Flexing the Waiting Muscles Again

Waiting. Again.

Diverting from the usual prose this week in order to update everyone about what has been going on so far this summer. A couple of weeks ago we decided to take a much needed mental, physical, and emotional break. From everything. We needed to slow down and take time to process the past year and toss some relaxation and a vacation in to our daily mix.

We faithfully sent our relaxation and decompression intentions out in to the universe and even planned a trip. Three cheers for Murphy’s Law and the person who coined the phrase expect the unexpected. Well, not really.

Before we finalized our plans, we had previously scheduled doctor appointments to take care of. An annual OB/GYN visit for me and a routine follow up with both the oncologist and breast cancer surgeon for my wife. No biggie right?

Nope. My doctor found a lump in my right breast. A mammogram and ultrasound was scheduled for the end of the week. Crap. The next day the breast surgeon found something suspicious on Yvette’s neck and ordered an ultrasound and the new oncologist ordered labs to go along with the ultrasound.

Our appointments were at the same time in the same place. How romantic. In case you were wondering, they do not offer family discounts. While waiting we tried to calculate what the odds were for both spouses in a same sex marriage to get diagnosed with breast cancer within a year. Low? Right? Right?

Taking the Good with the Bad.

The good news is that the lump in my breast was nothing to be concerned about and barely visible by either diagnostic test. Relief. Moving forward.

Crappy weather, and the looming test results, squashed our plans to go away. We did manage a trip to the zoo so not all was lost. Now for the not so good news. Today we learned that Yvette has a fairly large solid nodule, along with a few smaller ones, on her thyroid gland that needs to be biopsied.

Adding an endocrinologist and an ENT specialist to our growing healthcare team list was not exactly what we had in mind for this month.

For now we are flexing our slightly worn out waiting patiently muscles as the appointments are scheduled and more details about what is next are shared. As you can imagine, this is a very difficult time and we are doing our best not to flip out and lose it. Our peace and calm muscles are also getting a workout. One foot in front of the other. Breathe. Wander. Photograph.

What we know right now is not much. June 30th is the biopsy and July 12 we will see endocrinologist. Yes, cancer was mentioned, as well as surgery, but we do not know what we are dealing with just yet. Waiting. We know how it feels to be here in this strange space once again, but the familiarity does not make it any easier.

Please forgive us if we do not respond to every message or post right away. We are huddling close and will reach out with updates as we get more information and results. Know that we are so grateful and appreciate every good thought, prayer, and wish for health that comes our way.

Sharing our journey helps make the waiting more bearable and receiving all the love and support brings peace to our anxious hearts.