A big blessing and off we go!

So I failed to mention something pretty awesome.  I got so excited about a diagnosis that I failed to mention something I was leading up to.

I had mentioned that the doctor said it was not likely that I would recover from the cranial nerve palsy.  The damage that is done is usually permanent.  After I got the stitches removed at my last appointment Dr. asked me to stick out my tongue and wiggle it.  I wiggled it all over the place. To the left... to the right. Up down and all around!  I have full function of my tongue again!!! No more Sid the Sloth!  No more almost drooling!

We talked a little more about other things and he asks me to stick out my tongue and wiggle it again. He was so excited.  "Man I wouldn't have given you even a 10% chance of that happening.  What a blessing!"  I am pretty excited too and very grateful!  Small miracles...a big blessing!

Monday July 18th - Meeting the oncologist day.

So Cindy and I get dropped off at the Huntsman center.  The doors aren't open.  They asked me to be there early and my appointment was at 8:00.  So why aren't they open?  Uh...are we at the wrong place? A gal showing up for work walks up to us and determines we are at the wrong place.  We needed to be on the 3rd floor of the Budge clinic.  There is an oncology department over there? Huh...now we know.  So we booked it over to the budge clinic on foot.  Not too bad.  I just hate being late for appointments.

We get in there and get asked a lot of the same questions that I got asked at my other first appointments.  The Dr. gets in and he is a really cool guy, with a really cool accent. :-)

So it looks like my cells are dividing slowly.  He said that is good and bad.  I didn't get to ask why. That goes on my questions to ask the Dr. list.

I will have to go to SLC to receive the chemo used to treat what I have.  It takes the big nasty chemo and the right team of nurses and doctors to monitor that treatment.  Okay.

The Dr. tells me the scans and procedures that he needs before we get started.  The one that he wanted to do right then was the bone marrow biopsy.  Okay

The nurse that is taking care of that treatment gets us into another room a bit later and gets me prepped for that biopsy.  I am lying on my stomach with my hips exposed.  The Dr comes in and says, "change of plans".  LDS hospital wants to admit me and get all the scans and tests done there. They will have the results super quick if it's done that way.  Okay

I get put back together and they tell me to wait for a phone call from LDS hospital.  Off we go.

I go to work.  My Clinical Coordinator with the Intermountain Acute Leukemia and Blood & Marrow Trasnplant Program calls and tells me what they want to do tomorrow.  Her title alone freaks me out. WHO ARE YOU and WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO ME!  {LOL...It will be okay} I will do the PET scan at the Intermountain Regional Center in SLC and then when that is done I will travel over to LDS hospital where they will admit me and do all the tests.  They will also do the first round of chemo. {Come again...wasn't expecting that so soon} She says to plan on being there......a week. WHAT!?

She needs to talk with some of the specialist and she will call or email me with more info later.

I call Debbie at this point!  "Debbie I know you just dropped Abby off on Saturday, but she needs to come back up again...It's go time".  Of course they are ready and willing.  Bless them.  Once again I can't do any of this with out my people.

I get the email from my coordinator and it says to plan on staying SEVERAL weeks.  aghhhhh....am I packing for vacation at the most expensive hotel on the planet? Yes....yes I am.  Something tells me this won't be any sort of vacation. Still don't know what exactly is happening.  We will find out tomorrow. I will meet with "the team" down there and go over all the details of the treatment plan.  It is all happening so quickly.  I am hoping this also means I will get to the other side of this quickly as
well.

I get to go in fasting {boo} but I get to drink {Yay!}

Oh Boy!  Off we go!