Putting Up The Tree

Stringing up the lights on the little tree Ain't she cute? :)

Nate's going to do some more decorating yet, but we had a little fun!

Our First Thanksgiving

Nate and I spent our first Thanksgiving together :) Albeit we didn't eat until 10:30 pm because Nate had to work a second shift... oh the life of a cop! But it was still delicious. It was my first time making Turkey Dinner, and I felt the need to document some of the delicious steps :)

The Turkey & The Brining:

Jessica gave me this wonderful idea that I should brine the turkey breast. I will never not do this. Oh-my-so-moist! .... However, they were not completely and properly brined due to lack of proper-sized kitchen equipement. Ahem, Nate! So I imagine if they were done correctly, they would be even better. A theory I shall have to test next year...

The Best Dessert On Earth: Raspberry Pretzel Dessert

Normally I only get this dessert once a year at Christmas because I DEMAND it :) And momma complies! However, Nate doesn't eat pumpkin pie.. or pumpkin anything for that matter, so here it is.


The Cranberries:

None of that Ocean Spray out of the can crap! And now I have an integral part to a Thanksgiving dinner leftovers recipe that I've been wanting to use for three years (Herbed Turkey & Waffles).


The Stuffing:

Which for this year, we will call a disaster. It started off well, but... ended in a huge quantity and not quite the right flavor. Good thing Nate likes it because he's going to be eating it for the next 2 weeks!


The Whole Meal:

Ta da!

Turkey deliciously brined and moist.

Scalloped Corn--thank you cousin Sasha. I think the leftovers are almost gone already!

Apple & Onion Stuffing

Aunt Rosie's Mashed Potatoes--these I tweaked a bit. Add some garlic, add some cheese, and turn them into twice-baked potatoes.

Happy Thanksgiving :)

Yes, we're real klassy like that. And yes that is sparkling juice; the steroids do not allow me to have alcohol. Wine... :( Literally, I whine :(

One More Appointment Down

Yes, it is 5:15 am. Excuse the look on my face and the puffy, chipmunk cheeks the steroids have given me.

Not much to report today. Nate and I had to journey back over to Mayo for pre-op physical. Everything went very smooth; we were early and they got us out of there quick and easy. Just some routine stuff.

I managed to survive getting my blood drawn (Needles are #2 fear on the "Oh My Gd I want to die list"). So thank you sweet, sweet anti-anxiety drug Lorazepam!

They gave us a little information on what I need to do Monday night and where to check in for admissions on Tuesday morning.

On Monday, we'll all be headed down to Mayo again. My appointment for the MRI brain mapping is at 1:00 pm. And from there we'll be in Rochester for a couple days.

That is all I know for now!

And now it is time to relax with mom, dad, Bri, and Nate in Madison.

Thanksgiving

Today is a great day to be thankful for wonderful family and friends.

So, thank you everyone for the continued support/wishes/thoughts/prayers/etc!

And We Have a Plan!

Albeit, it's a rather fast moving one... but here it is.

After meeting with the neurologist, neurosurgeon, and radiation oncologist yesterday--it was a LONG day--I'm going to be getting biopsied on Tuesday.They are calling it a "low grade tumor." The doctors are saying it is a slow growing tumor; they think it might have been there for years. The tumor isn't really inhibiting me. I don't have any "neurological symptoms." It appears as though the tumor has been slowly growing for quite some time, as the area around the tumor has just kinda made room for it without causing any problems.

We don't know exactly what it is yet, hence the biopsy. What we do know is that they will not be surgically removing it. It is too far inside of my brain and too risky to actually try to remove it. Once it has been biopsied and pathology has determined exactly what it is, then we can decide on a course of action. It looks like I'll be heading towards 6 weeks of radiation to erradicate the tumor.

Here is my schedule for the next week or so:

Friday 11/28
9:45 am Pre-op Physical

Monday 12/1
11:45 am MRI
They're going to be putting stickers on my head and running me through the MRI while Dr. Parney, the neurosurgeon, uses a wand to specifically map out my brain. He will use this map for the biopsy on Tuesday.

Mom, Dad, Bri, Nate, and I will be at a hotel Monday night, as I need to be at St. Mary's hospital fairly early Tuesday morning.

Tuesday 12/2
6:30 am-ish Pre-op Stuff
At some point on Tuesday, I will be getting biopsied. It is called a stereotactic biopsy. Dr. Parney will drill into the back of my head, up and above my right ear. He will then insert a hollow needle to take pieces of the tumor, which will be sent to pathology for preliminary results. The surgery itself should take about an hour. I will spend the night in intensive care, and if all goes well will be up and walking around the next day, discharged probably Wednesday night. After that, we'll all be in Somerset

Final pathology results will take a couple days before they can completely determine what it is we're dealing with. When these results are in, I will meet with my neurologist Dr. Uhm to determine our course of action.

...here's the kicker. Neither of the doctors believe that the tumor is causing my headaches. So, good thing I had a 2 month headache, otherwise it could've been a long time before we ever would have found this tumor.

I'm flying back to Colorado on Friday the 5th. And we'll just have to see how everything goes!

And I'm Off!

The taxi will be picking me up at 4:10 am, and my flight out of Hayden is at 6:15 am. I'll be landing in Madison at 1:30 pm.

