More Surgery

Hi everyone!

Well, it has been quite some time since I've posted any updates and I apologize for that. Dad has been helping on that front for the last couple months, and I'm very grateful. There is, however, recent and pressing news that requires an update. We are sincerely appreciative of all the supportive comments, messages, cards, and packages we have received from so many of you, most being people we have never met. We are asking, once again, for you to keep Elizabeth in your thoughts and prayers, especially this coming Monday, November 21.

As the last update reported, Elizabeth's AFP (tumor marker) levels were up from about 225 to 295. Two weeks later, on Nov. 8, her AFP levels were drawn again and had reached 365. These are significant increases, bearing in mind that normal range is 5 - 10. On November 1, Elizabeth also had a CT scan that showed a small tumor just above the diaphragm under her right lung. We got those results on November 8, and we had our surgical consult with Dr. Stein on Nov. 15. Surgery was then scheduled for Nov. 21. Dr. Stein will be going in through her thoracic cavity to remove the tumor above her diaphragm, along with any other nodules he may find. He is also planning to go in through her abdomen to examine under the diaphragm to see if there is any tumor involvement there. The current plan is to remove any tumors and/or nodules that are present and can be seen by the surgeons. Of course, things can always change in the operating room, but hopefully things will run pretty smoothly.

The hospital stay is anticipated to last only a week, and this surgery looks like it will be the least complicated so far. Hopefully this will remove all of the macroscopic disease and hopefully subsequent chemotherapy will get rid of the remaining microscopic disease...

On another note, it looks like we will be moving pretty soon (within the next two or three months) as we have gotten a great offer on our house that we simply can't pass up. Now we just have to find a new house to move into!!