I'm not even sure who follows this, I mean as far as family is concerned, so I'll keep this brief- well that and I don't have much to pass along right now.
I had my "little" procedure last Friday. That was seriously no joke. Natural childbirth felt less painful and at least then I had a child to show for it. In this case, what I have to show is well, nothing yet. Give me two weeks, or in military time 4, and I'll let you know. I'm gunning for the cancer free bill of health but am ready to handle what ever comes my way. I've got love and support from so many.
I promise as soon as I get these biopsy results I'll post. I know I was a slacker with many of you even knowing I had a first, let alone second scheduled procedure. It honestly slipped my mind, I was just so excited to have Derrick home. (& having him home when the first results came in was a life/sanity saver).
With communication as shot-y as it has been you the reader may have my results before even Derrick does. Either way, you'll be in the loop. Love you all!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Destination Unknown
If you're on my Myspace blog list then you've probably already read this, I just copied and pasted it here for everyone who follows me through Blogger, and I'm sure I'll link this in some way shape or form to Facebook too. I really need something (like Twitter) that ties all three pages together more easily. :)
Blog begins:
Where we'll go next, that is still a mystery, one we won't know until just a few weeks before we jet off this tiny rock. What I can tell you is we'll end up (over the course of 3 years) in two different countries out of a possible 105!
I've been a little tight lipped about this, but if you've seen me or Derrick in the past 2 weeks then you know, if not then this is most likely news to you. Now that things are rolling along and Derrick has been accepted I feel a little freer about talking now. We've spent countless hours of his R&R up at his parent command working with his career planner and command team (I just LOVE them) getting all of the prerequisites in for his package. We went in 2 weeks ago with the idea of heading back to the east coast and Derrick landing a position as a Marine Combat Instructor, when that was shot down because of his rank we had to consider other options. The first thing that was suggested happened to be Derrick's dream job but he thought I would say no. Turns out, me being there with him then was all we needed to know that I was just as on board as he was. The career planner gave us a little bit of info, not that we needed any persuasion, and the next 3 to 4 hours ended up being jam packed with admin, medical and dental checks to make sure all of our chicks were in a row. We wrapped it up with our financial check list and we're done with everything we could do on our part.
It took a little longer then we'd have liked, but the package went through the command- Thursday night the first part of the screening was done (phone interview to VA) and again last night a follow up call/screening was done, this one made it official. Derrick (the kids and I) have been accepted and he has his course date set!
I'm not sure if he will have to formally extend us on Okinawa or if his orders will include the extension, in any case the boys and I will be here through March or April of 2010. Derrick will return this summer, go through his 30 and 60 respectively and will then punch off in January for 10 weeks of school before we find out which US Embassy we'll be going to first. More specifically, let me quote this so I don't get it wrong, "Each Detachment is commanded by a Staff Non-Commissioned Officer, being one of the few instances where an enlisted Marine may hold the title of commanding officer. Generally between the ranks of Staff Sergeant and Master Gunnery Sergeant,
Marine Detachment Commanders serve two tours which generally last 18
months each." Derrick will be given another (his 2nd & 3rd) opportunity to command a team! Tell me that's not awesome. I am so stoked about all of this and sooo very proud of him and his accomplishments.
There are some definite ups but also some downs about this tour and there are some kinks I'm going to have to work out, like when we're going to make it home for visits and when and who will be able to come and visit us. We'll need to get new passports and oh darn, I'm going to need to go dress shopping. I'm not sure how I'll manage that. ;) This is going to be another awesome adventure courtesy of the United States Marine Corps and I'm so ready.
The biggest hurdle Derrick says he faces now "is doing everything he can to not earn a medal through the rest of this deployment." All I can say is he better not.
(translation, medals usually = injury/death. huge no-no in my book)
Blog begins:
Where we'll go next, that is still a mystery, one we won't know until just a few weeks before we jet off this tiny rock. What I can tell you is we'll end up (over the course of 3 years) in two different countries out of a possible 105!
