Friday, November 21, 2008

My New Cancer Diagnosis

Scott and I learned some disturbing news this week regarding my health that we wanted to share with all of you. We've debated the best way to share this news; updating my blog, phone calling everyone, sending an email out, word of mouth, etc. We've decided to deliver the news via email today, with further updates coming on my blog. We hope you will all understand that as much as we'd like personally deliver this information, it just isn't best for our emotional and mental well-being. So we are delivering this news via email.....

Here are the facts:

Over the past 2 weeks I've been experiencing severe headaches, some associated with nausea, as well as numbness in my limbs, problems with my vision, visual disturbances and difficulty writing words/typing. After mentioning these symptoms to my oncologist, he recommended I have an MRI of the brain. This weekend I had that procedure done. Monday we received the results:

I have a Brain Tumor. It's a horrible word and I can hardly bring myself to say the word, but its the reality of my situation. I have a 2 1/2 cm. lesion (tumor) on my parietal-occipital lobe on the left side of my brain. This tumor is a metastasis of the breast cancer and is considered a secondary cancer. Meaning, it didn't originate as a primary brain tumor, it started as a breast cancer that spread to the brain.

The bad news is that there is no cure for brain cancer, I now have metastatic disease and I will live with that title the rest of my life. It's very scary having a tumor in my brain. The parietal lobe of the brain affects simple writing, reasoning skills, numbness, paralysis, headaches, etc. The occipital lobe of the brain controls your vision. Because my tumor is in the middle of these two lobes I'm having some symptoms of both types.

Monday I started on very strong steroids which are aimed at keeping the swelling in my brain down. So far, after just a few days, I'm much less symptomatic and the Doctors feel hopeful about this. Its great to be without headaches and vision problems these past few days!!!

Today Scott and I met with a Radiation Oncologist at Sutter Cancer Center in downtown Sac. We met for two hours with this Dr. who, along with a Neurosurgeon and a team of neuroscientists and other oncologists, will make decisions about what the best treatment will be for me.

The good news is that in the world of brain tumors I have a few things in my favor:

* I have a solitary lesion (one tumor) which is WAY better than having more than one.
* It is deep, but not too deep that it can't be treated by Gamma Knife technology
* Gamma Knife technology is high doses of radiation to the brain that has a 90% cure rate for the initial tumor
* I'm young and otherwise healthy...ha ha ha..I know? Just have a brain tumor..but otherwise I'm healthy..pretty crazy huh??


There is still more to be decided as I meet with my Neurosurgeon next week. There are many negative side effects of the different treatments for my tumor and there will be a rough road ahead for me and my family. However, Scott and I feel really encouraged and hopeful after meeting with the Oncologist today, as he feels that despite the risks, I have a lot to be hopeful about.

I would like to try to keep my life as normal as possible (What is normal anymore??) but I'm really tired of being the sick person/patient/pity case and so I'd really appreciate it if you all remember that I'm the same Heidi I was on Sunday, before I knew I had a brain tumor. The tumor doesn't change who I am, it just changes the treatment plan I'll be going through the next few months and it affects some of my long-term plans. But for the most part, I'll try to keep living my life as "Heidi does" and I hope you all know that I'll need positive encouragement, support, prayers and love, just as I always have. I want you all to know you can ask me questions if you want to, etc. I'll be keeping you updated via my blog too, so you'll feel connected.

I appreciate each of you for your friendship to me and my family. As we go forward through this new trial I'm trying to take an optimistic and hopeful outlook and move forward in the best way I can.
Thanks for caring about me!

Love, Heidi

4 comments:

stina said...

Heidi,
I am so sorry. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers again. The procedure looks.... well, I don't know if cool is the right word, but its cool that so much can be done now without even making an incision.

Any chance you'll be "home" for Thanksgiving? We'll be there all week....

Aly said...

Heidi,
I am so sorry life has thrown you another curve-ball. You are such a strong, amazing woman. I am so impressed with the faith and courage you have shown through your trials. You are in my thoughts and prayers. I love you!

kristen said...

Heidi, Words cannot describe how sorry I am that you have this new challenge that you are dealing with. Please know that you and your family are in our prayers. As always, you seem to be handling this "trial" with so much faith and strength. You truly are an inspiration to so many of us! Love, Kristen

Jeana Sue Chilton Hatch said...

Heidi,
I just read your blog and I just want to say that you are an amazing person. If you ever want to call and chat please do. Also, I'm totally serious when I say that if you need someone to watch your kids at anytime I would love to. I will be praying for you and your family and I know that somehow everything will work out.
Jeana