Queue Sound Effects...

So tomorrow I go in for "Re-Staging" (queue dramatic sound effects). This means a very long day. It starts with an hour long presentation that I'm conducting for my employment (Omni Touch Contact Center- Premium Edition- very exciting stuff. I'll send you the Power Point if your interested : ).

Then we drive (very fast) to DHMC in Hanover for 10am Xrays, an 11am MRI (I hate MRI's- Big guy, small tube- not a good combination), 12 noon Labs, a 1:30 meeting with our oncology fellow (Dr. Reddy- very nice man), and finally 2:30 Bone Marrow biopsy (again, queue sound effects- the scary kind). Didn't do so well the last time I had the biopsy- took them several 'attempts' for them to get what they needed. I say attempts but it was more like several stabbings/diggings/scrapes/torture. Very uncomfortable/painful. Hopefully tomorrow goes better.

Now, I'm generally a very low key guy- not much gets me too worked up (OK- the news that I had cancer worked me up pretty good- but generally). So I'm not going to get too excited about tomorrow. As I see it tomorrow holds several possibilities.
Door #1- the Chemo could be working and I continue on through the 8 cycles that were originally scheduled.
Door #2- the Chemo is really working and they say no more cycles (I'm just finishing up my 4th cycle) and they use the big 'R' word... (queue good sound effect - Remission). At this point we start to talk seriously about the Bone Marrow transplant (queue ominous sound effect).
Door #3- the chemo is not working- back to the drawing board (queue sad sound effects).

I'm also a pretty optimistic guy- I think generally things will work out for the best. I honestly believe I get what is behind Door #2. I believe that the chemo is working and I believe that we are going to move to the next phase- Bone Marrow transplant. I know, be careful what you wish for... But obviously, this holds the best chance for me to survive. Marleigh has posted previously what the bone marrow transplant entails; 3 weeks in the hospital, a serious round of chemo that will kill my living bone marrow (good and bad), wipe out my immune system, certainly take my hair, as well as affect my digestion system in such a way that I may finally lose those 20 pounds I've needed to lose for years (told you I was an optimist). They will then give me my own, previously harvested stem cells, which will regrow a hopefully cancer free marrow (what a world we live in).

Now my optimism is based on a lot of faith/prayers/fasts/more prayers/a great medical team. Ultimately, my fate lies in God's hands, but I feel like we're doing all we can to beat this thing. I know that there is not yet a cure for what I have, but I honestly believe I have a lot of years ahead of me, that I'll get to experience all those husband and fatherly things; weddings, missions, graduations, 30th year wedding anniversaries to the Bahamas/Hawaii/wherever. I honestly believe that I'll be around when they do come up with the cure (queue Hallelujah sound effects). I know what your thinking; it's a fine line between optimism and 'this guys not thinking straight'. But all I can say is... the right things will happen.

Blaine