Thank you for your two weeks of votes and all of your support! (And a special thank you to Polgara)! My grant was funded today! You all are AMAZING!

Drew is being readmitted to the hospital today. Unfortunately his pancreatitis is back, so he needs to be here for treatment for some more time. We are glad we have a good hospital with good care despite how much we don't want to be here. We are trying to stay positive and believe that this is just a temporary setback on the road to recovery.

Finally, a bro update: He has a grade III anaplastic astrocytoma. He didn't say so in the email, but based on the brief googling I did, it looks like a prognosis of about two years, especially since his is inoperable. He said that the chemo is a pill, and so far no side effects, but that they haven't been able to do the radiation yet, because he keeps having panic attacks when they try to fit him for the mask for the radiation. They're trying drugs for the panic attacks, but so far no luck.

Also, it looks like my sister-in-law's father is going to die any minute. The doctors didn't expect him to live past 1:00 p.m. yesterday, but he's still hanging on. (He has the same kind of--relatively rare!--cancer that my mom died of, but he has lived with it for much longer than she did.) So no wonder she has been freaking out so much. My brother said she hasn't slept in days.

I don't even know what to ask for, just thanks for keeping my family in your thoughts.

So much love to amyth and family.

Drew is having an ERCP tonight, which is a procedure they've been avoiding for a month because it has the potential to make the pancreatitis worse. It needs to happen and will most likely be a good thing, so make-it-better-not-worse vibes would be appreciated. He will be in here for awhile. We don't know until we see what happens tonight and over the next few days.

Good news! The ERCP was successful. All those MRIs and CT scans managed to miss the 7 mm gallstone that was lodged in Drew's common bile duct. It has been removed. He still has recovery ahead but should FINALLY start to truly heal. Thank you, Buffista vibes!

Now that ND's surgery has gone well, I guess it's my turn to ask for some Buffista vibes. My lumpectomy surgery is scheduled for 11:00 tomorrow--can I get some easy surgery and no lymph node involvement-ma?

Everything went well, and quickly, and now we are on the way home. No sentinel node involvement, which is what we wanted.

Yay Perkins!!!

Thanks for the job~ma - I got an offer!! Now to decide whether to take it.

I am really afraid of flying so if any of you frequent travelers have any tips (or know of ways to get upgrades so I'm so pampered that I don't realize i'm in the air over 8 hours), I would be very appreciative. I know we recently had an anxious flyer who made a successful trip so that gives me hope. I've avoided it for thirteen years (I know), but now it is going to be necessary for me to travel. I was beginning to think that maybe I'd never have to fly again, but then love of travel made me confront the fear. So around 7am CST Oct 3rd, please send some just-suck-it-up-and-get-on-the-freakin-plane ma my way, I would really appreciate it. Also don't-freak-out-midway-and-embarrass-yourself ma would be good too.

Do we have any buffistas in Hawaii? I'll be in Honolulu Oct 3rd-14th, then on Kauai 14th-26th if anyone wants to meet up. I know it's a remote possibility, but we are talking Buffistas, so you never know. Profile addy is good.

edited to fix dates

So glad that the news is getting better for everyone!

I hope that continues. Could I get some ~ma tomorrow morning around 9 am EDT? I'll be in court and I need a good outcome.