And the Hits keep coming!

The photo that you see is a tree that came crashing down, falling across our river,  hours after I had been sitting where you see my camp chair.  It sums up how the last four months have been going for us!!  The hits just keep coming!! 

First, Jamie, our daughter broke her leg in 6 places the day before her 40th birthday. One short month later, she and her 23 week old unborn daughther unexpectedly passed away.

At the time, I was well into my yearly cancer and orthopedic follow-ups.
Cancer??  Ten years since my colon cancer diagnosis. While there is still a 'mysterious' mass lurking in my transverse colon, the doctors are in the midst of watching and re-staging the cancer.  The good news?? TEN YEARS!!

Orthopedic? The back, neck and leg bionics checked out. Unfortunately, the plate and 10 screws R upper arm hardware was failing. The "plan"  was to remove the hardware, and replace them with a "reverse" total shoulder replacement. 

ME? Have a surgery go NORMAL?! NOT!  First, there was no deltoid muscle to be found. Solution? Plan B: put in a "old-fashioned" total shoulder replacement with a lonnng arm. What was to be an hour and a half surgery ended up to be five. ..and a lot of blood loss.  Onto the next plan...

Plan C:  Take me to Jiffy Lube and give me a couple pints of blood. Easy-peasey, right? NOT!!  I had a reaction that won me a ticket to full cardiac work-up, CT and MRI. The doctors thought I might have suffered a stroke or seizure. We STILL don't know "what" happened.   BUT!!  If my orthopedist had NOT ordered the MRI, they would NOT have found my new "brain buddy" (tumor) who has taken up residence at the base of my skull over the occipital-parietal region.  Enter another new plan.

Plan D:  I will have a craniotomy/ open brain surgery on November 8. The neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists (my NEW friends!!) agree that since we don't know "what" the tumor is (a metastasis from cancer or a meningioma and if "it" is benign or malignant), it is too large for just Cyber-Knife radiation. 

Plan E? I think we call that "Entering the world of unknowns."  No idea how long the surgery will be.  No idea how long I will be in the hospital. Or if I'll need rehab. No idea of side effects (possible visual loss in right sides of both eyes? More neuropathy? Flare-up due to swelling of brain and symptoms from first brain surgery in 2001 show up (speech/balance/memory problems) or MAYBE NOTHING!!  

Just wanted to let you know I'm still here - but if I don't blog for awhile, you'll know what I'm up to and  I'll see you here, there or In the Air!  Thanks for your continued love, prayers and support! 

OH!! I almost forgot!!  I finished the manuscript FINALLY!  It's at my editor's as I type, so prayerfully you will see  Don't Wimp Out! Finding Faith, Courage and Victory in Life's Daily Battles in print in 2020!! Stay tuned!!