Hey everyone! I can't thank you all enough for your encouraging and supportive responses, for your prayers and for your concern for me and my family. It has been overwhelmingly beautiful, and each night before I go to bed I log in to be encouraged and strengthened by even more words of love and support. I would love to respond to each one, and hope that I can, because each one means so much to me. I will continue to send out updates while we're still in the early stages of things, but will probably taper off after things start to settle into our new "normal" lifestyle. But always feel free to call or write if you just want to talk or if you have any other questions…
At the end of the last letter (Friday 10/12), we had just gotten the plasmacytoma diagnosis in my L2 vertebrae from our Neurologist. Wow right, crazy, but we had something to start with. We started seeing specialists that weekend specific to this cancer and the treatment options available, and they were all so great. Two teams will be working closely with us through this, Hemotology Oncology and Radiation Oncology. The Hemotology team told us all about what plasmacytoma is, and how we had to do some more tests to rule out a broader form of this cancer that a plasmacytoma site could just be an indication of. The Radiation team has been working with us specificially to treat the cancerous area and destory the cancer cells.
Hemotology: Since they had found something right away in my L2 vertebrae, they immediatealy went ahead and checked my entire skull and spinal column from the beginning. They found nothing unusual anywhere there, and since they did an MRI of my head, I even got to see what it looked like inside my head. It was awesome, I got to see a slideshow of my brain cross-sections, so cool!
After the diagnosis, and the possibility of the broader cancer (multiple myeloma), they did X-Rays of ALL my large bones to look for any other cancer sites. Those came back clean, obviously great news!
Multiple myeloma can also be diagnosed if certain plasma percentages in the bone marrow are much higher than they should be, so right before I was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday (10/16), I had to get a bone marrow biopsy. Now I hear that bone marrow biopsies are excruciating, but thankfully because of my situation and the fact that I probably wouldn't be able to physically hold myself still because of my back, they put me under light anesthesia for that. What a blessing that was! We are still waiting for the results of this biopsy. They are optimistic that the results will be negative because some of my major organs that would likely be affected by multiple myeloma are functioning in great shape, and my body chemistry is not showing any tell tale signs they would expect to see if there was an issue, but we still need the results to rule it out completely.
Radiaology: Regardless of the presence of multiple myeloma, radiation treatment is necessary for my L2. And actually, they treat L1 and L3 (vertebrae above and below) just to make sure they get everything. I was set up for my first appointment this morning… I was initiated. They lined me up with a buch of X-Rays and a CT Scan to map a precision digital scan of my vertebrae. In making this map, they line me up with laser scopes around the room and I got three "blue freckle" tattoos (my first tat). They will use this with dual-beam, angled radiation to zap just what is needed, with minimal effect on surrounding bones/organs/tissue. Counting my blessings, the L2 is one of the best areas because the radiation will be far enough from all my major organs that I should have no issues with serious side effects caused by stray or intercepted radiation. After my initiation, they sent me off for an hour or so, and then had me come back for my first radiation treatment. Like they had told me before, they spend most of the time getting me on the table, lining me up and spinning this big machine around me. When they were ready, it was probably less then 30 seconds of actual radiation and I was done. I may see some side effects similar to sunburn on a small portion of my back, and maybe some fatigue, but they said that probably won't even show up until 2 weeks into the treatments. They're scheduling me for 25 sessions, once a day (weekdays only), and obviously they will be watching the progress throughout with bloodwork and scans. It's hard to believe that it got started so quickly, when less than two weeks ago it was just some annoying back pain.
Personally: I was almost discharged from the hospital on Monday (10/15), but things just weren't coordinating, so it had to wait until Tuesday. No big deal now that I've been home for the past few nights and it has been so wonderful! I remember looking out the window all day Tuesday, anxiously awaiting a breath of fresh air and the feel of the cool breeze… and when 5 o'clock rolled around, it was everything I was looking forward to. And then pulling into the driveway, seeing the kids so surprised and excited to have me home again, having a home-cooked meal with a few friends and sleeping in my own bed again… what a great day!
I am able to get around the house well, but I really can't do much of anything that requires bending / lifting / carrying / twising. The pain seems to be managed well with a back brace, medication, and frequently resting my back by lying down. Each day I've been up and about a bit more, and am feeling better. My calves had a hard time adjusting to more action than they've had for a whole week, but that's getting better too. And being able to cozy up to my wife whenever I want… priceless!
I was so encouraged by a verse someone sent me that illustrates God's Power and Love in the face of impossible circumstances. It's a theme that runs throughout the whole Bible and it washed me with such peace: "Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."" - Exodus 14:13-14
What a relief to be able to peacefully rest in God's mighty hands, and to know that while I rest from fighting with all my strength against something I couldn't possibly cure or eradicate or kill myself, that my God who is able, is fighting for me. What better hands could I be in?
We send our deep gratitude with our update. We have heard of people and churches all over praying for us, I have connected with some of you who have, and continue to, walk through similar (and certainly even more difficult) situations, we have meals made for us, drivers for appointments, babysitters for the kids, our lawn is mowed, Wyatt was randomly blessed with a Buzz Lightyear toy (with utility belt) that he had been wanting for the last few weeks, and our hearts are full… all this already, in such a short amount of time. I pray I can be as much of a blessing to all of you as you are to us.
Brady & the Sullivan clan
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