Brian Update, part II

So, today we met with the Oncologist. He was wonderful, excellent bedside manner and very upfront and knowledgeable which instantly but us at ease.  He reviewed the CT scan films with us and showed us the mass in his leg, how large it was and that he wanted to do some more test, especially a biopsy. 

To our surprise he did the biopsy on-the-spot. I think it was almost better that we didn’t know he would do that in the office so we weren’t worried about it going into the appointment. The process was surprisingly simply, but I know that Brian will be sore once the anesthetic wears off. He told us that this would be the best way to actually determine the stage and grade of the tumor.  

He said that it is most certain it is the sarcoma [cancerous tumor] as the first doctor stated, but that he wanted to confirm for sure. He also said that most cases are resolved with surgery to remove it and a dose or two of either radiation or chemotherapy before or after.

Next Thursday, Dec. 6 he will go in for a MRI of the thigh area and for another CT scan on his upper body to ensure that there are no other tumors or that the cancer has not spread to any other areas. He said that in most cases sarcomas are localized to the area of the tumor, but because of the size he wanted to double check all options.So, during this appointment we will receive the results from the biopsy, CT scan and MRI. We are looking forward to this appointment as it will give us many more of the answers we need and will allow the doctor to prescribe next steps.  Surgery to remove the tumor is a definite, but that’s the only part confirmed at this time.

Thank you to our friends and family for all of your support, encouragement and prayers. We are truly blessed to have such amazing people in our lives and know that this will ultimately be part of a bigger plan and we are clinging to this and the truth that God has bigger things for us and this is just a step in that direction.Also, a quick apology to anyone reading this who were were unable to tell, call or email prior to writing. I wanted to get this posted to ensure everyone knew the results of today’s appointment. It’s all happened so fast and so we appreciate your understanding, as we would never want to leave anyone out. I guess we are so lucky to know, love and be loved by so many people that’s it’s impossible to tell everyone via phone/email.I will continue to update as we find out more. So until next Thursday, thank you all for everything! 

crummy birthday

That’s how Brian would describe last Wednesday. A quick recap of last week leading up to Wednesday:

Monday: He’s had a lump on his leg for about a year and a half that finally started hurting, so we wanted to get it checked out. He had been to two other doctors who dismissed this as a lypoma, a fatty deposit in his leg and nothing more.

Tuesday: He went to his appointment with the new doctor. She seemed concerned about what it could be and ordered a CT scan for the next day. [I had added him to my insurance after the DiscRevolt debacle, which has turned out to be a great thing that we met this new physician]

Wednesday: Brian’s 29th birthday – he had the CT scan and the doctor met with us afterwards for a consultation. She informed us that it was a mass, commonly known as a sarcoma, which is a cancerous tumor that attaches itself to a muscle. 

So needless to say it was an unexpected way to spend the day and news we never thought to hear. We left immediately after to drive to Charlotte for Thanksgiving. The traffic was terrible and Brian ended up having an allergic reaction to the contrast solution that contains iodine. Apparently, unknown to us he is allergic to iodine. He broke out in hives and his face swelled. Thursday morning he woke up with a swollen face and his eyes were almost swollen shut. After some Benedryl [sp] the swelling went down and the hives went away. We’re not exactly sure what we’re in for with all of this, but will most definitely keep you in the loop. The next step is to meet with an Oncologist to see what’s next. 

Turkey Day

Good times, good food and most importantly – good family. Brian and I spent Thanksgiving with his parents in Charlotte, NC. As an added bonus, his brother Chris was able to join us and flew in from Detroit. This is a busy time for him and his company and he has Canadian clients who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving and so it’s a regular business week for them.We all met in Charlotte Wednesday night and started out the weekend with a bang and celebrated Brian’s birthday by enjoying Mexican food at On The Border – Brian had been looking forward to this for awhile. Then Thursday, the Turkey Day festivities took place and we had a great time eating, sleeping and playing games. Friday Chris was off to Detroit and we went shopping. [Kohl's is a great place to shop during the holidays, especially after Thanksgiving; deals, deals and more deals!] We didn’t get up at 4am when most of the stores were open  - but we did get to quite a few shops and they all seemed to have day long sales that last through Saturday – so I think more shopping might be in our future. Hope you’re all enjoying a great weekend! 

So loved . . .

. . . that’s how Brian felt all day Wednesday thanks to all of your wonderful messages and text messages. His Blackberry was going off every fifteen minutes or so – it was incredible and he didn’t catch on right away which made it even funnier. So to all of you who participated in the fun – thank you, thank you, thank you!

Birthday Boy

Today is Brian’s birthday!  Spam his email in box – brian@funwithrobots.com – this goes to his blackberry and so it will be fun to watch it ring all day long with messages from all the people that love him!P.s. – he’s not that old yet, but darn close. The last year of the 20’s; a whole year to wish them farewell.  

Thankfully yours – Love, the Manleys

Tis’ that time of year when we anxiously anticipate gorging ourselves with turkey or ham and a miriad of starches and carbs until we all pass out on couches and armchairs – only to awake and begin the process again. The second time beginning with the desserts and sweets left out on the first round – meantime the Round 2 carb fest is warming in the microwave.  Ahhh, so exciting. Thursday can’t come fast enough!

Anyway, Brian and I are so very thankful for many things this year – namely our friends and family who have supported us through a cross-county move to “The South” along with a few bumps in the road along the way.

This year has been something all unto it’s own, especially since April. It’s not all that we imagined or thought our lives would be on one hand, but in other ways it’s more than we could have ever dreamed or planned on our own with no divine intervention.

We’re excited to look back in six months and try to make sense of the mayhem. Life is a weird and wonderous adventure.  Hoping your celebrations are enjoyed to the fullest!

O-H-I-O

Of course it’s time to update the blog when one of the largest sporting rivalry games has just passed – the highly anticipated Ohio State v. Michigan game. Again this year, a big congrats to the Buckeyes who trounced the wolverines!

We hung out with a friend of Andy Sikora’s – John and his wife Jill and their adorable three little girls to eat junk food and watch the game. It was so nice to meet some new people who are so loving and down to earth – it was a great afternoon and a nice change of pace.

Don Cab

When someone says they saw one of their favorite bands of all time in concert usually its at an arena or large club with hundreds of people. Most “favorite bands of all time” are bigger than little dive bars named “Lenny’s”. Not Don Caballero and not last night for me and my friend Brett. We got to see one of our favorite bands of all time in a tiny dive bar with no more than 50 people there. It was awesome and disturbing all at the same time.

Don Caballero was one of those brilliantly-weird bands that Andy (my roomate in college) would have to suffer through because I loved them so much and would want to study to. They are an instrumental math rock band featuring the octopus-like drumming of Damon Che who was known for being an amazing drummer and kind of a jerk from stage. And he sorta was – weird, drunk, and a colossal blow-hard. But at the same time he played fantastic and the the other 2 guys with him did the guitar work of 4 men. They were good. Brett and I left sort of feeling disappointed but at the same time like we saw something great. Anyway- it was good for me to finally see them live but I now understand why it would be hard to be in a band with this guy.

FYI on Don Cab – When they broke up in the late 90s the remaining guitarists formed some other bands, one being Battles who is flipping great. And this is one of my favorite Damon Che stories: when he was playing in this band Bellini, Che got into an argument with his bandmates during a show in Athens, Georgia while touring in support of Snowing Sun in October 2004 and proceeded to pack up his gear and drive the band’s van to Chicago alone, leaving the others stranded. Nice huh?