My brain is racing all the time

After the visit to Dr. Katz my mind is all over the place. It is all I can think about. When I wake up, when I go to sleep and numerous times throughout the day is thinking about my cancer and what my next step should be.
I am very worried because I am starting to feel something in my right lower back again. It was the same, to a lesser extent, as what I had in August 2010....when all of this started.
Dr. Katz told me I have 2 options. RPLND surgery or monitor. As the tumor is 4.3 cm then the urologist all think that I need the RPLND. If it was smaller than 3cm then it would be better to monitor it. So I have told myself I need this surgery and I will get it done. Now the question is, who does it? I have done a lot of reading on the web and have got on a great website, thanks for finding it Jennifer!, called tc-cancer.com which wraps my head around RPLND surgery and who does it. Dr. Foster in Indianapolis is my number 1 guy. He works with Dr. Einhorn who worked very closely to Lance Armstrong. Dr. Foster has been doing this type of surgery for many years and, from what I have read, knows his stuff. Dr. Katz suggested I talk to an excellent Dr. in St. Louis, Dr. Kibel. This doctor hasn't been doing it as long and I he is my 2nd pick right now. St. Louis is closer and easier for Jen's family and added cost, but I'm not going to let logistics make my mind up. I simply want the best of the best.... and in my mind that is Dr. Foster.
I see Dr. Travis on Tuesday (there is a storm coming through that is supposed to hit Monday night. I hope this doesn't cancel Dr. Travis appointment) and will make sure I get a referral to go see Dr. Foster ASAP. With my back hurting, I feel I need to work quickly on this.

News & my hair is coming back!

So I got a call today that I am to see Dr. Katz in Little Rock on Friday 28th. I have to go an pick up the images from Dr. Travis' office this Friday when I have a checkup from him.

Hair is coming in thick and fast

So as you can see from the picture I just took, my hair is coming in fairly well. It is so soft, I can't believe it. haha. So funny considering my hair is usually so course. I am looking forward to see how it looks in another month.
My rash is still around, after 6 weeks. So I decided I was going to try and get rid of it. I went to see Dr. Travis yesterday and they referred my to Dr. Hull, a local dermatologist. Yes, yet another doctor. The list continues to grow. They took a biopsy of it to send to UAMS (University of Arkansas Medical School) in Little Rock. They are thinking that is it folliculitis which is an inflammation of the hair follicles. The lab tests should show which bacteria or fungus is causing the infection. I hope to get it all done soon.
We are expecting snow overnight, so maybe I get that much needed rest..... we will see.

Waiting.....

It was a holiday for me today. No school. Which was great. Needed it because with the first indoor track & field meet all day Saturday it just felt like I didn't get much of a weekend.
I did get a call from Dr. Travis' nurse & she said she will Chase up a response from Dr. Katz as they hadn't heard anything from him in a week. I'm hoping I get the chance to talk to him. I'll definitely hear something tomorrow.

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No news is good news.... I guess.

I have only heard back from the nurse @ Dr. Travis's office to tell me she sent a note to Dr. Katz (UAMS, Little Rock, AR) and Dr. Greene (Lakeland Regional Cancer Center).Nothing back as of yet, but I hope one gets back with some positive news on surgery. Dr. Katz is a urologic oncologist specializing in laparoscopic and robotic surgery. So he might be able to do the surgery without cutting me from tip to toe. I'll be excited to speak to him personally about the surgery. Supposedly Dr. Travis nurse told me that he reviews all the notes on the patient and then makes an assessment as to whether it is a viable surgical procedure. Then he asks to speak to the patient. He does surgery Mon-Thurs, then takes patients Fridays. Maybe I'll hear something tomorrow.

Some latest pictures while I wait for surgery date

While I wait for a surgery date I am simply happy to be here and am able to play around with my son. Here are a few of the pictures we have taken over the past few weeks (the bottom two are from tonight). Lachlan makes all the worry disappear. Tonight when I was giving him a bath he started to say "uh oh" when I dropped his plastic peas in a pod in the bath. When he picked them up & put them in his mouth, I grabbed them with my teeth and he thought it was hilarious. Then I'd drop them in the water again and the cycle would continue. You could see he was learning how to speak and learn the game. Amazing!

 This picture to the left is funny, not only because  of Lachlan crushing my chest, but because he has a diaper full for poo, his 3rd for the afternoon. And it smelled horrible. Luckily this was BEFORE the bath :-)
The last picture is of my hair growing back! Not sure if it will be the same curly think hair I am accustomed to, or if it will be something different. I guess we will wait and see.

Tomorrow I am hoping to hear back from Dr. Travis' nurse with an appointment to see Dr. Katz in Little Rock, AR. I am eager to hear what he has to say about my future surgery.

Another Chapter is starting

The image on the right is one of a series of pictures from the last CAT scan I had. I went through it with my urologist Friday. You can see the spine and then the white round object is the aorta, to the left of that, round gray object, is the vena cava. I outlined the tumor in red. It is about just under 3cm across and it starts just under then right renal artery and continues to the split into the Iliac artery (see image below scan). The urologist wants to operate to get the tumor out, kind of the next step after all the chemo. It will be a very extensive surgery that may last up to 8 hours. It involves a cut from the sternum to about 3in below the belly button. Removing the intestines to clearly work on extracting the tumor. Then it's a long road to recovery. I am getting a 2nd opinion this week from a Dr. in Little Rock, Ar. Should be interesting what he says.

I will be continuing the progress of the Dr. meetings and surgery through this blog. I'm looking at it as Round 2. Chemo being Round 1.
Never knew that surgery would be a part of the process but I guess with cancer you can never know and it can always change. I have learnt a lot from this experience and will be a better person for it.
Thanks for the continued prayers and positive energy you are all giving me.
I WILL beat this.