This week has been a hum dinger!

Gilda's Club is an organization here in Grand Rapids (and several other cities in the US) founded by Gilda Radner of SNL fame, who lost her battle with cancer in 1989. It's an absolutely gorgeous old farmstead that has been remodeled into a cancer support center for patients, their families and friends. When it first opened I was a excited supporter, now, unfortunately, I'm a client. What a godsend it was to go there for dinner and attend a support group last night. This week has taken a huge toll. 

The roller coaster week of challenging test results and crummy side effects began with my CAT scan findings. It showed 4 nodules on my left lung and a cyst on my kidney. My new Physician's Assistant, Kim, another member of my growing "team", tells me the nodules are of unknown origin so they want to schedule another CAT scan in two months to measure the nodules again. If they have grown, she will order a biopsy to evaluate them for cancer cells. That news made for a challenging Monday. 

On Tuesday I was just trying to hang on. My incisions continued to be painful and fester and it felt like my brain was doing the same. Finally, in the evening, I got some good self talk going and the cheerleader was back!  I decided to just focus on the fact that Wednesday would be a better day and I was going to spend it with my favorite two year old! About two minutes into our snuggle I got a call from another doctor telling me my mammogram results were in and there is a suspicious mass in my left breast. 

Several people encouraged me the day before saying its a good sign that they weren't rushing to do a biopsy of the lung. Wednesday when I shared that they were getting me in right away on Thursday to do a repeat mammogram and ultrasound those same folks said, "oh good, what a relief that they are taking this seriously and are seeing you right away."  And I was trying to feel the same way, but honestly all I could think was f~<£!!

So yesterday I spent the day at the cancer center having my incisions checked, putting the details together so that next week's surgery will go more smoothly than last week's, and finding out whether or not I also have breast cancer. I knew they ordered the initial mammogram because there seems to be a correlation between women who get melanoma multiple times and those same women being diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully I left the center knowing that the mass was a 3 cm benign cyst. It doesn't need to be removed. It won't ever develop into cancer. Finally a test result ultimately going my way!!!

Then I got to end the day at Gilda's Club with my sister Christine, who had been on the roller coaster with me all day. Thank you family and friends for all your visits, calls, cards, words of encouragement and thoughts of hope. I'll never forget your support. Every word means the world to me. I love you all so much.