The Penthouse

Brain cancer is...

...living in the penthouse, Baby!

We headed to Carlsbad for a few days to stay in the penthouse.  Above you see the shower.  Maybe tomorrow we'll show you the view:  LEGOLAND in the foreground, the ocean in the background. 


Geoff and Beth came down for the night.  We had a great dinner at the Chart House.  Here's the view from our table:

And here's us:

Happy Saturday from the fourth floor!

Meat Fights

Brain cancer is...

 ...no match for family feuds.

Although we sorely missed a 2016 Darrell/LuAnn Thanksgiving Turkey Tussle, we had the opportunity to refresh Family Meat Fights today.  You see the conversation about the lunchtime lamb, above. 

It was far tamer than the Battle of the Popover, just a bit earlier:

All's well that ends well:

Lovely AND Delicious (Roene!)

Great Views

Great Company

Happy Friday, friends, and may all your fights be friendly.

[Tentatively] Up on Top of the World

Brain cancer is...

...[it seems] "slightly reduced."

Long-time readers probably have seen enough of Darrell's brain to observe that there is no noticeable growth captured in yesterday's scan, above.  We see the white areas surrounding the surgical site and the light gray edema (swelling) closer to the center of his brain.  Phew.  Here's what the radiologist's report says (see highlights and bolded terms, English to follow):

"Findings:    There are postsurgical changes from resection of a left frontal mass. Mildly
nodular enhancement at the resection site is similar compared to the prior MRI
from 11/17/2016. T2 hyperintensity surrounding the resection cavity appears slightly decreased compared to the prior study. There are several additional nonspecific scattered foci of T2 hyperintensity in the cerebral white matter.  There are no new areas of abnormal enhancement or parenchymal signal abnormality.  There is no acute infarct or acute intracranial hemorrhage. Ventricular size is stable without evidence of hydrocephalus.  The major intracranial flow voids are preserved.  The bones and extracranial soft tissues are unchanged. 
  
IMPRESSION:  POSTSURGICAL CHANGES FROM LEFT FRONTAL MASS RESECTION. MILDLY NODULAR
ENHANCEMENT ALONG THE RESECTION SITE IS SIMILAR COMPARED TO 11/17/2016.
SURROUNDING T2 HYPERINTENSITY APPEARS SLIGHTLY DECREASED COMPARED TO THE PRIOR
STUDY. FINDINGS MAY REPRESENT POSTTREATMENT CHANGES, ALTHOUGH RESIDUAL/
RECURRENT TUMOR IS NOT EXCLUDED. CONTINUED FOLLOW-UP IS RECOMMENDED." 
  

English translation:  There are no new growths or unusual changes. The areas of contrast (bright spots) are slightly decreased.  Keep on keeping on!

We'll share confirmation from Doctors Park and Cloushesy when we receive it in the coming days.   

First on site to see the scan and read results?  Friend Kim N. 

Kim and Andi hiked to the top of the world (in Fullerton) and celebrated again.

Finally, we are tentatively "Up on top of the world" because the song of the same name, by the Carpenters, was Darrell's Sing Along Song of the Day, even before the results arrived. 

The view from here looks might fine, friends.  We hope your view is good too.

January Scan Completed

Brain cancer is....

...scanned for January.

No results yet, but Darrell made it through the morning's scan with aplomb. 

The technician was great about calling the hospital for the correct settings.  Additionally, he taught us that there are two different relevant MRI settings.  There's the slice size, and there's skip size.  Slice size is how thick each image is; we want 4 mm slices, which provide more detail than do 5 mm slices.  Skip size is the size of the space that is "skipped" between images--the skipped parts of the brain don't get imaged.  Often 1 mm between slices is skipped.  Today the technician used slice size 4 mm and skip size 0 mm.  Therefore, with today's MRI, the slice sizes are thin, and there were no skipped regions.  This should result in maximal useful information.  We learn something every day!

More news as soon as the "preliminary" results become available from radiologist.

I am so impressed that, despite some anxiety about the scan, Darrell went on with his day after the scan.  We changed his arrays (which are removed for the scan), walked with Zach and the dogs at the park, and were treated to a joyous holiday dinner at Cedar Creek Inn by Melanie and Gail.

