The Good and the Bad

First the good news. The cyst on my ovary is just a large cyst and not cancer. The sciatic pain I'm having is not related to the cancer but is a herniated disk in one area and a degenerated disk just below it. The not so good news is that the tumors in the liver have grown significantly and Dr. Bordoni wants me to start treatment next week. This will be three days of I.V. chemotherapy followed in 14 days with chemo embolization in the liver. A week or two after that I will have another three days of I.V. chemotherapy followed again by chemo embolization after 14 days. When these two months of treatment are finished he will do another CT scan to see if I'm in remission. The good news is if I do have a remission the doctor thinks I'm a good candidate for liver transplantation. He is still very encouraged by my lack of symptoms and he has presented my case in two symposiums to get feedback from other oncologists. Although I really expected him to say the cancer was growing slowly and that I could do the embolization alone, I'm ready to take on the chemo (not at all happy about it, but ready). I will be having a colonoscopy Monday and then on to chemo on Wednesday, April 1st. Please pray for my little family to stay strong and encouraged.
Love,
Darlene

More Positive Feedback

My follow-up visit with Dr. Bordoni went well today. The results of the 24 hour urine test is yet another indicator that my cancer is a slow growing carcinoid. This along with my health and mild symptoms lead my doctor to believe that this will be easier to manage. The CT scan next week will indicate if anything is growing or changing. The MRI scheduled for that same day is to diagnose whether my sciatic pain is simply a pinched nerve or something related to the cancer. Near the end of March or the first of April I will be having a colonoscopy( Dr. Bordoni still suspects this is where it began). Blood was drawn today to help him get more information on the ovarian cyst that we are are hoping is only a cyst. Things are progressing and I feel much more peace now. If there was ever good news concerning cancer, this is it. Thank you all again for your support. The transportation, a hand to hold during appointments, food, cards and especially prayers. Everything each of you do leaves me blessed and I feel God smiling over us.
Love, Darlene

Vanderbilt Visit

I saw Dr. Jill Gilbert at Vanderbilt yesterday, she is one of the few doctors nearby with experience in Merkle Cell. She assured me I don't have Merkle Cell but that my cancer is in the same group of cancers. Fortunately there are also much less aggressive cancers in this same group. The confusion the doctors are having is that my pathology appears to be an aggressive fast moving cancer, while my physical exams and symptoms appear to be a much more manageable slow growing cancer such as carcinoid tumors. Dr. Gilbert's suggestion is to get another CT scan to show what has progressed. If nothing has changed or grown in the six weeks she would feel comfortable with me having targeted liver therapy such as mechanically strangling the tumors. If the cancer has progressed however, she strongly suggests I.V. chemotherapy. Although that is what I hope to avoid she assured me it is not as bad as I am anticipating. Dr. Gilbert feels I could do four rounds of chemo with a long remission afterwards.
She also stated that I should not assume the six centimeter cyst on my ovary is only a cyst without biopsy proof. Also she wants my sciatic nerve pain looked into. Of course I have a million more questions for my oncologist now, but at least I am learning and moving forward with a plan of attack. Again, thanks to everyone for your prayers, they truly change everything.

Second Opinion

Wow, what a day! Kevin and I saw another oncologist from a different practice today.(I was looking for one that practiced at Kennestone because Kennestone has a more advanced cancer center). After reviewing the pathology report and speaking to the pathologist while we waited, he does not agree at all with the first diagnosis. If this is the type of cancer he believes it is, it is much less aggressive and can be treated much more conservatively. For now he wants to start with a 24 hour urine collection. If he sees what he thinks he will with this, my next step is simply a colonoscopy. Yes it is still stage four but the prognosis is so much better. He is advising not to rush into chemotherapy. (So glad I didn't get all my hair cut off as I had planned!) My prayer has been to see Vann's 18th birthday and praise God, I just might. I am still travelling to Vanderbilt next week and am anxious to see what they think. Thank you all for your constant prayers.
Love,
Darlene

Diagnosis History

This whirlwind has all happened since the second week of January. After four to five months of having mild stomach aches one or two days out of the month, I went to my primary care physician to get checked for a gall stone. When Dr. Ujjin saw the ultrasound he raised the concern of metastatic disease because of seeing liver lesions. Next came the CT scan which revealed twenty tumors in the liver and small suspicious areas on the lung. The oncologist is still not concerned with these stating that everyone probably has scarring and lesions on their lungs.
My next step was a liver biopsy which tells the doctor where the cancer originated. (If there had been breast cells in the liver tumors it would be metastatic breast cancer, colon cells in the liver mean metastatic colon cancer,etc.). Kevin and I saw the doctor Tuesday and she revealed the cancer to be a very rare form of skin cancer called Merkel Cell Carcinoma. It is already stage four since it has metastasized to the liver. The only course of treatment she has to offer is chemo therapy to hopefully shrink the liver tumors. I am still very strong and healthy and would not know any of this was happening if not for the doctors opinions. We are all working on getting me a referral to Vanderbilt and M.D. Anderson. Next week is a second opinion here locally and a PET scan to try to locate the skin cancer(Not visible to us or the doctors). We are so blessed by our friends, family and co-workers. Everything you do is a huge help and we truly feel wrapped in your prayers.

Whats Going On With Darlene

Darlene has been dignosed with Merkel Cell Carcinoma...correction, Darlene has been MIS-diagnosed with Merkle Cell.

http://www.merkelcell.org/