Team Lynn T-Shirts!

Below is a post from Jemma regarding T-Shirts:

I have pasted the designs (front and back) below, if people want to see it.

Front/Back




People who want shirts need to know the following:

• Cost: $20 - all proceeds to benefit Team Lynn
• Sizes: Women's Babydoll XS-2X, Men's T shirts S-3X,
• Sorry no itty-bitty people's shirts - although one could always cut and sew!
• Shirts are 100% cotton

Ordering Information:

• Orders need to be pre-paid. Checks should be made out to Jemma Levy, not the Avon Walk.
  
• Orders can be mailed to me at home or dropped off*
  
• Orders should include name of the purchaser, phone or e-mail contact (so I can tell them when to pick the shirts up), the check, the number of shirts, gender, and sizes. Shirts can be picked up at my house. If they need to be mailed, other arrangements can be made to pay for shipping.
• All orders must be received by March 28.

* If you need Jemma's address, please contact someone from the blog for that information. We will be out of town through the 17th, so if you would like the information from us, please email me (Zack--Not Lynn who will be preoccupied) and I will send it to you upon our return.

Special thanks to our fabulous artist, Penny Hauffe. Visit her other work at www.pennypaint.com

Left Field

Met with Dr W today (gynecological oncologist). Very sweet gentleman. He referred to my demographic as "ladies". Going into the appointment, Zack and I most wanted to understand a) what the heck is going on, b) what piece of the procedure moved from a laparoscopic surgery to an open surgery and c) is that piece of the procedure worth the additional recovery time and muscle damage.

Turns out, the only part of the procedure that cannot be done laparoscopically would be removing the omentum (a fatty layer over the colon). The omentum tends to be a common site for ovarian cancer to spread. Zack and I decided that since I would only need to have the omentum removed IF they discover ovarian cancer, we could put off that procedure. So we are back to a laparoscopic, day surgery. Drs H & W will remove my ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus, and do a series of washes of the peritoneum. Pathologists will then test the organs and the collected fluid for cancerous cells.

Here's where we veer into left field. Our entire assumption of why we are doing this surgery was - well, not off base, exactly, but missing a key component. Up to now, we thought we were doing the oophorectomy to remove the major source of estrogen in order to keep from feeding any colonists from the breast cancer. That remains true. In addition, though, my BRCA2 mutation carries an almost 50% risk of ovarian cancer, and a small risk of peritoneal cancer. So, what Dr W will REALLY be looking for next week is a brand new primary cancer. And, unfortunately, the chemotherapy agents effective against breast cancer don't usually work against ovarian cancer, so it could have been lurking for a while. Given my history, if they find anything even remotely funky, we'll be right back to the beginning. Scans, chemo, radiation, and surgeries.

Strangely, we aren't despairing over this news. I think we are so excited about being able to negotiate back to laparoscopic surgery that we haven't quite processed the other piece. It was definitely an "informed patient" moment. We also are living in such a left field world right now that new, bizarre risks feel pretty inevitable. Right now, the surgery is tentatively scheduled for Monday, March 17 (the day after we return from our vacation in New York).

Another Day, Another New Wrinkle

So, I got a call from Dr. H today. She's been conferring with a gynecological oncologist (Dr. W) about my case. Turns out, in people with my particular combination of genetics and aggressive cancer, a slightly more complicated surgery is necessary. I'll get more details on Thursday, when I meet with Dr. W. (The advantage to being an 'extremely high risk' case is that docs find time for you.) What we know now, though, is that the surgery will have to be abdominal instead of laproscopic and that my uterus is on the chopping block along with my ovaries.

I'm pretty unhappy about the whole thing. I'd rather not have an abdominal incision - recovery is much harder, and, well, to be honest, I'd rather not gain any more big scars. Not that I intend on showing up in a bikini anytime soon, but still. I'm also disappointed that yet another of my organs has turned into a dangerous sleeper agent that must be removed for my safety. And the timing, frankly, sucks. I'd intended this to be a time of healing and celebrating. Instead, I'm feeling sucker punched.

More details Thursday.