I’m happy to say our trip to Duke was successful.  We met with Dr. Blackwell who specializes in breast cancer and she not only agreed with Mayo in treating my brain with Gamma Knife, but also suggested treating me with either an oral chemo pill that can pass the blood brain barrier or a clinical trial or both.  She said my brain is one thing that we know needs treatment, but she’s also concerned about the rest of me.  She said if one cancer cell could survive all my prior treatments and was smart enough to take up residence in my brain, then she wants to make sure there are no other smart cells to take up residence from my neck down.  She would follow me very aggressively seeing me every three weeks and having scans run every nine weeks. 

She gave a lot of great suggestions and advice.  She also suggested that I begin working with a major cancer center in Michigan, such as U of M, and with a doctor who specializes in breast cancer and is on top of all the clinical trials.  She said it didn’t matter where I get my brain tumor zapped (Mayo or Duke), but that being a 33-year-old YOUNG woman I need to work with a major cancer center. 

I made the appointment with Mayo to have the Gamma Knife surgery next Wednesday.  I’m nervous, scared and excited.  Thank you to the Pugh’s for flying us to Minnesota for this procedure.

Right now I am so sick of cancer.  I’m sick of talking about.  Reading about it.  Hearing about it.  Learning about it.  Remembering I have it.  My life has been consumed by cancer lately and I’m sick of it.  So sorry this isn’t a really great posting, but I’m trying to rebalance my life so that cancer isn’t the center of it. 

Thank you to everyone who helped out with the kids while we were gone.  It’s hard to be away from them and it’s hard to think I’m leaving again.  We couldn’t do this without everyone’s help.  Thank you!