03/04/2024: A big weekend and a week of hope ahead!

Updated 03/04/24


Happy Monday!


It was a big weekend for the family. Taara lost her first tooth. Raaga's been busy juggling dance practices, school work, and volunteering. I got to go out on a nice lunch with some super awesome people. While I was there, Bachi was busy making a yummy plantain fry for dinner- a vegetable he never liked before!


We also squeezed in some eye appointments for me and the girls. While discussing my eye health in light of the tumor, the Ophthalmologist casually showed a hole in her skull from a brain tumor biopsy 7years ago. It gave us a chance to commiserate on tumors and what they can do to your brain, your thoughts and the whole outlook for life. These tumors are a lot like birthing experiences. Each pregnancy is unique with the circumstances and challenges, getting the thing that's growing out of their body is all two expectant moms ever talk about when they meet. But the similarity ends there. There is no bundle of joy to hold, kiss, and forget the pain the whole endeavor entailed once this growth comes out. 


She gave me the reference of this neurosurgeon she absolutely loves and that surgeon happens to be working at the same hospital I go to! What's more, that surgeon turns out to be the cousin of a dear friend! I picked up the phone, made some calls and jumped ship to this new surgeon. Team Dr Gore, we will be on!


My headaches have gotten a bit worse these past couple of days. Not sure if it is the fatigue (I was at Taara's abacus competition all Sunday morning), the use of contacts (the eye doctor did say that the contacts make the brain work extra hard), or if it's all in my mind, quite literally. 


I am feeling hopeful this week. Hoping to make some progress with the scheduling of the various diagnostics. Hoping for all those insurance and benefits claims paperwork to get where they need to get. Hoping to get more answers and not add too many new questions to the already long list.


Here's to that hope! Cheers!


Baby teeth count: 19/20!



Family with Oregon’s Deputy Secretary of State and some pleasant hardware from the youngest math genius of the house :)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sleepy in Seattle!

Image
Done with session 17/32 at Seattle's Fred Hutch Cancer Center!  I am at halfway point in my radiation treatment here in Seattle. This seemed an eternity away when I started my treatment on September 3rd, right after the labor day weekend during which I tested positive for Covid. It is crazy how I dodged Covid for years, only to get it on the one emotionally charged weekend. I ended up isolating myself from my girls than hugging them tightly ahead of my hiatus to Seattle. I had lofty plans of getting groceries stocked up and fridge filled with food so my mom can have an easy time managing meals in my absence, and instead required mom to send me quarantine room service! The first radiation session is still fresh on my mind. I was nervous, frightened, not to mention sick (from Covid). I knew they needed to keep my head extremely still, for the obvious goal of ensuring the robot's precision in hitting the tumor cells. What I did not comprehend until that first day was how  they ac...
Read more

Just Do IT!

Image
The calendar progressed from February 15th to 16th without much fanfare for the first 44 years of my existence. Destiny somehow decided to spruce things up a bit for me on 02.16.2024. One year later, as the date reads 02.16.2025, I have so much to reflect on, so much to feel grateful for! Thursday, 02.15.2024, to begin with,  gave me a headache, but also gave me the right mind to go to ER for it. That D-day, 02.16.2024, upped the ante by making me cross paths with the best medical team possible right at the crack of midnight. They exercised abundance of caution, ordered the battery of tests that enabled them to be ready with my diagnosis by 5am. The day after, 02.17.2024, gave the best gift of all- the sense of purpose. 02/16/2024: Video call from ER It was Saturday, Feb 17th, 2024, and my memories of that day are vivid. We were at a dear friend's place for Baba puja. The aarti had just got done and I stood near their butlers pantry area, waiting with my plate for the buffet c...
Read more

Ringing the bell

Image
The second half of my radiation treatment has been nothing short of a roller coaster!  I routinely ran into patients of all ages, waiting to receive their treatment at the Proton center. However, the day I saw a toddler in a diaper on his way to radiation, I completely broke down. I just sat down in the lobby, unable to control my emotions. Ian from the front desk came and sat next to me, held my hand, and just let me vent. I talked about how gut-wrenching it was to see that toddler go through so much pain. I cried about how unfair it all seemed. I wondered out loud what that little boy's life would be like. Ian let me talk and cry, and, when I went quiet,  he gently shared his thoughts. He told me that, as hard as he too finds young children going through radiation, he takes comfort in the fact that these kids are getting the best treatment possible. He mentioned how they often get letters from the children's families, two, three Christmases later, letting them know how well ...
Read more