September 25

We received surprising news today. The surgeon's office contacted Judy to let her know her surgery date will be October 7. Judy has a pre op appointment with her family doctor on Monday, September 28, a CT scan on October 1, and a pre admission clinic at RUH on October 2. Although there seems to be so much to digest between now and surgery, we are relieved that we won't have a month of waiting and wondering and talking about surgery.

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Judy had an appointment with her surgeon, Dr. Kanthan, on Monday, September 21. The following points detail the results of the appointment. 1. As most people already know, Judy has a tumor in her pelvic area near the lower part of her sacrum. The tumor was first detected in 2013. In July, we found out the bumps that appeared on Judy’s back in late May were actually metastatic colorectal lesions. The lesions on her back have been very painful. Over the last two months, the symptom management team has worked with Judy to find the right mix of topical and other treatments to manage the pain. In the last week, Judy has managed to get some decent sleeps. She has two topical ointments that have given relief. Furthermore, she has a dosage of nerve blockers and sleeping pills that seems to do the trick. 2. The surgery will likely occur in late October. There will be a team of four doctors – a surgeon, neurosurgeon, urologist, and plastic surgeon. The operation will be about 8 hours. 3. The plan is to remove the lower part of the sacrum, the vagina, and the pelvic tumor. There is a possibility the bladder will also be removed or rendered non-functional. This would mean a bladder conduit or a catheter. Depending on the amount of sacrum that is removed, mobility may be affected. 4. You can do your own research on the sacrum, but the short story is: the sacrum connects the pelvis together. The sacrum is also where nerves branch out from the base of the spine. 5. Regarding the lesions on Judy’s lower back, the option of using radiation treatment is not possible because Judy had 28 radiation treatments in the area before her major operation in 2012. The surgeon will have to remove the diseased area, and then graft tissue (likely from the buttocks) into the area where the lesions are removed. There is a possibility the graft area might result in an open wound that may or may not heal. 6. In the coming weeks, Judy will have more imaging done beginning with a CT on October 2. We will also visit the plastic surgeon, Dr. Thompson and the anesthesiologist. 7. Judy had what likely be her last chemo before surgery on September 22. Judy continues to maintain a positive attitude. She is full speed ahead with the plan to have a surgery. We continue to enjoy the support of friends and family through this time of hoping, waiting, and decision making. We also continue to live our lives and enjoy the experiences of each day. We live in the present and when the future becomes our present, we will deal with each challenge as it comes. Knowing that we have hundreds of people pulling for us and surrounding us with love gives us strength. Thank you for your continued prayers, visits, meals together, coffee times, soup, cookies,and casseroles.

September 3

Judy had chemo on Monday. In preparation for chemo, she was given a cocktail of drugs to prevent a similar reaction to chemo that was experienced during the last treatment. Thankfully, the drugs allowed Judy to get some sleep on Monday afternoon, evening, and night. She was feeling well enough to join a friend for breakfast on Tuesday. Unfortunately, Judy did not get any sleep on Tuesday evening and limited sleep on Wednesday evening. Judy was able to see her G.P., Dr. Dahl, today. Dr. Dahl is very compassionate and quick to respond. She prescribed a sleeping pill. I believe I mentioned in an earlier post that Judy has some very painful bumps on her back that cause a burning pain every time she lays down. Judy has met with a pain management team from the cancer center. The team consists of a nurse, doctor, social worker, and pharmacist. As a result of the team meeting, Judy was prescribed an ointment that will relieve the pain topically. In addition, Judy is on nerve blockers. Nothing that has been tried to date has given consistent results;therefore, Judy has not had adequate sleep in quite some time. Judy had an MRI three weeks ago, but we have not received detailed results because the surgeon, Dr. Kanthan, has been on holidays. He will be back on September 8. When we get to see Dr. Kanthan, we should have a rough idea of when Judy will have surgery to remove the tumor in her pelvic area. Judy continues to live triumphantly and, as always, she is an inspiration to everyone who knows her story.