Bird family update:

After today we both have a few weeks off from doctors! Wahoo! 

Tom finished his chemo last week. We have been managing his swelling with the steroid and so far no additional balance issues. More scans for him in mid June. Unfortunately his second opinion with OHSU cannot tale place until mid August but he is on a waitlist to be seen sooner. We just need this darn swelling to go down! 

As for me, I am healing fast! I had my post-op yesterday and all is well. I had most my restrictions lifted but two more weeks until Zumba. Can’t wait to get back to my classes June 3 and 4! 

Today we met my oncologist. She was great and explained things very well. The part I have dreaded most in this journey is the hormone therapy. Because my tumor is estrogen positive we will utilize a drug that attaches to the estrogen receptors in my body to help prevent recurrence. She did a great job addressing my concerns and we talked about the hormone drug I will go on after radiation. We are waiting on my oncogene test results in a few weeks and will make final decisions. I may qualify for a trial of a lower dose of the hormone drug so that would be exciting!  

In a few weeks I will also meet my radiation oncologist. The last figure I heard was four weeks of radiation but the oncologist will make that call when they review everything. 

It’s been a lot to deal with all the above but we really appreciate everyone’s support. I am blown away by all the messages we receive and the help we have been provided. We are going for a lot of walks and enjoying the flowers blooming. 

And… the skunk found a new entry point under our deck, so right now the score is Skunk: 2 Birds: 0

Huge thanks to everyone who has done meal train! It has been such a huge help to us. We love the visits so much too! I know how hard it can be to add it making and delivering food with a busy schedule. We are super grateful!

We got some results for me today:
I got my pathology results from my surgery and my lymph nodes were clear and so were the margins around my tumor. The pathology also reaffirmed my status as stage 1. All fantastic news! I got the rest of my genetic results and I have no additional risk for more cancer!

Next week I have my post-op check-up and I will also meet my oncologist. I will also get a referral for a radiation oncologist to start planning my radiation.

I am one week post op and healing fast! Pain is pretty minimal at this point and managed with ibuprofen. Mostly I am still struggling with a lot of fatigue despite all the sleep I am getting.

Tom finished his chemo on Sunday night! His 6th and final round! We have no plans for more so hopefully he is done and start getting his full energy back! His stomach is still a little unhappy but hopefully will be back to normal in a day or so. No additional symptoms from the swelling so we are really pleased with that. We are now just waiting on his second opinion referral to the surgical team at OHSU. We have decided to accept the possibility of a second surgery to clean up the radiation necrosis/damaged areas of his brain but will see what they have to say. No eta on the consult yet.

Olive continues to be the best dog nurse ever. If only she could pick up after herself and her many toys!

And last but not least we are optimistic our resident skunk has moved on, three nights no sightings so far on the camera-bright lights, ammonia and moth balls (thanks Michelle!)

Today was a pretty good day. We slept 9.5 hrs last night and Nurse Olive woke up as spunky as a puppy, scampered around all day and demanded we spend most of the day in the yard. Today was the first day I didn’t feel super fatigued and Tom had good energy too. Our friends Zach and Roxy brought over their adorable children and a delicious meal.

Update on Tom:
Today we met with the surgeon who performed Tom’s LITT procedure in August and he was conflicted on whether the expanding legion is tumor or radiation effect. He was leankng on the side of surgery to remove the offending area. He went back and forth and said there are arguments for either or it could be both. He feels the legion will be bigger by the next scan but is comfortable waiting. Tom experienced more balance issues on Saturday after riding his bike for three hours and he hot fatigued so we started him back on the steroid on Sunday night. The surgeon mentioned another drug we could consider as well. Tom is still pretty adverse to surgery at this point. We are working to get a second opinion on board. He is still doing relatively well all considered. Please keep hum in your prayers and good energy. I still feel optimistic this will all resolve.

Jess update: As good as I have been at pushing drugs on Tom after his surgeries I did not take my own advice and found myself in more pain last night and this morning than I would have liked but got it under control again this morning. Lots of ice! Overall I am still doing really well and feel very lucky all considered.

We were very spoiled today and an otherwise hard day was brightened by beautiful flowers from our friend Franks and Uncle Don and Aunt Bobbi, deviled eggs (my favorite!) from our friend Kayla, some delicious sourdough from my friend Rachel and a delicious dinner from our friends Brian and Megan. Also many messages of love and caring. And all the Olive snuggles I can handle!

It’s been a wild 24 hours. Tom injured his calf stepping off a stool last night and is a bit gimpy. This morning before my surgery I went to let Olive out and a skunk went streaking through the yard and dived under our deck. Thankfully I saw it and stopped Olive from going out. Tom had suspected as much and had installed one of the cameras yesterday and it appears to be denning there. And I had my surgery today! It went great per the surgeon. Still very tired and a little foggy after my 3 hour post-surgery nap but pain is not bad so far. Tom and Olive are the best nurses one could hope for! We are all home and together 🥰. Very thankful.

Faster than Jiffy lube, in and out in no time. Surgeon said everything went well. In recovery and she is off for a walk about to see if ready to go home.

Finally some good news to share on here! I just got my genetic results and they are negative for the cancer genes that would change my surgical plan. They tested for 13 variants in this round including BRC1 and BRC2. They are still testing for other genetics and not sure how those will impact my future care, but for now I am feeling some huge relief!
So on Tuesday May 6, I will have my lumpectomy and lymph node biopsy.
This still means I have cancer, these results mean I am at less risk of developing MORE cancer in the future. When I recover I will meet with the oncologist and plan my radiation and hormone therapy. This is a really lucky timeline as I should be recovered by the time of Tom’s next MRI and whatever comes next on that part of our journey. I have gotten flooded with messages from everyone since my diagnosis. I feel extremely lucky for you all. Thank you for your prayers and positive energy!

Tom had his MRI yesterday and it was not any better. The area had increased slightly . The good news is it doesn’t appear to be developing new blood vessels indicative of tumor. Also the two spots on the other hemisphere that appeared on his last scan may be slightly better. Everyone still believes it is effects from his treatment. We don’t want to do more steroids because the inflammation is his immune response and it is doing what it is supposed to, so unless he has bad headaches or severe balance issues again we will skip the steroids. We are going to meet with his surgeon next week, the day after my surgery to get his opinion. Tom’s oncologist recommends we get another MRI, potentially the same day as his PET MRI in early June, or as close to that one as possible. He said if the area has gotten larger at that point, THEN we should worry. He also suggested if it is worse we go in for a full craniotomy and resection of the area. The issue is, the pathology could just reveal that it is old dead tumor we burned in August and not give us the info we need. Neither Tom or I are excited with this option and Tom really does not want another surgery under those circumstances. So we will also start seeking a second opinion…. The plan is also to start his chemo next Wednesday. He has no symptoms, he is feeling good right now, riding a lot and wants to race this weekend. 

I  am on track for my surgery on Tuesday but am still waiting on my genetic results. If I have the breast cáncer genes we will cancel my surgery and plan for the double mastectomy. Results are expected by Friday so it will be down to the wire. I taught my last classes the last two nights and am lifted up by all the love snd support. Dancing as much as I can before I have to stop for four weeks.

So we wait… for both of us. Still riding, still dancing, still praying.