Mayo Clinic-Day 10 and 11 (An Almost Diagnosis)

Mayo Clinic-Day 10 (Thursday October 26, 2017)
I woke up to a text from my beautiful bride. It was nice to hear from her because she was mostly out of it yesterday. She and I texted for a while and then spoke on the phone. She said she was feeling a lot better. She wanted to know how long it would be until I came to see her. Watson and I started getting ready and got the grandparents up and going. It wasn't until 8:30 am when we got to the hospital. For simplicity sake, we left Watson at the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa Geddie. When we arrived, Brianna seemed very excited to see us and she just lit up the room. Brianna told us that Dr. Meyer had already been around to see her and let her know that she would be discharged that morning. Dr. Meyer also told her whether the results from the biopsy came back good, great and if not, she could beat this. He also let her know that if she ever needed anything, she could reach out to him for support. I was again reminded of the great compassion that people have and how the Lord cares for His children in His way, although we may not always recognize it. Often physicians state that patients will be discharged in the morning but it isn't until 3 or 4 pm by the time the patient is discharged. That was what I was expecting, but by 10 am Brianna was walking out the doors with us to return to the hotel. The rest of the day wasn't too eventful as Brianna simply rested most of the afternoon. We went to a Chinese buffet for dinner which was pretty good although it depends on whom you ask. After dinner we put Watson down for bed and went to play some games with our parents. We played the games we played the other night and it was SO much fun. I have never seen our parents laugh so much at one time. It was a true blessing to be with family and feel of their love. My parents fly home tomorrow so they did some light packing. We also have a couple appointments scheduled for the morning so we will be back at the clinic tomorrow.

Mayo Clinic-Day 11 (Thursday October 27, 2017) "An Almost Diagnosis"
We awake a little anxious today as we are still awaiting biopsy results. We spent some tie with Watson in the room before heading down to breakfast. Our first appointment was at 8:15 am and we had a bit to do before heading out. Oh I forgot to mention, we woke up to snow. It was pretty chilly today and the snow was coming down which slowed us down a bit. I helped my parents finish packing and packed up the car as they would leave following our first appointment. With everyone all covered up, we headed out to the clinic. The snow was coming down fast and it felt like we were in Idaho again (where Brianna and I went to school). It took forever to get into the parking garage. We ended up dropping Brianna and moms off so they could head to the appointment while the boys went to park. We got up to the 8th floor and the girls were already back in the room. It wasn't too long after we joined them that the doctor came in the room. We met with Dr. Joon Uhm a Neuro Oncologist. He first explained that we were still awaiting biopsy results but it was important to meet with him. He stated that several colleagues had discussed Brianna case over the last few weeks and were convinced that Brianna had a Glioma. The biopsy results were not in yet but the pathologist had done a frozen sample and at first glance, the biopsy looked like a glioma. There are still many test that needed to be completed in order to have a true understanding of what is going on. He informed us that he feels that this is at least a stage 3 glioma (brain tumor or brain cancer). First, there are some final test that need to be completed but the doctor felt certain that it would be at least stage three but he informed us that staging really doesn't determine the tumor anymore, the genetics do so we still await those results. Second, brain cancer does not normally travel to the rest of the body so that is good. Third, Brianna is young so the brain is not as good of soil at her young age so that may be a pro for her. Now, I know the next question. What about the baby? Well this will truly depend on what the biopsy results come back to tell us. We should know by the end of next week for sure. I say almost diagnosis because we are simply awaiting to know if this is a stage 3 or stage 4 tumor. Moving forward, Brianna will begin radiation therapy in two weeks which is only to allow her surgery site time to heal. She will begin radiation and have 5-6 weeks of treatment. She will then have 4-5 weeks for recovery and then she will begin chemotherapy. There are a lot of details that we still don't know and this plan may change if the results come back as stage 4 because we will need to be a little more aggressive. Again, what does that mean for baby. Dr. Uhm assured us that radiation was almost completely safe for the baby and there should be no affects from radiation. This is good news because that allows the baby to stay in the womb for at least another 10-12 weeks. By then Brianna will be 32-34 weeks and labor can be induced prior to Chemotherapy. This was a big sigh of relief as this will give baby Geddie that much more of a healthy chance. We were informed to start setting things up now even though we don't have results, so the team can be ready as soon as we have the information. We will begin appointments back in College Station as soon as we return. Dr. Uhm answered all of our questions that he could at the time and informed us that he would call once he had more results.

Following the appointment with Dr. Uhm, my parents headed to the airport and we went to go give thanks to Dr. Flanagan for all that he did for us. We really have been taken care of here at the Mayo Clinic and it has mostly been due to Dr. Flanagan. We have been so blessed being under his care and I am thankful that we have had the opportunity to work with him. After our goodbyes we headed back to the hotel. We ate lunch and then we all took naps which were very much needed. Brianna and I packed after our nap while Grandma and Grandpa Turner watched Watson for us. We went to dinner at a pizza buffet and then came back to put Watson down for bed. We then went and played games with Kim and Terry. We all fly back home tomorrow. Although we are flying home with heavy hearts, it has been nice to obtain a diagnosis and be here at the Mayo Clinic. We are so thankful that we came to obtain information so quickly and because of that we can start treatment right away. We will never be able to thank each one of you for your love and support especially moving forward. We recognize this may not have been our hope and prayers but what we do know is that Heavenly Father loves us and sometimes He answers prayers in ways we do not understand. We will continue to pray and we will continue to have hope. We know that our family is forever and that is worth fighting for. I know that Brianna has a lot of fight in her and she is going to beat this. Please if you have any questions or just need to talk, please each out to us. We want you to know that although we may be scared at times, we know we can overcome this. Brianna is the strongest woman that I know. She truly has a heart of gold and she appreciates each one of you as do I. We are going to need help from family and friends moving forward but we know we will be taken care of.

We head home tomorrow and are excited to be in our own home and cope with our emotions back at home. Although Brianna may have been "almost" diagnosed with Brain Cancer, we will beat this. Thank you again for all your love and support and we promise to continue to keep you updated as we gain information. A wise friend once told us that "this disease does not define Brianna. She is still beautiful and she is still Brianna. Brianna can beat this". We hold our heads high and ask you to do the same. May each of us find the strength to find ways to serve others who are in need and we promise to do the same.