Nate and I will be heading to the Mayo Clinic on Wednesday morning, where we'll meet my parents and Nate's mom & sister. It's going to be a loonnnnnnnnnng day of appointments, but by the end of the day I hope to have a few more answers. And possibly a plan of attack!

I'll try to send out a mass text, call, etc. to reach as many people as I can once I have some news.

Thank you everyone for the support!

Mayo Clinic Appointments

Just talked to the Mayo Clinic:

Wednesday 26th
1:00 pm meeting with neurologist
3:00 pm meeting with neurosurgeon

They scheduled me with the radiation oncologist, just in case, at 4:00 pm. So it may get cancelled. Here's hoping on that one, or I really am going to have a break down about losing my hair!

Fun stuff, right? ;)

Brain Update

So here's my latest news:

I saw the neurosurgeon for like 15 minutes. I guess it was more of a formality, which I did not know. Apparently, Dr. Orton had just wanted me to see him so I could get a referral elsewhere. Dr. Turner, the neurosurgeon, immediately said that I should go to the University of Colorado (better diagnostic imaging and biopsy experience/equipment); I asked if I could go to Mayo, and he said of course and that Dr. Orton had said that I was from that area.

So, Mayo is supposed to be calling me tomorrow to schedule an appointment either for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and then we'll figure it out. I'll be needing to get a biopsy I guess, and it's sounding like it's gotta come out.

But leave it to the specialist to finally call it what it is. "Deep brain tumor." Alright, thank you for someone finally telling me what it is. He thinks it's cystic (fluid in there) from what he could tell on the MRI. He also said that he doesn't think it's aggressive because if it was, being the size that it is, I'd be doing worse. But I'm peachy keen, in regards to motor skills, reflexes, etc. It's just the headaches and the little black spot. So.... that's good news!

And, that's about all I know. I should know tomorrow when my appointment with Mayo is!

P.S. My friend Lisa is a rockstar! She drove my butt all the way down to Fort Collins today and has been keepin' an eye on me :) Love her!

Why I've Had a Headache for 2 Months

A lil background, I've had a constant headache for about 2 months now. About a month ago, I got a little black floating speck in my right eye. I've also gotten the first 3 migraines of my life during this time. I've tried everything to think of what could be causing it: watching what I eat, how I sit at work, getting my spine and neck realigned.. everything. And nothing had been helping!! So, finally I got talked (rather scared) into going to the doctor. I had an appointment Friday morning with a physician's assistant, and we talked about what could be triggering these headaches. In order to rule out some major issues, she sent me to the ophthamologist and to get an MRI. At 3:30, I went to the ophthamologist and everything was perfect; the floaters were normal.

At 4:30 I went to get an MRI. They got me all ran through and when they pulled me out the MRI tech told me that the radiologist wanted to insert some dye into me to get some contrast on something. So, I immediately freaked out because needles are one of my biggest fears. But thank you nice MRI lady. I managed to survive. They ran me through the machine again, and then I waited while my PA and my new doctor, Dr. Orton, went to talk to the radiologist. The dreaded waiting...

My PA and Dr. Orton came out to talk to me. Turns out I have a 4 cm by 2.5 cm mass on my thalamus in my brain. This is what has been causing the headaches and the visual disturbance. At first I started freaking out and almost crying. They decided to admit me to the hospital for the night so I wouldn't be alone in my apartment and so they could run some labs and give me some drugs. But I quickly discovered that being a smartass and joking around with the doctors and nurses was a good coping mechanism for a worrywart like me.

This is what I know:

1) Before getting an MRI, don't be a smartass to your mother and jokingly tell her that you're getting an MRI just to make sure you don't have a brain tumor something. It will come back to bite you!

2) Being a smartass and joking around with the doctors/nurses is a very good coping mechanism. I'm a crazy worrier by nature, so if I wasn't being a smartass, they'd have me a in straight jacket.

3) Take advangtage of being in the hospital. Gotta love the apple juice and orange sherbert. I also love how you can raise the head end of the bed, makes it perfect for watching TV. That is all I did Friday night!

3) Decadron is some glorious stuff. I woke up Friday morning feeling better than I have in two months. It's an anti-inflammatory to get the swelling down around the mass. Only downside is that it has steroids in it and they're giving me hot flashes and jacked my pulse up to 92 bmp.

4) I got blood drawn and I didn't die. I did, however, put the blankets over my head so that I couldn't see. They came in and drew blood about 5 am, and I warned the girl it would not go well. Thankfully, she was very good and there was not digging around. Took like 3 minutes tops, thank God! And I think the Lorazepam was helping me not freak out.

5) I got to the see the MRI and I've actually got a CD with the images because I need to bring them to the neurosurgeon. The mass is smooth, which I'm told is generally the case in malignant masses. It is about 1 inch by 2 inches in my thalamus. I"m just thankful it's not on my cerebrum or anything.

6) I'm going to the neurosurgeon on Monday at 9am. My friend Lisa is driving me down to Fort Collins, so I won't be alone. And then we'll find out from there. He may end up referring me on to somewhere else, possibly Mayo. Which would be ideal, IF I need to have surgery. I'm hoping the Decadron can reduce the mass enough, and then maybe some other medication can take care of it. Anything's possible right now.

That's all I know for now. Any questions feel free to ask!

Halloween

Wilmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!