Golden Walk at Craig Park

Joyous Times with Melanie and Gail

The four of us recommitted to getting more dates for fun on the calendar.  You did too, right?

Scheduling Surprises

Brain cancer is...

...getting scanned early!  Surprise!

Darrell's next MRI was supposed to be 1/13.  Tonight we got a call from scheduling saying that the only day available is...tomorrow!  Darrell's feeling some scanxiety with the change.  He's concerned that, because the MRI is at the Cancer Center rather than at the hospital (where the fancy machine is), the "slice size" for images might need to be larger, which means less detail.  And he hopes that the change won't be a problem for Dr. Cloughesy, who requests that the scans be as recent as possible when he sees Darrell. 

But on the bright side:  We have less time to worry about it.  Also, it will no longer occur on Friday the 13th--just in case anyone was worried about that.

On the family front, Summer, Zach and Mousse returned from the cabin today.  It was Mousse's first time in the snow.  Look at the "stick" he found:

The dogs spent a little time getting reacquainted:

The humans similarly enjoyed each other's company over a delicious dinner at the table:

We hope all your surprises were good ones today!

Football and Car Repair

Brain cancer is...

...not interfering with Darrell's favorites. 

During fall 2016, it was common to hear Darrell say, "I live for football."  He didn't just watch the Packers (as all right-minded people do), he watched every NFL game he could. 

This morning in the dark hours, we took Alex and Tiana to the airport for their final interview rush.  (Hurrah!) We noticed one headlight was out in the van.  We got some extra sleep upon our return.  Darrell rose before I did, and when I greeted him at the front door, this is what I saw:

And this is what I heard:  "I don't know which I like better:  fixing cars or football!"   We are still laughing out loud.  2017 is off to a great start.   Equally important? He really does like fixing cars. 

 

Holiday Helpers and Secret Santas Revealed!

We received happy text photos and the big reveal of the Team D members who crept up our porch and left us with smiles all season long:  Heather T, Michelle B, Kim N, Lisa K, Ruth Y-E, Hallie S, Kim C, Denise V and Christine M.  Thank you so much for the sweet memories to end 2016 and to greet 2017!

 

And the Word of the Year is...

Brain cancer is...

...definitely influencing our choice for Word of the Year.

With Darrell’s diagnosis, we stumbled through 2016 learning as we went about the importance of openness.  By openness we don’t mean mere acceptance.  By openness, we hope to capture a wide-eyed expectation that we want to be ready for the world, its people, and its experiences.  We hope to capture an intentional seeking of what happens next and a state of readiness to learn and grow from it.

We intend to be open with ourselves, with others, with experience, and with the world.

Open with Ourselves

·         Open to mortality.

·         Open to struggles.

·         Open to who we are becoming through this journey. 

·         Open to sharing our experiences.

·         Open to our limitations and the necessity of seeking help.

·         Open to experiencing and understanding a larger range and depth of emotions.

·         Open to tears.

·         Open to laughter.

Open to People

·         Open to other views and perspectives.

·         Open to rekindled relationships.

·         Open to friendships and family ties.

·         Open to connections we find with new acquaintances.

·         Open to caring and compassion.

·         Open to love and to be loved. 

·         Open hearts:  Open to other people’s experiences and greater understanding of each other’s journeys.

·         Open to being a part of the human experience.

Open to Experience

·         Open to the loss of control.

·         Open to new adventures.

·         Open to the future and whatever it holds.

The World

·         Open to new ideas and plans.

·         Open to nature and to the beauty of the world. 

·         Open to our place among interconnected ecosystems and their inhabitants.

·         Open to the potential of every day to be, as Darrell says, “a great day.”

2017:  Bring it!

A Note on Openness and this Blog

A Bible verse (Psalm 90:12) says, “Teach us to number our days [teach us about the brevity of life], that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” We number our days through this blog (334 days thus far).  Sometimes we consider not blogging.   We realize that everyone’s life is busy and full, and many days we have nothing noteworthy to report.  But capturing our days through this blog reminds us of the preciousness of each of our numbered days.  Thanks for your openness to our sharing, and thanks for sharing right back.  We have never faced the wave alone because of you.