Most people have experienced the uneasy feeling of waiting for the doctor to call with test results. As much as we try to distract ourselves, the mind is powerful and returns to wondering when the doctor will call. When my wife was getting her bloodwork, multiple MRIs, CT Scans, biopsies, treatment options, and feedback from the doctor, the waiting was uncomfortable to put it mildly. There were so many appointments before Lyn could even get to treatment day.
Once treatment day came, we didn’t have a feeling of relief, but we were eager to start the battle in trying to have Lyn cured of this terrible disease. Lyn was very calm during the waiting process, and she was able to convey that she was not overly stressed. She spent time reading the Bible, praying, going through a small devotional book, and she tried to write down thoughts in a journal, however, due to the stroke, writing was a challenge. I acted calm on the outside, but internally I was anxious and wanted to get treatment started.
Lyn would have treatment on the brain first. We met with her neurosurgeon a few days prior to her brain radiation. We absolutely loved his positive outlook. He explained what happened, and exactly how many cancer lesions Lyn had in the brain. The neurosurgeon explained that Lyn had seven cancer spots in the brain, and all were very small. However, the unfortunate news was that he would only be able to treat six of the seven spots.
The seventh spot could not be seen even by the best MRI. The seventh spot was located someplace in the middle of the bleed area. The doctor knew without a doubt there was cancer in the bleed area because that is what caused the burst blood vessel, and the stroke occurred. The doctor could not even guess the size or the location.
Lyn was being treated with Stereotactic Radiosurgery. This is a high dose beam of radiation that goes to about 1mm around the cancer spot, and over a period of time it destroys the cancer. It is highly effective on melanoma cancer. Lyn needed this type of cancer treatment because in general, low dose, whole-head radiation, does not work well on melanoma. As a reminder Stereotactic Radiosurgery, is the same type of treatment that former President, Jimmy Carter had a number of years ago for his brain melanoma and was cured.
Being completely naïve, I asked, “Can’t you just radiate the area, so all seven spots can be treated?” The doctor calmly looked at me, and was probably thinking I was a bit crazy, but responded with, “And how would I know if I treated the cancer effectively because I cannot see what I am aiming at?” He explained that he needed to be exact because he was shooting a high dose radiation to kill a spot, and not treat an entire area. Furthermore, the radiation was approximately four-times more powerful than low-dose radiation, so he could not just, “shoot an entire area,” with this type of radiation.
The doctor knew what the next question was going to be and just went ahead and answered it. He said, “So, you are now wondering if I am concerned that Lyn is going to have a spot of untreated cancer in the brain?” That was exactly our question, and the doctor explained that he was concerned, but unfortunately there was nothing that could be done about it. He said it was far safer to wait for the bleed to reabsorb into the brain, than to do the other alternative, which was open brain surgery. He explained that the only other method would be to do physical surgery on the area, and search for the cancer. This was extremely risky, so we opted to follow the recommendation of her neurosurgeon.
Overall the doctor was very pleased how well Lyn was doing. By the time of the appointment Lyn had already regained strength in her right side and had perfect balance. Therefore, the neurosurgeon said, “Lyn once we can see the spot, we will go back and zap it with the radiosurgery. In fact, you may have additional ones pop up, and we will treat them too. We call this spot welding.” The explanation of the doctor, and his confidence was very calming.
The day of treatment was a bit nerve-wracking because it was the fear of the unknown. The drive to get treatment was about forty-five minutes away, so it gave us a lot of time to think. I remember Lyn trying to read billboard signs as I was driving. She was working on stroke recovery even while on the way to a radiation appointment. She was simply amazing. The fight in her was something to witness. Her fight influenced and changed me forever. It helped me to grow in my faith and be a much bolder person going forward.
Before we went in to meet the doctor, we sat and prayed for peace, and that the surgery would be effective. We first met with her neurooncologist. The neurooncologist and neurosurgeon, along with their team of about ten worked together. It was an amazing team, and we were so grateful to God for their expertise and care.
The neurooncologist showed us the MRI and where the six spots were, and where the bleed area was that caused the stroke. He also went over the side effects, which was a bit scary itself. While many of the risks were minor in many of their patients, with melanoma cancer, it is much more complicated to treat due to an increase of side effects, especially inflammation and bleeding.
We were able to see the spots that they were going to be “zapping” with high dose radiation. This doctor looked at all the images and decided on the radiation dosage. Part of this process is also mapping the brain, so they can treat only those spots. However, mapping is also a way to keep track of what has been treated, the result after surgery, and then comparing the next MRI with the previous to determine if additional spots appeared in between.
After meeting with her neurooncologist, it was time to have the surgery. It was nice of the doctor to ask me if I wanted to accompany Lyn back to the radiation surgery room. While Lyn and I were firm in our Christian faith, and trusted God, I still fought control issues. I wanted to be in control, but I had none. So being asked to accompany Lyn was a relief, because it helped calm my anxiety. We were escorted back to the room. I saw an amazing piece of medical equipment that was about half the size of a child’s bedroom.
The doctor introduced us to the medical team. He went on to explain the process and how the machine worked. Lyn’s brain had already been mapped, the coordinates placed into the computer, and that would guide the machine to pinpoint accuracy. Lyn had been fitted with a special radiation mask two days prior. This mask would protect her face, but it would also lock her into place to ensure that she did not move. The doctors would take the MRI and utilize special computer software to guide them to radiate the specific spots.
What was simply amazing was that the doctors sat behind a glass wall and maneuvered the radiation arm over Lyn’s head like a computer game.
It was time for me to leave, but before I departed, I asked if I could pray for the medical team, and for Lyn. It was an emotional moment because this cancer treatment was about to get real. Up until now it was medical appointments, tests, and outlining treatment. Now my wife of nearly 27 years was about to go under high dose radiation for brain cancer. I prayed that God would be with my wife and give her the peace she needed during the procedure, and the radiation would do what it needed to do. I also prayed for the medical team that they would be guided by the hand of God to treat Lynette.
I gave Lyn a long hug, a kiss, and an “I love you.” Lyn could not talk due to the stroke, but she gave me a kiss, a nod, and a hug to signify her love for me. I was escorted out of the room. I was told when she was done, they would come and get me. After about 15 minutes the nurse came and got me and asked me to come back. I jumped up and didn’t understand what was going on.
They took me to a room, and I saw Lyn sitting there with a smile. I could not believe that the surgery was that quick! She was in recovery getting her vitals done and being asked questions. They needed me there since Lyn could not talk. We later found out that this 15-minute surgery took more than five hours just a year earlier, but due to medical advances in software development, these treatments were available to more people.
After approximately 30 minutes, we were free to go. We got to the parking lot and thanked God in the car before driving off. The level of relief we felt was unmatched. Although this was just treatment on the brain, and Lyn still needed lung cancer treatment, it was the first time in a few weeks we felt we were moving forward toward battling the disease. We were simply amazed how quickly and smoothly her surgery went and this gave us a much-needed boost in our faith and that God heard our prayers and calmed our fears.