<p>Here’s wishing you a quick return to health (for all of you). God bless.</p>
<p>We had a quick scare yesterday when the dermatologist’s office called to tell my wife that her atypical mole was actually a malignancy. It took until today to find out that WashMom’s tumor is a very rare (about .25% of skin cancers), but not extremely dangerous kind of cancer. I’m still pretty rattled, and I can’t even imagine going through even being the husband of a wife with a worse condition. Like I wrote before, God bless you all.</p>
<p>(It turns out that one of the nation’s experts in rare skin cancers is a clinical professor at the UW Med Center, and will perform the out-patient surgery on WashMom. This is encouraging, too. Here’s hoping that it is well-contained and she won’t have to go through radiation.)</p>
<p>I’m glad you’re feeling well, Mini, and I hope you continue to improve. Will you be getting any further chemo or radiation?</p>
<p>Ellen- Glad you are feeling energetic enough to be concerned about “doing nothing”…that is a good sign! Here’s hoping for a good path report and getting rid of those drains soon! And try to just enjoy taking it easy, becuase I think the drains will be ready to come out sooner that way.
WashDad- just be glad she had that checked; hoping treatment will be uncomplicated.
OhMother- how are you faring?</p>
<p>sidenote- my d and I were in the PO the other day, mailing a scholarship app (at the last minute, of course) and we asked for the breast cancer stamps; the clerk shared with us that he would be glad to, as his mother was a 4 year survivor. We had a very nice connection with him, and I was glad my d was part of that. Anyhow- do check out the stamps- they are beautiful, and I would assume a portion of profits go to research.</p>
<p>I’m also a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed 2 years ago and thankfully doing well now. I came across this scholarship on Fastweb for children with cancer or who have parents who do. Since there seem to be quite a few of us here, I thought I’d post the link for those who are interested.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ulmanfund.org/Default.aspx?tabid=329[/url]”>http://www.ulmanfund.org/Default.aspx?tabid=329</a></p>
<p>Also, there’s an excellent magazine called “Cure Today” that’s available online at <a href=“http://www.curetoday.com%5B/url%5D”>www.curetoday.com</a>. If you prefer to receive it in the mail, the subscription is free. It’s a great resource for cancer patients and their families. I first saw a copy at the doctor’s office and was very impressed with the articles.</p>
<p>Hope this helps someone!</p>
<p>“My 16 year old D thinks the drains are really gross”</p>
<p>Well, don’t we all, but they’re a real improvement over 3 weeks in the hospital waiting for the incisions to heal… What I found difficult was keeping them suspended during a shower. Experiment with ace bandages to strap them up. Leaning down for the shampoo bottle and having a “hand grenade” drop loose is not helpful! Hope you will be free of that in a few days and mending well. If you need another “good endings” story, I was diagonsed as stage IIB at 36 in 1993: surgery, chemo, radiation - not fun but not unbearable. Never another sign of cancer. Sometimes we win, and more often every year.</p>
<p>Mini - just got back from spring break in Florida so I just read your post. I hope your drains are out now and that you are feeling well. I tied mine up with a ribbon around my neck which helped a lot. I also hope your pathology was optimistic - minimal or no nodes involved. I will be starting in a clinical trial for chemotherapy next week. WashDad, I also pray that your wife’s report is favorable as well and that she will need minimal or no treatment beyond removing the skin cancer.</p>