I can definitely say that MD Anderson is thorough and very willing to schedule as much as they can in a short period of time.  We have had a 7:30a-9:30p day, with continuous shuffling to accommodate different tests, consults, and convincing insurance to pay for new scans.  Today we:

• Had the pre-op physical with the ophthalmology nurse practitioner.
• Had more blood tests – didn’t know there were anymore to be had. 🙂
• Had a consult with the Head and Neck surgeon
• Had CT of my head through shoulder area
• Had a full body PET scan
• Enjoyed a great meal after fasting all day with some pretty good company (Jonathan). 🙂

Today I kept thinking of the Apostle Paul and his request to God to relieve him of his long standing affliction over and over again.  I remembered God’s Promise of Grace in 2 Corinithians 12:9, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. This is such a great reminder that my (and your) true strength is in Him and not measured by my strengths or limitations.  God is good.

Tomorrow, we check-in at 5:30 am for my surgical biopsy of the mass near my eye.  Thank you for your prayers!  We should have some answers from everything on Monday.

I had an appointment today with a world class Opthalmic Plastic Surgeon at 12:30, but somehow we did not leave the appointment until 5:15.  Needless to say, we are exhausted.  It was very thorough, so of course we are grateful for that.  Here’s today’s synopsis:

• All TEN tubes of blood were normal.
• Today’s MD agrees with scans and biopsy being needed to see if this is truly the type of Lymphoma that we think it is, or if it has “transformed” or if it is a completely different cancer all together.
• Scheduling is a mess, but we are trying to get a CT scan & PET scan tomorrow, a consult with the Head and Neck Surgeon, and a pre-biopsy physical and anesthesia consult (and I thought today was long).
• We have a biopsy scheduled for Friday with today’s doctor.  She plans to only sample the area near my eye – a tumor on the lacrimal gland.

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement.  We are so tired, and we appreciate your uplifting words.

Here’s a quick bullet point synopsis of our first day in Houston.

• Met Lymphoma specialist, Luis Fayad, MD and his P.A. this afternoon
• They both listened to my history from where we started last spring/summer until now
• Had TEN tubes of blood drawn for varying tests
• Scheduling is pending for:
• A new PET and CT scan (insurance wants a peer-to-peer review, because initially denying again)
• Head and Neck Surgery Consult for biopsy ( to see if original diagnosis is correct or if it has “transformed”) and “making me pretty” – wants to fix the asymmetry to my eyes
• Ophthalmology Consult for blurry vision and mass near eye
• We were encouraged to know that my treatment at Vanderbilt parallels what they probably would’ve done at MDA
• All of the consults and imaging/testing results will help Dr. Fayad determine the next best steps for treatment

We feel very blessed to be in an amazing medical center area.  We had no idea that not only is MD Anderson in this proximity, but many many other high level hospitals and research centers.

Thank you for all of the encouragement and prayers!  We are trusting God one day at a time to give us a clear path for answers and the best treatment.