I've been a little tight lipped about this, but if you've seen me or Derrick in the past 2 weeks then you know, if not then this is most likely news to you. Now that things are rolling along and Derrick has been accepted I feel a little freer about talking now. We've spent countless hours of his R&R up at his parent command working with his career planner and command team (I just LOVE them) getting all of the prerequisites in for his package. We went in 2 weeks ago with the idea of heading back to the east coast and Derrick landing a position as a Marine Combat Instructor, when that was shot down because of his rank we had to consider other options. The first thing that was suggested happened to be Derrick's dream job but he thought I would say no. Turns out, me being there with him then was all we needed to know that I was just as on board as he was. The career planner gave us a little bit of info, not that we needed any persuasion, and the next 3 to 4 hours ended up being jam packed with admin, medical and dental checks to make sure all of our chicks were in a row. We wrapped it up with our financial check list and we're done with everything we could do on our part.
It took a little longer then we'd have liked, but the package went through the command- Thursday night the first part of the screening was done (phone interview to VA) and again last night a follow up call/screening was done, this one made it official. Derrick (the kids and I) have been accepted and he has his course date set!
I'm not sure if he will have to formally extend us on Okinawa or if his orders will include the extension, in any case the boys and I will be here through March or April of 2010. Derrick will return this summer, go through his 30 and 60 respectively and will then punch off in January for 10 weeks of school before we find out which US Embassy we'll be going to first. More specifically, let me quote this so I don't get it wrong, "Each Detachment is commanded by a Staff Non-Commissioned Officer, being one of the few instances where an enlisted Marine may hold the title of commanding officer. Generally between the ranks of Staff Sergeant and Master Gunnery Sergeant,
Marine Detachment Commanders serve two tours which generally last 18
months each." Derrick will be given another (his 2nd & 3rd) opportunity to command a team! Tell me that's not awesome. I am so stoked about all of this and sooo very proud of him and his accomplishments.
There are some definite ups but also some downs about this tour and there are some kinks I'm going to have to work out, like when we're going to make it home for visits and when and who will be able to come and visit us. We'll need to get new passports and oh darn, I'm going to need to go dress shopping. I'm not sure how I'll manage that. ;) This is going to be another awesome adventure courtesy of the United States Marine Corps and I'm so ready.
The biggest hurdle Derrick says he faces now "is doing everything he can to not earn a medal through the rest of this deployment." All I can say is he better not.
(translation, medals usually = injury/death. huge no-no in my book)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Hello visitors
I just wanted to give a shout out to all my readers. I've noticed an influx of people from the California Bay area as well as Sacramento area reading my blog. It's kind of nice to see IP addresses that are not all APO AE addresses (though I love my local readers). I'd like to think that my blogs are now making it to our family, but if these are just random people searching "denicordo" on Google then I suppose hello to you too. Shoot me a comment, let me know who you are, send some love or something.
For those who follow regularly, expect an update soon. It's been a busy few days/week planning out where our next adventure will take us. Right now I feel like tossing a dart at map would give us as good a clue as to where we go next as the military is giving us. :) It's definitely an adventure, but what would life be without it. Just plain mundane.
For those who follow regularly, expect an update soon. It's been a busy few days/week planning out where our next adventure will take us. Right now I feel like tossing a dart at map would give us as good a clue as to where we go next as the military is giving us. :) It's definitely an adventure, but what would life be without it. Just plain mundane.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
normal is relative
This is not my normal deployment blog, more of an update on what's going on with me. Before I start all of that though, things are going well here at home. We've had Derrick here just over a week and unfortunately we only have him for another 6 days before he starts his trek back to Afghanistan. We've been able to spend quite a bit of quality time with friends and of course plenty of time just the 4 of us. We miss Melanie tremendously. All the time, but now it seems even more. Derrick is making sure to call her often while he can and it seems like they're both loving it. This R&R feels like such a blessing right now. I know in a week I'll find the curses it left us with, the separation issues, sleepless nights once again and the anxiety that goes with the territory of having him in a combat zone once again. It doesn't help that I sat in on a meeting with his Colonel talking about the specifics of his location. Some things are best left unknown until he's home for good. I'm a tough cookie though, I convince myself I want to know these things, and I'll manage alright even knowing all I know now.
