Weekend update!

So here is an update on cancer watch 2010.  We went to Plainwell this weekend to meet with our surgeon and for a CT scan of Brittany's abdomen and pelvis.  The CT scan had a little bit of excitement when she had some contrast injected in her arm through an IV.  First off, the technician couldn't find her vein, so she dug around in in both arms for a while.  After she finally stumbled on a vein, the vein burst, spilling chemicals into her arm, causing it to swell up to the size of a football and almost burst!!(according to Brittany...)  But for real it was scary. After bopping around Kzoo for a while after the CT scan (Olga's for lunch, hangout at the library, drove and walked all over the place), we went to meet our surgeon.  Dr. Stewart is our surgeon and we are very impressed with him.  He was a great teacher, and taught us what was going on and how he was going to fix every thing. 

The cancer that she has is called papillary carcinoma on her thyroid.  I'm not going to try to explain the procedure, because I don't want mislead anyone out there that is looking for step by step instructions for performing their own thyroidectomy.  Here is the jist, they are going to cut out Brittany's entire thyroid.  The incision is going to be horizontal in one of her neck creases, so that after it heals, it should be pretty invisible.  After the surgery, Brittany won't take any thyroid pills, in order to allow any pieces of thyroid left in her body to grow.  That way, in six weeks, when she is given her radiation treatment, it can kill the rest of the thyroid better. 

Brittany's Surgery is on Friday, July 23rd at 7am.  They will keep her over night too. 

Our Prayer list:  Wise Doctors with steady hands.  Money to start raining from the sky.  But seriously, for insurance and things like that to go smoothly. Because just an ultrasound of the thyroid (not the biopsy or anything), which took 10 whole minutes cost $629 (we just got the bill). Yikes. When Brittany graduates school, it will be nice to be on the other side of that :). Ok back to prayers:  a speedy recovery, and for school to work with us so that Brittany can continue being a student.

We did have the chance to have some fun this weekend too, amidst our trial.  I got the chance to powerwash a deck, and Brittany studied lots...  Hahaha!  But seriously, the highlight of the weekend was picking up our sister Alexa from the airport.  She just got back from two weeks on a mission trip to Romania.  We picked her up from Grand Rapids at midnight, and of course her luggage got lost.  Finally got her home and we left for Detroit at two am.  It was a monsoon, and was probably dumb to leave like this, but we wanted to get Brittany back to school so that she could make as many classes as possible before we have to start missing them.  We finally got home at about 5am, just in time for Brittany to leaver for school at 7am. 

Other Highlights of the weekend:

Pictionary with Jenna and Martelle(we are still undefeated, and looking for more challengers)

Playing New Super Mario Bros. on DS all weekend with Jenna

I made a couple bucks conducting surveys for Richland Bible Church

I got stung by a bee

Brittany Baby sat Anna

Funniest Story of the Weekend:

We took Anna to go swimming while Brittany was babysitting her.  After swimming, we packed up the car, and left.  We pulled out onto the road, got the car up to about 50 mph, and heard this loud banging on the roof.  I look in my mirrors in time to see Brittany's phone bouncing down the road behind us.  (in a retelling of this story, Brittany exclaimed, "And the wind just blew my phone of the car."  Like it was the wind's fault and she was the victim....hahaha)  We pull over, and I hop out of the car and search, and find the phone!  All the pieces!  The main component, the back panel and the battery.  I reassembled them and POOF!  The phone worked!  Perfectly!  The screen didn't even scratch!  Brittany's plan to get an iphone = fail.

Love,

Mark and Brittany :)