The Big C Word

Someday there will be time to blog about all of the ins and outs of having to tell my husband he has (had?) cancer.  Today is not that day.  Today is the day that we get our 'ish together and figure out a plan.  And tell you as much as we know.

So...

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Here's the skinny:
Ryn was released from the hospital late on Sunday.  He has some minor restrictions for the next couple of weeks (mainly not lift his children, who are freakin' giants [no, really, they just had their well-children checks and vaccinations, 100th percentile for height AND weight, for BOTH of them!]... Can we say modified single-parenting once again? :)) to let his body heal and regain it's strength.

The pathology came back on Ryan's tumors.  Yes, that was an S.  I really do hate pluralizing.  Two tumors.  They thought that there was only one, but alas, while medical technology is amazing, it is only so good.  They confirmed that the bigger of his two tumors was cancer, a specific kind called a carcinoid tumor.  The smaller tumor is benign and nothing to worry about.

So.  It is really good news that the cancer that they found is out of him.  It really is.  And we are SO thankful that they found this.  The word "miracle" was thrown around by our surgeon more than once, and honestly, we feel that.  We believe that.  Had Ryan 1) not had a massive GI bleed, 2) not gotten a pill cam, and 3) not had a fantastic GI specialist who pushed for answers, we would have been in a VERY different boat.  A bad boat.  One might even say a Titanic, perhaps.

But.  Always a but.  Since he had one carcinoid, his likelihood of having more is much higher. Since these tumors can be very small, they will need to do a very special scan to make sure he doesn't have any others.  We were also told that Ryan may have a blood disorder as he bleeds excessively, so that's something that they will be looking at as well.

So, our next steps include:
Searching for additional tumors, checking his blood, working with his oncologist and hematologist, and then nailing down a care plan.  Of course, with anything medical, as I'm sure you know (but I wish you didn't, because I think we all wish we didn't have this kind of experience), the plan will change as they find out more.  The simplest outcome is that they find no additional tumors and Ryan will undergo yearly scans to make sure that the cancer has not come back.  Anything besides that is obviously going to require a more intense plan.

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And that's where we are.  It's scary.  And hard.  And we are so thankful, but still anxious.  Thanxious?  Is that a word?  Well, it is now.  We know that things could have been MUCH worse.  But, we also know that we may have a long walk with the big C ahead of us.

We have been SO blessed by everyone's prayers and offers to help.  You guys, I literally cannot tell you how much it has touched our hearts.  For real.  I read Ryan everything I get, and vice-versa, and it all helps.  Every single little text or message or voicemail.  It's almost silly, really, because before being in this situation I was always the person who downplayed my own voice.  I'd think, "Who am I?  They don't care if I'm praying for them - I'll pray, but I don't need to tell them".  OMG.  So wrong was I.  Power for the course I guess :)  So, just know, I mean really, REALLY, if I haven't already said it to you personally, thank you so very much.

People keep asking how to pray, which is basically for everything.  But, if I had to break it down, it's pretty much this... Pray that:

• Ryan is healing well, is SUPER healthy, and that they find NO more cancer
• Our doctors have definitive answers and a good care plan
• We would continue to raise our boys with a strong trust in a God who loves them, takes care of us, and doesn't leave us alone when we're suffering  

Again, HUGE props to our fam who have gone above and beyond to support, love, and take care of our kiddos during Ry's surgery!  

We will never cease giving thanks.  Every moment, we will be thankful for a God who fights for us. And thankful for each one of you.  

Much love from us, and hopefully, much more boring updates in the future...