I'll manage because I'm tough, but also because I have to. There is plenty going on in Afghanistan, but there is also plenty going on right here in Okinawa with me. I hate to say I've anticipated these results, but for the past two to three years I've known they were coming. I had my first abnormal pap shortly after we arrived here. I had a follow up and was cleared. 'Possibly just a mix up at the lab, or maybe just some slight abnormality.' The following year everything checked out just fine as well. This time around I wasn't as fortunate, the difference was how it was handled. Two years ago it was just a please repeat the procedure, this time around it was straight to diagnosis procedures.
About a month ago I went in for a colposcopy and possibly biopsy. My doctor was great. I guess it helps that she knows me and the kids really well. Most specifically Melanie, through the procedure she kept the conversation on light humorous things about Melanie and teenagers in general. There was only one awkward moment. She stopped mid sentence and said to the nurse, "okay, I'm going to take two, one at one o'clock and anther at five." She resumed her previous thought then explained that she was taking two samples for biopsy. The rest of the time I tried to keep it light as well, I let my mind wander a little. Is it my 1 o'clock or her 1 o'clock? I never really knew a cervix could tell time. How precise or accurate is it really?
I left the clinic with a ballpark time frame of one to two weeks for results. I waited until the two weeks expired before I even tried to call. The next day I was told it could take about 3 weeks so give it one more. At 3 weeks and a day I called back and was given a little more run around. (anyone on Okinawa, if you have biopsies done they are sent to San Diego [Balboa] for testing- & now you know) It took exactly four weeks for results and they came via a phone call.
When I talked to my mom this afternoon I told her my doc called which means it could always be worse. I wasn't asked to come in to talk with her. :) The biopsy results are not terrible but they're not what I'd like them to be. Both came back with abnormal cells but one came back as 'a high grade lesion that is not yet cancer.' She reiterated over and over that precancerous cells are not cancer and don't have to become cancer. I'm kind of glad it took a little longer for the results, that gave some time for Derrick to get home. He was sitting a few feet away when she called. Her suggested course of treatment is a LEEP procedure. I've done some research and I don't like anything really about it, but I guess I'm going to do what has to be done.
While I had my doctor on the phone I asked her about skipping this procedure and just opting for a hysterectomy. Not to be extreme or hasty but to be proactive, my maternal grandmother had one at the age of 28 and my mother was 28 when she had her first pre-cancer diagnosis, it took a little longer for her hysterectomy but she also required having one. I'm 31, and clearly this is either one wild coincidence or genetics are doing their job. In any case, my doc told me that she wouldn't recommend the procedure for me, but I could talk to the gynecologist to see what he thinks. Her biggest reason was my age and the idea that I might want to have children later, that I have so many viable child bearing years left. (I had to remind her she knows my kids. I'm teasing, sheesh.) I was okay with this until I did research on the procedure she is recommending. I have yet to find one resource that doesn't include an extreme high risk for pregnancy and fetal problems for pregnancies post LEEP, I'm talking 70-85% greater risk.
My question is, assuming I wanted another child, why am I going to try and have another one knowing that there is a 70% chance I can't carry to term and an 85% chance that it will have a low birth weight? Seriously, Derrick had a vasectomy for a reason, we don't want anymore. Why not cut out a huge risk of cancer by removing all the cancer prone areas. If we decide to have a child at a later date (I can't imagine, but if so) then we'll adopt. The other thing I forgot to mention was the fact that my doc told me I would probably have to come back in a few more times over the years to remove precancerous cells and a hysterectomy will probably be the end result, but later. The logic makes no sense, but I guess I'm on board for the time being.
I have an appointment later this month for the procedure, I am debating either meeting with that doc beforehand or rescheduling the procedure and using that appointment time to discuss my options a little further. Either way, by the end of April I hope to know a little more about my options and my pre-cancer-free self.
