscopic level). Bummer is, we're headed back to Houston for a few days and some quick outpatient surgery this week. Good news is we'll be totally, completely sure about the beast & the treatment when we start back at OHSU. Information junkies that we are, we're happy to take on a little inconvenience. I'll be the 49th person to add a lymph node or two to the data set, and hopefully help out women who follow me on this path.

So, we're at my mom's house, looking forward to a walk with our dog, some laundry, errands & dinner with all the parents. It feels great to be home and armed with a plan.

Many, many thanks for your blog posts, cards & treasures. I'm so grateful for the the universe of people around me--It really makes all the difference.
Love,
Jess, Mark & The Ninjas

1 comment:

Acker said...

Great news on the PET scan. On the CO front, I spent a day in a foot of Vail fresh yesterday and am most likely going back for more tomorrow - I hope you can take some vicarious pleasure!

Love, cuzin Acker