Surgery Update

Surgery is over. Now the healing and recovery begin. Yesterday my Oncologist performed a "radical hysterectomy with tissue removal and right side lymph node removal". He said he is very hopeful that he was able to maintain good margins, and hopefully the cancer is contained to all the areas that were removed.

We will return on Sept 12 (Marilyn's 11th birthday) for full post op appointment and pathology report findings.

My PET scan did show a lymph node in my armpit area that was a concern. The Oncologist is once again, hopeful, that this is unrelated and perhaps just a false alarm. Once I am through with healing from this surgery, we will have a mammogram to review this site.

I am blessed and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for me, Hunter, Marilyn and Spencer. You are holding my parents, sister and in-laws in your supportive hands and caring for us all.

Thank you is not a big enough phrase.

I will not lie, the pain is extreme. I react poorly to pain medicine, and it severely nauseated me yesterday, not fun when your insides were all just whisked up and you're healing. So I'm doing my best for pain management with extra strength tylenol. 😣

Hunter is an exceptional caregiver, too good because he makes me laugh, which hurts so much right now. But he's the one I'd pick every time.

Thankfully, we have now been released from the hospital and have returned to the comfort of our own home. I made it upstairs into the recovery room we created in our bedroom, and now I am ready to rest and heal.

Please keep up the positive vibes, prayers and support. It is fueling my recovery and my fight be cancer free.

Soft, air hugs for now,
Sarah

This is a GREAT article. What do you say when a friend has cancer? How can you help? What can you do? This is the best article I have read to offer insight into the world I am currently facing. Well worth the read.

http://makingniceinthemidwest.com/2016/08/29/how-to-be-there-for-someone-with-cancer/

Support the Smith Family

From My Sister Kate: 

On  August 18th, our lives were changed forever when my sister, Sarah Brenton Smith, was diagnosed with a rare form of Cervical Cancer.  It was not the phone call from the doctor that we were hoping for, that's for sure.

Sarah's fight with cancer is just beginning. She met with her Gynecological Oncologist and is scheduled for a PET scan on August 29th to investigate the cancer's reach/spread and is scheduled for a "radical hysterectomy" on August 30th to begin the cancer fight.

The Smith family is not new to medical challenges. Sarah's son (my darling nephew) Spencer was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2014 at just 3 years old. His fight to live is a daily battle that consumes Sarah's time, thoughts and sleep. I have seen firsthand just how all-encompassing it can be; but somehow still finds time to work and care for others as well. Sarah is an amazing caregiver and incredible mama. Their family spends thousands of dollars each month just to manage Spencer's medical care and to provide the best access to technology and quality of care for Spencer.


Now, not only will their family be facing the ongoing medical costs of Spencer's care, but they are in a fight to save Sarah as well.

Their family is now looking at thousands of dollars in out of pocket medical expenses just to begin Sarah's fight against cancer, not to mention the countless items that won't be covered by insurance along the way. 

I am blessed and comforted to know Sarah and her family are surrounded by love, both near and far, but the question I keep receiving is... "How can we help?"

There are several ways you can assist and support Sarah. First pray.  Sarah has created a blog with medical updates and specific prayer requests for her cancer battle. Follow along in her journey and continue to pray.

https://indysmithfamily.blogspot.com/

If you are local and can help transport Marilyn & Spencer to/from school while Sarah is recovering post-op and unable to drive, please sign up here:

http://signup.com/go/ejaTPiy

If you are local and can help provide meals for the family while Sarah is recovering and Hunter is holding down the fort, please sign up here:

https://takethemameal.com/VPKJ9234

If you are able and feel so moved, please donate to our cause to help alleviate part of the immense financial load that is ahead for their family and some of the emotional stress that comes with a cancer diagnosis. 

https://www.gofundme.com/23jgv5-support-the-smith-family

We want Sarah to focus on fighting cancer. Hunter to focus on supporting Sarah and our community to support them both.


If you are reading this, I am sure you know Sarah. Either as a friend or family or through school, PTO, church camp, work and the many other causes Sarah supports. 

Sarah is so often the first to jump in, the first to say, "How can I help?", the first to send a card or a message of support, so let's flood Sarah and her wonderful family with the love and support she has shown.


There is no one like my sister. We are only fifteen months apart and didn't always get along growing up; but I have been blessed to have her as a best friend since college. She has supported me, comforted me and encouraged me every time I have needed her. With her blue hair, her spunky humor and her giant heart, she is one of a kind, and my hope and prayer is that we can help show her how much she is loved.

Thank you for supporting Sarah and our entire family as we prepare for the fight of our lives.

-Kate Muehlhaus

https://www.gofundme.com/23jgv5-support-the-smith-family

A Note from Hunter...

