3.30.2010

And the doctor said, "Is he weird?"

Let me start by saying that for the first time in 6 months I feel like I can breathe.
I feel like I completely understand Evan's health and what lies ahead in the future.
I feel as though I can trust doctors again. And for all of you who come here to get your updates, here is why-
Yesterday we met with Evan's oncologist. Let me preface all of this by saying that the first time we met with this guy I was NOT impressed. I just had the feeling that this particular doctor treated us as though we were overly concerned. He seemed to be uninterested and bothered by us being there. And I blamed all of his demeanor on the fact that he did not consider thyroid cancer to be one of his specialties. So I was ready to find another doctor. And I'm pretty sure Evan was too. But something changed and it was for the good.
When we met yesterday, we (me and Evan) went in ready to obtain copies of all of his records and tell this doctor that we were ready to take Evan's health elsewhere. That didn't happen. From the second we sat down until the second we left the building, Dr.K did all he could to prove that he was ALL OVER Evan's case. As it turns out, I think the doctor was bombarded the first time with Evan's paperwork and we saw him too soon after he received the records. I feel certain he had NO IDEA that he was seeing a 33 year old male with Hurthle Cell Carcinoma. And he was not ready to give any opinions at that point as he was ill prepared.
But yesterday was totally different. Dr. K called other specialists, read up on Hurthle and was ready to tell us yesterday that he had a doctor at Emory he felt certain could be of help in Evan's case. He admitted that it will take a team of specialists to figure this all out. And he vowed to make sure that Evan has every test needed to ensure that his cancer is contained and eventually destroyed. He also went over the most recent blood work with us and the results were answers to prayer. Evan's thyroglobulin levels were at a point where we KNOW that the radiation is continuing to work. And there is a chance that the cancer is almost GONE! And if it's not, we will find out from an ultrasound later this week. At which point, decisions can be made.
So I am one happy girl, I don't know why I ever doubted that God would get us to a good place. But He has. There is a plan and a timeline. And for that I am thankful.
As a side note, Dr. K turned to me yesterday and said, "Is he weird, because this is all weird!". I appreciated that. A doctor who admits that he is baffled and at the same time makes sure Evan will be taken care of. He also said that in his 7 years of practicing oncology in a practice, he has never seen Hurthle Cell Carcinoma. And he also said that he feels like there are probably LESS THAN 400 cases ever! We had heard 400 but he said he's not sure there are that many.
So yes, EVAN IS WEIRD! But I love him dearly. And I hope by him being weird, God will be glorified. Because I feel certain that God is using my Evan to change the lives of those around him. And if you don't believe me, ask Evan about the email he received from a guy in his industry who said he wants to ask God back into his life because of Evan's story. I'm not making that up. I saw it with my own eyes. And I am honored and privileged to be married to a man who can take cancer and faith and build a beautiful story.
Keep up the prayers as this all will be days/months/years of continued follow-up. And we still don't know exactly what the future holds. But God is good and He has the ultimate plan.

4 comments:

  1. That is just such an amazing story!! We are so thankful that you can both 'breathe' again and move forward now with a plan! We'll keep praying for you weird-o's :)

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  2. Just found your blog - I didn't know all this was going on with you and your husband. I'm so sorry to hear about all this badness! Hopefully you're beyond the worst of it and the cancer is gone.

    About a year and a half ago we found out my dad had squamous cell carcinoma. Not nearly as rare as Evan's, but it was still crushing when we found out. Dad suffered through chemo and radiation and all that fun stuff, and came out the other end good as new. He's had a few checkup scans and is cancer-free so far :)

    It really makes you stop and evaluate what's really important in life when something like that happens, doesn't it?

    Is that Dr. Khanwani you were seeing? That's who dad saw and he absolutely loved him from day one. Guess you caught whoever it was on a bad day!

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  3. Jeff- didn't know about your dad. I'm glad to hear that he is doing well. And thanks for sharing as it is difficult to relate to people who haven't had first hand experience with ethe dreaded cancer word.
    Yes- we saw Dr.Khanwani. And I have totally changed my mind about him. I blame most of my initial dislike on the fact that I was in shock from being in an oncology office with my 33 year old husband. But things are great now with Khanwani. And we have 2 more doctors involved as well. So I am so relieved!
    And yes- life has changed forever, but for the better I would have to say. We are cherishing everything now and not sweating the small stuff.

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