Ready, Set, Go!!

Dear ones…sorry it’s been so long since my last update. I can only say that it has been a month of twists, and turns, travels and surprises. But, I have also felt truly guided and blessed!!

When last I wrote, I’d met a brilliant thoracic surgeon, Dr. David Sugarbaker in Boston at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. The next day I was scheduled to meet with a medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. While the meeting with the surgeon went extremely well and left me feeling very optimistic, the meeting with the oncologist did not go quite as well (ok – major understatement!!). Not her fault really – the news just wasn’t so good. I came home a bit of a basket case – in pain physically and emotionally, overwhelmed, confused and needing time to regroup.

After a few days, I finally began to find my balance again - with the help of my fabulous coaches and dear friends - Jeannette Maw and Lisa Hayes, and a new friend Dr. Neil Spector at Duke University, as well as all my family and friends near and far. I still wasn’t feeling optimistic (that felt like too much of a reach right then), but I was on my way to finding some peace and I knew the next step was agreeing to visit Duke University Medical Center for a second opinion.

While the oncologist in Boston offered me little hope, the doctors at Duke were full of hope and support. I connected immediately with their positive attitude and philosophy and knew intuitively this was the place for me. So, immediately following the Thanksgiving holiday, I flew to North Carolina. 

By this point, my surgery was already scheduled in Boston for December 13 – weeks beyond what I would have liked, but apparently the best they could do – so I certainly had the time. My cousin Marci lives in Chapel Hill and she was the one who urged me to come to Duke. She introduced me to Neil Spector – her friend, neighbor and the Associate Director of Clinical Research of the Duke Cancer Institute and Director of the Duke Translational Research in Oncology (DTRO) Program. While Neil set me up with the best of the best at Duke, Marci made me comfortable in her lovely home, took time from her busy job to spend with me, and pampered me silly!! 

Wednesday, Nov 28th was a full day at Duke University’s Cancer Center and I’ll tell you what – I’d be very surprised if there’s a medical center anywhere else in the country that treats you as well as they do! Talk about Southern hospitality!! Not only are the doctors brilliant, but they treat you as if you’re a cherished family member. Everyone seems to begin and end their conversation by asking if they can get you anything – something to eat, to drink, can they make you more comfortable in any way. The facility itself is stunning. Lots of light and sunshine, beautiful grounds, amenities as if it was a fine hotel! Their system is not only efficient, but considerate. You get a pager when you arrive – that way you can make yourself comfortable anywhere in the building – the café, food court, fireplace lounge area, quiet room – and they’ll page you when they are ready for you. Not that you wait very long. And once you’re in an exam room, if you’re like me with lots of appointments with doctors from different departments and disciplines, you stay put and the doctors come to you!! How’s that for a concept?! Every medical center should be run this way!

Anyway – I digress ;). The consults at Duke went very, very well. I listened closely to what each specialist had to say and today I can tell you that I have a plan I feel very comfortable, confident and optimistic about.

My next step will be surgery, in Boston, on Thursday December 13th. It’s a major surgery – probably about as major as they come. I won’t go into details here, except to say that I have the utmost confidence in my surgeons and fully expect that I will emerge from the surgery with no evidence of disease. Recovery will be lengthy and I’ll get the opportunity to practice lots of different pain management techniques… ;). I’m intending to be recuperating at home with my family & friends around me by Christmas.

Another friend at Duke, Denise Paradis, connected me with a doctor who is making me a custom pre-surgery hypnosis CD! I’ll listen to it as often as possible before surgery affirming the outcomes I desire and releasing any fears and anxieties I may have…then, during surgery, the anesthesiologists will actually read aloud the “healing statements” I give them. This has been shown in some studies to reduce the need for pain meds up to 50% and to speed healing as well. Very cool!!

All in all, I guess I’m ready to go. The sooner we get started, the sooner I get to the other side of this. My sister will with me through the whole process in Boston and I’m betting I’ll also see a lot of my other cousin, Cheryl, who lives just outside of Boston. I seem to have cousins in all the right places these days ;).

Oh, and it turns out another friend of ours has a sister-in-law who works at Brigham & Women’s as a pre-op nurse! How does it get any better than this?! I seem to be attracting new friends and old at every turn on this journey - each of them bringing their own unique blessings.

After surgery, and my recovery, we’ll regroup based on where things stand. I’ll still need more treatment - radiation and chemo (though not necessarily in that order). My radiation treatments will be done here – same as last time. Chemo may or may not be here…depending on the chemical cocktail they recommend for me at Duke. Dr. Kim Blackwell is brilliant and thoroughly amazing, as is Dr. Neil Spector, and their entire team! I trust them completely.

So…please, visualize only the most positive outcomes for me next Monday between 3pm – 6pm as I have my pre-op PET/CT scan in Boston. There needs to be little if any growth in the cancer in my chest and no cancer showing up anywhere else, if the surgery is to go forward. Of course, I realized today that perhaps I should be going for the gold here – let’s visualize a complete cure! How about the PET/CT astonishingly shows no cancer at all!! Doctors and researchers are amazed – no one can explain it – it’s a miracle!! I’m thinking it’s really just as easy for God to orchestrate that, as it is anything else, so why not?!

And, assuming surgery goes forward as planned (they won’t need to do it if the cancer all disappears, right?!)…please blanket me in the pink light of love, send prayers of healing, Reiki energy, or whatever special blessings you favor, to me on Thursday, Dec 13th. I won’t know the exact time of my surgery until the night before, but when I have it I will be sure to post it here.

Thank you!! There is so much more I want to say about this experience over the past few weeks, but I’m going to have to save it for another post. My energy lags these days and I’m listening to my body better than ever before. It needs love and it needs me to give it what it needs…and so I am ;).

Speaking of which…if you call me and don’t reach me, or if I don’t get back to you, please know that I love knowing that you’re thinking of me and hearing your voice and message, but my time and energy is very short right now. Don’t let it discourage you from calling or writing – I love hearing from you! I just may not be able to get back to you for a while.

I love you all very much and I can’t wait to share with you all that I’m learning on this latest life journey!!

Blessings & Bliss,

Lisa