Waiting

Dear diary.  Its been a while.  I continue to focus on my blog at Kelly’s caring bridge website.  Its now the 3rd week of November and Thanksgiving is upon us.  We have so much to be thankful for.  I don’t know how much longer it will last, but Kelly’s chemo "recess" has now lasted almost 5 months.  That alone is plenty to be thankful for.  Hopefully it’ll last a while longer.

We learned via genetic testing that Kelly inherited a genetic flaw…..the BRCA 1 mutation.  That is the cause of her ovarian cancer.  It means she is at a 65% to 90% risk to develop breast cancer.  After consulting with a specialist, she elected to have bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction……to eliminate the possibility of getting breast cancer.  Fortunately, she has worked for years with the plastic surgeon who will do her reconstruction and she knows he does great work.  Hopefully, she’ll get her "new boobs" (as she calls them) for Christmas.  She wants to be proactive and having this surgery would do wonders for her in more ways than one.

A pre-surgery chest x-ray disclosed a "pulmonary nodule mid right lung at the 8th rib level".  We are now awaiting the results of a CT scan taken to get a better look.  It’s going to be a long weekend of waiting, wondering, and praying.  Tom Petty sure was right when he sang the waiting is the hardest part.  I can’t help but imagine the worst……all the while hoping and praying for the best.  I hope this isn’t what I’m fearing the most…..that the disease has spread to her lung. 

Diary, if there are those reading your pages who have a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer in their families….please encourage them to do a Google search on BRCA1 and BRCA2 and have them learn about this valuable genetic test which is available.