good news thursday

Last night was tumor board!  (Let's be honest... tumor board... it doesn't sound like a real thing.  It sounds like a made up term.  But real it is.)

Dr. Kang called me last night and Dr. Chugh called me today to update me on the board's decisions.  If I don't get more surgery and just get radiation, my cancer has a high chance of coming back... and they probably wouldn't be able to gain control of it.  Simple decision, I'll get surgery.  It'll be on March 5th.  I'm not 100% sure about what they are going to be looking for during the surgery, but they want to take out a lot of tissue to try and get as much of the cancerous cells as they can.  They say until they get clean margins.  The last surgery wasn't so bad because they took out a tumor the size of an apple that wasn't supposed to be there.  This time they are going to take out a lot that is supposed to be there.  Hopefully there won't be any lasting damage.  But obviously, when choosing between your life and a temporarily weird neck, you're going to choose your life.  Even my scar may have residual cancerous cells in it, so that's gotta go.  New scar, more head shaving.  I wonder if my next scar will also be in the shape of a snake...

No chemotherapy!  They don't think it will do much good, so they made the decision that I won't be getting any chemo.  I'm really relieved.  The nausea and hair loss is something I don't want.

2-6 weeks after the surgery I'll start radiation therapy.  5 days a week for 6 weeks.

And then I'll need to be checked every 3-4 months for a long while for any new growths.  This is good, this is all very good.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  And in all honesty, the tunnel doesn't feel that long.

Oh!  The CT scan on my chest came back and it is clean!  So it hasn't spread yet.

And I got a job today.  The same job I had in high school.  The one that I have had any time I am home for an extended period of time for the past 5 years.  Dairy Queen.  Thank goodness, what a blessing.  These hospital bills aren't cheap...

Overall a good Valentine's Day.  My mother and I even made brownies and put frosting and pink sprinkles on them.  So festive.

By the way... has anyone seen the show 'Impractical Jokers'?  I'm dying.  This show is so funny.  Please watch it and tell me how funny you think it is.  Come on, I have cancer and this will make me so happy.  (I use this line on my parents daily... it doesn't really work anymore.)