I don’t even know how to start one of these things. I am so torn.  Reality hasn’t set in for me, Sarah, and definitely not the kids.  We are remaining as optimistic and positive as we can.  I just want to think that this has all been a bad dream and that I will wake up at any moment or that we will get a call from the doctor’s office saying that the lab mixed up our lab results with someone else’s.  But, reality is starting to set in… Sarah is trying to stay busy and I am finding my mind wander to what if scenarios….

Over a week ago I took a picture of our family board in the kitchen.  It was when the kids were starting back into their activities and Sarah was very busy.  The caption that she put at the bottom of our weekly agenda was “Find the calm in the chaos!”  Little did she know that the chaos was just beginning. 

Sarah is the most caring and giving person that I have ever met and is the reason that I have married her.  I have seen this in several different ways over the years.  The first of course starting with me, next with the kids, and last with the thing she holds dear to her heart (SON Foundation, Christmas giving to families in need, and her work as PTO President at the children’s school.  My heart truly aches for her and what she has to go through over the next weeks or months.

             

In the bottom of my heart I know that she can do it because she is my “rock” and she is the one constant that has told me that I could do it when I was going through the toughest time of my life.  She is the Peppermint Patty to my Charlie Brown – even if she makes me say “good grief” from time to time there is no one that I would rather do it with.  Most of the time she can tell what I am thinking before I can even get the words out, so I know, the she already knows what I am thinking about this whole thing that we will be going through as a family and even though she may think she will be alone for part of this journey I will be like footprints in the sand following behind if not beside her for all of the way.  Sarah, you will never walk alone.

Love Always,

Your Charlie Brown

The Waiting

I can't slow down. I can't stop moving. If I do, I will have time to let my thoughts wander and my head process, and frankly, I am not ready for that.

Hunter says I have been going non-stop since I found out, and he is right. It is my coping mechanism to stay busy. If I am busy, I can try not to think of the million what-if scenarios that terrify me.

I am trying so hard to fight only the battle in front of me. I cannot fight every contingency plan, every what-if. So I am not. I am only focusing on one day at a time, only the facts we know.

So what do we know. We know that I am going in tomorrow for the PET scan. This will let us know if the cancer has spread. This is the info we need to accurately form our game plan. This will confirm that surgery on Thursday is still on as planned or that we are gearing up for a different kind of fight.

Prayers. Prayers are requested for a clear PET scan. We want to hear that the cancer is confined to the reproductive areas and that surgery is still our best course of action. I can hear the words coming from the Oncologist in my mind, I am embracing positive thoughts and am ready for confirmation.

Because I can only handle one fight at a time, and that is our first battle.

Updates tomorrow as I know more. Peace out prayer warriors.

Hugs,
Sarah

What are we missing? Had you been sick?

I keep hearing, What are we missing? Had you been sick? How did we not know?

The short answer... NO! This totally blindsided us and was completely unexpected. Not a single symptom.

On August 1st, I took the ceremonial first day of school pictures, hugged and kissed my sweet kids and sent them off to their first days of 2nd & 5th grade. Then I headed downtown to Major Tool & Machine,  Hunter's employer. They have a full clinic, NP, etc on site and to receive our annual insurance incentives we must get an annual physical there. Totally normal, routine visit, every summer.

Wait, let me back up. So a few years ago, I had an abnormal pap. I followed up with one the next year, totally fine. Then three years ago a pap showed HPV. The doctor explained that 80% of adults will be positive for HPV at some time in their lives. I am from the pre- HPV vaccine age, so it is much more common in "older" adults like me. Because of the HPV, I have had ANNUAL paps for the last several years... all NORMAL.

But as I said yesterday, my cancer is not the common cervical cancer... it hides until it has spread far enough to be found. Thankfully it has been found. Now we fight it.

So after my routine exam on August 1st, I carried on with my life... because NOTHING WAS WRONG! Then on August 8th, I received a phone call that said that my pap results had come back, and I was showing "Atypical Glandular Cells." This is not an abnormal pap. This is something more. It means a specialist was the next step.

A colposcopy with biopsy was ordered and scheduled for August 14th. This exam method is a much more invasive approach to examine the cervix and remove biospies of any concerning areas as well as the inner cervix/uterine canal which cannot be done in a regular pap. During this exam, the doctor found what he hoped was a uterine polyp on my cervix. He performed a biopsy of it for exam and the biopsy of the inner canal. No lies, it hurt. I came home and went to bed for the rest of the day. What I know now is, they were looking right at the cancer.

My cancer is glandular not cellular. It grows in the glands of the cervix, so to the eye, it looked just like uterine cells- because they are glandular as well. However, microscopically, they were not uterine cells- they were cancer cells.

I kept my phone with me EVERYWHERE I went for the remainder of the week. I wanted those biopsy results... badly, I wanted to know I was ok. I called the office Thursday and Friday afternoons just in case they had forgotten to call me. They hadn't. My results were being reviewed again.

