Change of Plan

 Bryan and I had a meeting with Dr. Eid, Seth's primary oncologist, and there is a change of plan. Originally we thought we'd probably be doing radiation with this chemo round but upon discussion with radiologists and the rest of Seth's medical team they have concerns about doing radiation.

First concern is that he would need a high dose of radiation and because the radiation is one that spreads over a large area (they wanted to make sure they cover the whole mass) the concern is that his heart, trachea and surrounding areas will also get this high dose and create health problems for Seth later in life, one of them being cancer from the radiation, so not ideal.😬 

Second concern is that before any surgery to remove the shrunken mass Seth would have to heal from radiation first and because sarcomas are more challenging to shrink and get rid of they are concerned that in the healing time that the mass would also 'heal' aka grow bigger again and basically make radiation a big waste of time and just add unnecessary health problems for Seth.

SO...they wanted to avoid an big invasive surgery but after looking at everything they think that this is the best next step after all.  Dr. Dicken will be doing the surgery and we were told he is one of the best surgeons in the Stollery.  We are not sure if this will be one big surgery to remove the mass and the rest of the lung or if he will do a few smaller surgeries. We were told that Dr. Dicken may make that decision during the first surgery once he sees what he's dealing with inside. 

Seth's cancer we are told is in the pleura of the lung, the surrounding sac.  Dr. Eid said most times in surgeries for cancer they take a little 'extra' around the tissue just to be sure they got it all but because Seth's cancer is in the outer sac of the lung it makes that a little tricky. 

Then after surgery Seth would do a lower dose of radiation.  We have a radiologist consult at the Cross Cancer Institute later this month and Dr. Eid would like surgery to happen this month yet as well. He said he'd try not to do it on Christmas, but we also know that if that's the day that works then that's the day we do it.  We were hoping he could be at his Hockey Tournament Fundraiser on Boxing Day but we will have to wait and see what happens. All in God's timing and not our own, His timing has worked pretty well for us so far!😁

This round Seth has not needed a water pill so we are thankful for that. When he gets that it makes him pee around 20-30 times in an hour. I'm not exaggerating. They usually give it to him and it kicks in at night. It's starts off every 2 minutes and eventually he gets a longer break in between,  but it's like having a newborn baby again, getting up constantly.  So we are thankful to get some more rest at the hospital this time. 

Also, thank you for your continued prayers! Even Seth's oncologist is impressed by how well he does with the chemo. I remember asking that people pray specifically for that in the first round and God has definitely granted that request! So every time the doctors are impressed I know exactly where that grace is coming from. 🙏

Please continue to pray for side effects to stay away! Also pray for Dr. Eid his oncologist, Dr. Dicken his surgeon and the rest of Seth's medical team. Pray they stay clear minded and healthy and that God guides their decisions and hands during surgery. 

And a big thanks for the hockey cards that showed up in our church mailbox. He got 28 packs in total! He was very happy when we brought them after church yesterday! 😁

You can see under his arm part of his biopsy scar, and the circle scar is where his chest tube was. 

28 card packs!! You can see the rest of his biopsy scar here. He forgot extra shirts so I had to bring him some. haha I made sure he approved these pictures for posting here.😅

A couple funny moments this round that made us laugh. I accidentally put his little brothers comfy pants in his bag. So for a day he was wearing pants that fit his waist but were WAY too short. Also Seth was not used to being off IV, so when he DID get to come off for a little while (as long as he drank enough) we watched him take his IV pole into the bathroom for no reason. He said as soon as he locked the door he was like 'Why did I take this?'  We chuckled and asked him if he needed it for emotional support.🤣

Praising God through it all and thankful for moments of laugher and a very attentive medical team. ♡