What's Next?.....

Jim and I both had good checkups in December. Since we both see the same radiation oncologist, we schedule our checkups with her together, and since she has a daughter that also plays soccer, we always have a nice long visit with her - she is very generous with her time, and likes to catch up on how the whole family is doing. Jim's urologist is also pleased with his progress, though he is considering moving Jim from intermittent hormone therapy to continuous - it helps to keep the prostate cancer at bay, but it's also hard on your bones and your heart. The doctor planned to review Jim's case with his peers, and Jim will probably learn more at his February checkup.

Teri has news too. 18 months after all the active treatments are complete, all 3 doctors say no signs of the cancer coming back, and so she is going to have another breast reconstruction surgery. While wearing a prosthesis isn’t horrible, it’s not the most comfortable thing, and swim suits are a bit tough. So Feb 13 is surgery day. My new line -  “I’m getting a new boob for Valentine’s Day!” (We make some sick jokes around our house these days J ) The plastic surgeon will take some skin from my back and swing it around to put some additional skin in the front, and then use an implant to build a mound. Then they make the other side match, so I really am getting a complete boob job! Recovery is expected to be 2-4 weeks, so a nice little break from work too. They might not be able to do everything in one surgery, so there might be some followup work in a couple more months, but hopefully mostly complete before summertime.  A little scary, but exciting too. Will post a picture of the “new me” later! In the meantime, please keep all these doctors in your prayers - we are counting a lot on their wisdom and knowledge and skill!