As I ponder the timeline of events, I am still completely amazed at how the Lord has orchestrated this.. I know the Lord is omnipotent but I still can't fully comprehend it. We have lived two years of experiences in only two weeks.
.........
July 18 -
Dan feels a nagging feeling to go get a colonoscopy. He doesn't have any symptoms and is only 49 but feels an urgency to get the test done. The doctors office tells Dan that our insurance won't pay for the colonoscopy until age 50... Dan still feels a nudge to get it done even if insurance won't pay for it.
Thursday July 27 -
Dan goes in for the colonoscopy. Dr. Ziegler reassures him before the procedure that the results will be normal... after the procedure Dr. Ziegler comes into the room with an ashen face and tells me Dan has a 10cm malignant tumor that he estimates has been there for 2-5 years. He gives us his personal cell phone number and tells us to call anytime if he needs to talk. He tells Dan that learning how to love is the purpose of our moral existence. He tells Dan over and over how sorry he is that this is happening. We leave his office feeling that Dan may die. Its an overwhelming feeling for Dan to ponder his mortality. He wonders if he's lived a good enough life and if he's ready to meet the Savior. It's overwhelming for me to think about being alone for a long long time. We both feel peaceful and confident that whatever happens it is part of the Lord's eternal plan and we will accept His will for our lives.
Friday July 28-
Dan calls Matt Peterson our infertility doctor and friend to tell him he has colorectal cancer. Matt (who has lots of connections at the U of U) calls around to find out who is the best colorectal surgeon and schedules an appointment for Dan on Friday, August 4
Tuesday August 1-
Dan has a CT scan and then an appointment right after with Dr. Grunander (a surgeon in Ogden) to discuss the treatment options. Dr. Grunander tells us that Dan is going to live! On CT the tumor appears to be contained. The radiologist can't see any nodes or liver mets. We are really happy!! The doctors are deciding if they should treat it as colon cancer or rectal cancer. The tumor is large and appears to span both areas. The team of doctors will meet on Thursday to decide if they think this is a colon cancer or a rectal cancer. Dr. Grunander tells Dan he's the "unluckiest" person she has ever met to have two completely unrelated cancers in his lifetime... with zero history of cancer in his family. No one in family has had cancer.. ever. Not grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings...
Thursday August 3-
The tumor board meets and they can't come to a decision about how to treat Dan's cancer. They are very concerned that the tumor is so large. The team decides that Dr. Grunander, the surgeon should look at the tumor herself. Another colonoscopy is scheduled for Friday morning before going to the Huntsman Cancer Institute to see Dr. Pickron.
Friday August 4 -
Dan has a second colposcopy, this time done by Dr. Grunander the surgeon. She can see that the tumor is lower that Dr. Ziegler estimated. She agrees that the size is 10cm. It is definitely rectal cancer and is not in the colon (much harder to treat than if it were in the colon). She tells us we definitely need to go the chemo/radiation route. We are discouraged with this news but still grateful for a diagnoses now rather than a year from now.
Friday August 4 -
We meet with Dr. Pickron in the afternoon at Huntsman. He does another exam. He can see the tumor. He agrees it is rectal cancer. He tells us it is ulcerated an has likely spread to the lymph nodes and liver. He tells us the cancer is likely a stage 3b and gives Dan about a 60% chance of being alive in 5 years. He is very pragmatic and not personable. He never says he's sorry or asks us how we're doing... Dan is an interesting patient... an anomaly.. colorectal cancer at 49 is rare... Dan reminds me that the first kindness is competence. I let go of my initial unhappiness with Dr. Pickron's bedside manner and brace myself for a long journey. Dr. Pickron tells us the plan for chemo/radiation. It lines up exactly with what Dr. Grunander recommended. We decide we will have the chemo/radiation done in Ogden and then decide who should do the surgery. Dr. Pickron ordrers an MRI for Monday. The MRI is the best way to stage the cancer prior to surgery.
Saturday August 5-
We tell our kids that Dan has colorectal cancer. Jacob is sad. Carolyn is optimistic. It breaks my heart to see them taking on adult worries. They've had an ideal childhood. I love them so much and I just want protect them forever.
Saturday August 5 -
We decide to tell our Bishop and let the ward fast with us tomorrow for Fast Sunday
Sunday August 6 -
Our families fast for Dan along with our ward and friends. We feel complete peace that the Lord is in charge. We feel confident that Dan is meant to live. Even if his life isn't exactly as it was before... we are so so happy to feel confident that he is going to live many more years. Martha tells us she talked to her brother who is a stake president in Mexico and good friends with Elder Christofferson. Elder Christofferson calls back and reports that the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve will be praying for Dan by name this Wednesday at their weekly meeting in the Temple.
Monday August 7-
Dan has an MRI. We won't know anything until tomorrow when the Tumor Board meets to discuss Dan case and make recommendations.
Tuesday, August 8 -
Dan gets a phone call in the morning and calls me immediately. The MRI shows a 3 cm T2 tumor with no mets making is a Stage 1 cancer. We are in complete shock! Dr. Pickron recommends going straight to surgery without the chemo/radiation pathway. Surgery is scheduled for Aug 22 (his first opening).
Tuesday, August 8 -
Dr. Grunander calls. She is very concerned about the surgery only option. She tells Dan she just wants to make sure he lives. She explains to him that the only sure way to know the stage of the cancer is to do surgery... the CT and MRI give clues but there is margin of error. She recommends we go the appointment later today with the radiation oncologist.
Tuesday, August 8 -
We meet with Dr. Fisher, the radiation oncologist. He explains that if the tumor truly is a T2, surgery if definitely the way to go. The risk is that no one can really know until surgery. And then if the tumor is really a T3, we will have made a huge mistake. The margin of error is 30%. We have no idea what to do! Dan calls Matt Peterson and his friend from med school who is a colorectal surgeon in Texas. Everyone agrees that the deciding factor of which route we should take lies completely in confidence we place on MRI. If the MRI is right, we should definitely do surgery. If it's wrong, we should definitely do the chemo/radiation for 3 months before surgery.
Wednesday, August 9 -
Dr. Pickron's nurse calls at 12:30 p.m. to inform us that they have an opening for surgery the next day (Thursday) and asks Dan if he is in a position to have surgery on Thursday.
We feel impressed that this is our answer....we should go forward with surgery instead of the long road of chemo/radiation for 3 months before surgery.
Dan calls Matt Peterson again and tells him we are having surgery the next day unless something or someone tells us there's a reason to wait... Matt calls his connections at the U and calls up back an hour later. He tells us that every radiologist at the U of U has looked at those films and they all agree that it's a 3cm tumor and we should go forward with surgery.
The tumor was measured at 10 cm by two different doctors on two different days. We fasted with our family, friends and our ward family on Sunday. On Monday the tumor was measured at 3 cm. A total and complete miracle!
The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve prayed for Dan this morning in their meeting in the Salt Lake Temple.
Thursday, August 10 -
Two weeks to the day after the shocking diagnosis Dan has is operated on by one the best colorectal surgeons in the country. Dan is doing fabulous. He's going to be recovering for several weeks. So here we are just waiting for the pathology to come back. Dr. Pickron said the surgery went very well. The tumor was 3 cm. We feel so very blessed. We feel that we were guided in this direction. Even if the pathology comes back showing the cancer has spread, we feel like the Lord directed us go this direction.
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