On Saturday August 18th, Hunter, Marilyn, Spencer and I were all packed up and ready to go camping at Lake Monroe. We love camping, it is our peace, our family relaxation and just what I was hoping would help distract me from the waiting.

Well. boom. On the way to hook up our camper at our office, the doctor had left a voicemail then a phone call on his personal cell phone.

It started, was I sitting down? Not what I was hoping to hear... ever. Sarah, I am so sorry to inform you that you have cervical cancer. We need to get you scheduled with the oncologist immediately and start the process to fight the cancer.

Bombshell. I had my ten year old daughter sitting behind me. Listening. Processing. Watching as her mom could barely hold it together. Taking frantic notes about surgeries, radiation, chemo. What! We were going camping.

From that moment on, our life has changed. We will never be the same, but we will will overcome this.

The oncologist said there is nothing I could have done to find this any earlier; it is not found routinely; it is found when it is causing trouble. But little does this cancer know who it picked a fight with. I am ready for the fight of my life and plan to kick cancer's ass.

Because of how I found out, my kids are both fully aware of what is going on.

Spencer has a 2nd grade classmate that is a cancer survivor and thankfully he sees his healthy friend as the goal of what I will become... a SURVIVOR.

Marilyn is deep, very deep. She gets it from her mama. She loves big and completely and is terrified. She shared my diagnosis yesterday with her class. She is incredible.

Today we arrived at school early for a prayer vigil with our incredible Acton teachers and staff. My kids do not just go to school here, they are going to their 2nd home. They are surrounded by so much love and support, every single day. But today, it was me they were supporting, praying for, loving. It was amazing. I felt God as the teachers and staff blessed me with hugs, prayers and well wishes. It is just where God needed us to be for us to fight this battle.

Our tribe is amazing, and I am overwhelmed.

Sarah's Cancer Update: August 22

What a whirlwind since Saturday. The appointment with my Oncologist was earlier today. Here is a recap, our treatment plan and specific requests.

90% of cervical cancer is found on the cells of the surface of the cervix and is routinely caught early through pap testing. This type can usually be handled through outpatient procedures and more non-invasive approaches since it is typically caught early.

Unfortunately, mine is not this type. I have Adenocarcinoma Cervical which is found in the inner glands of the cervix and is very hard to find in routine pap testing. This means it is typically at a more advanced stage when it is finally found.

My cancer is currently being staged as 1B1, which means that it is visible through examination, but we're not sure if it has spread to other areas or lymph nodes. This stage could change once the additional tests are received.

To find out if it has spread to other areas of my body,  I am scheduled for a PET scan on Wednesday, August 29th. We are very specifically praying that cancer is NOT detected anywhere else in my body.

I am currently scheduled for a "radical hysterectomy" on Thursday, August 30th at Community North. This procedure is considered "radical" as it will remove all female reproductive organs as well as the surrounding tissues and lymph nodes. The Oncologist is aiming to create "good margins" for the cancer to be completely removed. From this, the removed items & lymph nodes will be sent to pathology for further examination and evaluation. 

If the PET scan from Wednesday reveals that the cancer has already progressed to other areas of my body, then the surgery will be cancelled and radiation and/or chemotherapy will be started immediately and then the surgery will follow later. 

If after the surgery the cancer is found to be still present in the pathology testing, radiation and/or chemotherapy will then be necessary.

The recovery from the surgery will vary greatly depending on if they are able to use the da Vinci robotic surgery method which is laparoscopic. If so, then hopefully it will only be 2 weeks of major recovery, no driving, no work, etc. With 8 weeks of taking it very easy. If they have to do a traditional abdominal surgery, the recovery will most likely 6 weeks, no driving, work, etc. and weeks more of taking it easy. Because of the extent of the cancer, there will be other caveats of healing that will require more "down time" post-op. 

I am so incredibly grateful for the emails, texts, calls, cards, and messages that have shown so much love and support. It feels like a bomb went off in our life this week, and we are slowly starting to find our way around the wreckage. 

Please continue to reach out, it means so much to me, and I will do my very best to respond. But right now, I am soaking up every minute of time with my Marilyn, Spencer & Hunter before I am in full surgery/recovery mode.

I am a seasoned caretaker, God has blessed me with two children with unique medical needs. Through my years of hospital visits, doctor appointments and medical motherhood, I have found I am most comfortable when I know I have an army of prayer/support warriors right beside us. 

So here are my specific prayer, positive vibes, thought requests:

• PET scan to show no signs of cancer outside of reproductive organs.
• Surgery to be completed via least invasive approach with fastest healing time and no complications.
• Pathology to confirm that all cancer has been removed and all margins & lymph nodes are cancer free.
• Marilyn, Spencer, Hunter and my entire family to feel God's comforting presence and peace as we make this journey.
• Ability for me to relax, put myself and my healing first and know that my tribe of support will be there for my family as we move through this.

I will update as we know more.

Hugs, 

Sarah