Where Crisis is Routine

We got news this morning from the doctor...it was ok, but not the extraordinary news we wanted. The tumor has not changed at all. The diet is really helping to keep the pancreas from spasming, but the tumor is still right there in the middle of it. So the good parts are: her pancreas may be more viable because it isn't being eaten up, the tumor may be removable, it could be a cyst. The bad parts are: it didn't go away, it could be cancer.

We are now on a waiting list at the Children's Hospital to take any available appointment that comes free, the doctor is trying to get us moved up a bit more. He did remind me that what we see as a crisis here is just going to be routine at the specialist's, the only people they see are in crisis. Good adjustment for my thinking, but it doesn't mean I will tolerate complacency.

I am frustrated, life seemed so sunny, but the sun just ducked behind a cloud...I feel like we have done all the right things up to this point: stringent diet, more focus on rest, more focus on family, putting aside extra projects, asking for prayer. And we still don't have a plan, an answer, a diagnosis. I feel like I did it all, and did it well, and it didn't work...yet.

So we continue our diet, and wait for our appointment at the Children's Hospital. I have been doing research on the best places to seek treatment. The children's hospital here is a very good one, it's in the top 50 in the country overall and is one of the very top hospitals for pediatrics. I am looking at all kinds of alternative procedures, blogs, chat groups for survivors, hospital rating sites, doctor rating sites and learning about all the latest and greatest procedures, where they are done and who does them best. Thank you grandpa Ken for getting me started.

I am trying to find out all the possiblities and all the possible treatments for the possiblities...so when we actually find out what it is we will know immediately what treatment we want and where we want to seek it.

The girls had a wonderful day playing outside with cousins and friends. They played pioneer girls all day long and raided the refrigerator for pioneer food...carrots, cucumber, apples, pears, quinoa, bean soup, apple sauce and more. It was great for Aspen, she got to go back to grazing all day with everyone making a game of it so she was just doing what all the other girls were doing!