First 2 Weeks After Surgery

I decided to start this blog because it is quite overwhelming to keep everyone that we love informed as to what is going on in our daily lives. This way anyone can check this whenever they want and I can get rid of all the frustration that I feel by typing it out. Hopefully Troy will feel comfortable enough to type once in a while too!

Quite honestly, the past two weeks since the surgery to remove his tumor have been hell. Troy has a list of about 10 doctors or facilities that he has been to for either consultations, follow-up, x-rays/scans, or surgery. His port placement surgery was today and he is in a lot of pain. That surgery was to place a device under his skin (on his left chest side) that will deliver his chemo medicines to him once he starts the medications. We do not know when that will be. We have a meeting with his oncologist on Wednesday.

Tomorrow will be a "quiet" day for us as the only appointment he has is with the dentist, which is only a mile from the house. They are requiring this appointment as a pre-radiation exam. The only thing we know at this point is that he will be having induction therapy. He will have 3 cycles of chemo (3 different drugs) to start and then it will be followed by 7 weeks of radiation which will occur on a daily basis. The doctor (Dr. Bruce Goldsweig) is taking an aggressive approach due to Troy's age and health. He has a PET scan on Friday and an MRI scheduled for Sept. 4th. This is to check and see if the cancer has spread anywhere else.

Troy and I have our moments when we feel like complete crap, but we try to pull ourselves out of that dark place to the best of our abilities. The good thing with Troy and I is that we counterbalance one another. I usually can pull him out of his slump and he snaps me out of it when I'm having a moment. Of course I try and hide those moments from him as much as I possibly can. Unfortunately this disease doesn't always let you be discreet.

I am going to try and keep this updated on a nearly daily basis, but quite honestly I may just be burnt out and not make it here as frequently as I would like to. It means a lot to us that you care. You can communicate to me via my email (soothcage@bellsouth.net) or just post something here if you want to. If I don't reply right back to you, it just means that I am probably wiped out.

The kids are great. Derek seems to love preschool. He started this week and goes from 9-12 Mon. - Thurs. His teachers at St. Catherine's of Siena preschool are Miss Betsey and Miss Cassi and I can't begin to tell you what a great support system there is for us through the church and preschool. And Ryan has been walking for the past couple of weeks! He has a temper and a smile that could melt glaciers! Derek knows that Daddy is very sick, but he is just happy when he is here - even if that means laying in bed and resting. Ryan is happy just being loved and fed.

Troy's parents will be returning soon (around the 9th of Sept.). They left on Saturday after staying for a couple of weeks. This of course is taking a toll on them as well as the rest of our families. I'm probably the only daughter-in-law in America who can't wait to see her in-laws!! Their help is invaluable to us and even though Troy is 35, he is still their baby and they want to be here for him. Thank you Donna & Ang and thank you to everyone for your prayers and concern, and know, more than anything, this keeps Troy and I strong. I really believe that he will be cured because so many people care.