Big Year

Welp. I did it. I turned 33 yesterday. WHOOP! (Three is Dan's lucky number so maybe this will be doubly lucky?!?) To celebrate my birthday month, I decided to challenge myself to stay in ketosis and not eat a pinch of sugar. This coming from a girl with an embarassing sweet tooth. I had been weak, and cheating, and I knew I couldn't do it alone, and that's when Libbey swept in to the rescue. She's doing a different diet, a whole foods one, and I'm doing restricted keto, but it doesn't matter, it's all about the support between us. I think Libbey's husband is doing it too, and with a third diet, our friend Christel. 

All I want to do for the month of August is eat whatever I want, and splurg, eating lemon cupcakes with sourcream icing (never even had one but it sounds good), and strawberry rhubarb pie, and rosemary garllic sourdough bread with red pepper reserve goat cheese but oh well. It's been nice to vent with friends, and be able to complain at all hours of the day about everything I'm missing. :)

The power sugar has over me, and the power of carbs is tough. But it's August 7th now and the cravings have finally started to dissipate. (I started on the 1st.) It did not feel like a birthday without a sweet. But, it would be really nice to start a tradition of brut nature champagne (minimal carbs), and keto meal. 

We did get a fabulous group of amazing friends that Dan recruited for a potluck and bocce. It blew me away. I told my brother Kaal, this morning, that I honestly didnt think I even had that many friends in Seattle. Because, who counts their friends? But it was truly amazing, and it made me giddy watching everyone visit and laugh and tease and tell stories. 

Here's a pic of Emma and I on our 7 mile walk to and fro to meet Dan for work...

RATS! Scar Tissue vs Tumor

Horrible news. Yesterday morning I received a phone call from UCLA. To start at the beginning, the MRI report I've read was from UW, and I've been waiting for UCLA's report. Flash back to yesterday, I received a call from UCLA's oncology department wanting me to come in for an appointment on August 12th. And the woman didn't know why. she had zero information. I was so confused, and panicked. Usually I deal directly with Dr L's office, but this time it was the chemotherapy sector. YIKES. My heart dropped. I asked if it was about my MRI results and the kind woman had no idea. So I asked for someone to call me with more information. Then Dan emailed Dr L, and I called her office. The waiting period was incredibly painful.

A while later, we received a response from Dr L, and a phone call (within moments of each other), explaining everything. Apparently, there is an area on my MRI of hyper intense T2 signal that has slowing been growing. The doctors can't be sure if it is scar tissue or tumor tissue, so they want me to fly down to LA and get a dopa pet scan along with a regular MRI. If it's tumor they want me to start some sort of chemotherapy. 

After talking with both doctors, we all agreed that this is not an urgent matter as I'm not presenting with symptoms. So, Dan and I decided to wait and schedule both scans in October at my regularly designated time for scans. If I have any new symptoms I am supposed to immediately schedule the scans and fly down to LA. 

I'm very saddened, and feel nauseous about the turn of events, however I'm relieved and grateful that UCLA is so thorough and can provide better care than any hospital in my area. There's only a few hospitals in the country that do the dopa pet, and I'm reminded of the fact that it's paramount to go to the best, to travel for doctors, to not stay stuck because it's convenient to use the neighborhood or regional hospital. Your life literally depends on it. Doctors are not equal. Hospitals are not equal. Treatments are not equal. 

Although I felt scared by the news from UCLA, and yet relieved that it isn't definite tumor growth, Dan and I made a last minute decision to join a indoor bocce ball birthday, and I'm so glad we did! There's nothing better to put a smile on our faces than friends, and laughter! It was fantastic! Laura's probably going to kill me for posting this pic, but I'll deal with her sassy wrath later. :) These girls are so fun, and kind, and real. I just feel like life is constantly extraordinary. I don't know why I got so lucky, but I'm going to soak up every minute.