Coping with Cancer

For about a month or so Matt had noticed feeling a little uncomfortable while sitting down.  Nothing too bothersome though so he didn't really think about it.  He never mentioned it to me.  In early September he felt a lump at the very top of his leg, almost into his bum.  It was large enough to cause concern so we did research online and both felt like he should call the doctor and have it checked out.    His doctor had no idea what it was and referred him to a general surgeon.  The surgeon sent him for an ultrasound which indicated an abscess.

On Monday, September 14, 2015 Matt had surgery to drain the abscess.  When the doctor got in there (it was fairly deep), however, it didn't drain much.  He knew at that point that it wasn't an abscess.  Instead he removed the entire mass (4 cm x 3 cm x 3 cm).  He spoke with me directly afterward and said Matt would need to take the whole week off of work instead of the two days he had planned and I knew Matt would not be glad to hear that when he "woke up."  Dr. H. sent the mass to pathology and would know more about what exactly it was by Wednesday afternoon.

Matt called the doctor on Thursday morning because he was concerned that the general area was red and warm and swollen though the incision itself looked really good and clean.  The doctor started him on antibiotics just to be sure and then I could hear the words no one wants to hear, "I got the pathology report back and I'd like you and your wife to come in tomorrow so we can talk together."  That was a long, worrisome day and a half!!  We knew it had to be something bad but didn't know how bad.  The waiting was awful.  I was busy with my normal life but Matt was stuck at home resting and lying down, unable to drive, unable to work, trying not to go crazy with worry.

Finally the time comes to visit with the doctor.  He checks the wound which looks fine, then makes us wait another torturous 15 minutes before coming back in to "talk."  The tumor was malignant though the pathologist could not determine what kind of cancer.  He ran numerous stains but nothing came up conclusive.  This was only the 2nd time in his 15 years that this had happened.  They are sending the mass to the Mayo Clinic for further diagnosis.  It was clear, however, that there was cancer and that not all of the cancer was removed.  It was clear that on a cellular level there was a lot of mitoses which indicates rapid growth.  He threw out words like carcinoma and sarcoma but really could not say exactly what we are dealing with.  I heard enough, however, to alert me to the reality that we were dealing with some big, bad cancer stuff!  On the way out of the office as Matt and I are trying to hold it together, I shouted out, "I know what we can call it!  We can call it butt cancer!!" We laughed and laughed which felt really good but Matt didn't like the sound of it after all.

Matt is scheduled for CT scans on Monday to locate any other possible areas of cancer.  He has a checkup with his surgeon to look at the incision and then a consultation with oncology at 3:45 on Tuesday, September 22nd.  We hope the appointment on Tuesday will be more informative.  We hope we can figure out what we are dealing with, how bad it is, and come up with a treatment plan.

We've had blessings which have promised health and peace, reassurance and comfort.  No matter what we are facing, we know we can deal with it together.  We have a good team of kids, parents, siblings, friends, church family and coworkers.  I know a lot of people who are praying for us already!  Jesus Christ is the ultimate healer.  Heavenly Father wants to teach Matt something here.  He's ready to learn what it is and move on!