Until then, I'll remain my overly optimistic self and will update on other 'normal' blog worthy things. :)
I'll manage because I'm tough, but also because I have to. There is plenty going on in Afghanistan, but there is also plenty going on right here in Okinawa with me. I hate to say I've anticipated these results, but for the past two to three years I've known they were coming. I had my first abnormal pap shortly after we arrived here. I had a follow up and was cleared. 'Possibly just a mix up at the lab, or maybe just some slight abnormality.' The following year everything checked out just fine as well. This time around I wasn't as fortunate, the difference was how it was handled. Two years ago it was just a please repeat the procedure, this time around it was straight to diagnosis procedures.
About a month ago I went in for a colposcopy and possibly biopsy. My doctor was great. I guess it helps that she knows me and the kids really well. Most specifically Melanie, through the procedure she kept the conversation on light humorous things about Melanie and teenagers in general. There was only one awkward moment. She stopped mid sentence and said to the nurse, "okay, I'm going to take two, one at one o'clock and anther at five." She resumed her previous thought then explained that she was taking two samples for biopsy. The rest of the time I tried to keep it light as well, I let my mind wander a little. Is it my 1 o'clock or her 1 o'clock? I never really knew a cervix could tell time. How precise or accurate is it really?
I left the clinic with a ballpark time frame of one to two weeks for results. I waited until the two weeks expired before I even tried to call. The next day I was told it could take about 3 weeks so give it one more. At 3 weeks and a day I called back and was given a little more run around. (anyone on Okinawa, if you have biopsies done they are sent to San Diego [Balboa] for testing- & now you know) It took exactly four weeks for results and they came via a phone call.
When I talked to my mom this afternoon I told her my doc called which means it could always be worse. I wasn't asked to come in to talk with her. :) The biopsy results are not terrible but they're not what I'd like them to be. Both came back with abnormal cells but one came back as 'a high grade lesion that is not yet cancer.' She reiterated over and over that precancerous cells are not cancer and don't have to become cancer. I'm kind of glad it took a little longer for the results, that gave some time for Derrick to get home. He was sitting a few feet away when she called. Her suggested course of treatment is a LEEP procedure. I've done some research and I don't like anything really about it, but I guess I'm going to do what has to be done.
While I had my doctor on the phone I asked her about skipping this procedure and just opting for a hysterectomy. Not to be extreme or hasty but to be proactive, my maternal grandmother had one at the age of 28 and my mother was 28 when she had her first pre-cancer diagnosis, it took a little longer for her hysterectomy but she also required having one. I'm 31, and clearly this is either one wild coincidence or genetics are doing their job. In any case, my doc told me that she wouldn't recommend the procedure for me, but I could talk to the gynecologist to see what he thinks. Her biggest reason was my age and the idea that I might want to have children later, that I have so many viable child bearing years left. (I had to remind her she knows my kids. I'm teasing, sheesh.) I was okay with this until I did research on the procedure she is recommending. I have yet to find one resource that doesn't include an extreme high risk for pregnancy and fetal problems for pregnancies post LEEP, I'm talking 70-85% greater risk.
My question is, assuming I wanted another child, why am I going to try and have another one knowing that there is a 70% chance I can't carry to term and an 85% chance that it will have a low birth weight? Seriously, Derrick had a vasectomy for a reason, we don't want anymore. Why not cut out a huge risk of cancer by removing all the cancer prone areas. If we decide to have a child at a later date (I can't imagine, but if so) then we'll adopt. The other thing I forgot to mention was the fact that my doc told me I would probably have to come back in a few more times over the years to remove precancerous cells and a hysterectomy will probably be the end result, but later. The logic makes no sense, but I guess I'm on board for the time being.
I have an appointment later this month for the procedure, I am debating either meeting with that doc beforehand or rescheduling the procedure and using that appointment time to discuss my options a little further. Either way, by the end of April I hope to know a little more about my options and my pre-cancer-free self.
Until then, I'll remain my overly optimistic self and will update on other 'normal' blog worthy things. :)
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