We went yesterday afternoon to meet with Dr. Kaplan and get some more information on the Pet CT scans. As usual he was wonderfully informative and gave us lots to think about.

While were there, Anna had to get a bone marrow sample taken along with a bone core sample. While a normal procedure, it was pretty damn painful. They used some local anesthetic to numb the skin in an area on her lower back. They then used a large bore hollow needle to go into her pelvis and take out bone marrow and a core sample of bone. Anna, like always, was strong and both Doctor and nurse complimented her on her strength.

We asked lots of questions this appointment and got lots of answers. Here are some key points:

The results of the bone marrow and bone sample will confirm staging for Anna. Dr. Kaplan was pretty confident that the chances are very low of spread to these areas. This is to confirm stage 3.
Anna will have her port installed on Friday morning. It will remain in place until all treatment is done. It will be in her upper chest and below the skin. It provides a direct access to a vein near her collar bone for blood samples, medication, and administration of the chemo cocktail.
Chemo will start mid day on Friday and continue every two weeks for 24 weeks.
Each chemo treatment will last between 6-7 hours and we will be in the hospital for most of the day.
Unfortunately no kids under 12 can be in the chemo area so we will not have Shiloh or Dex with us.
After 4 treatments we will have another Pet CT scan to determine progress.

The nurse assisting with the sampling was talking to us after the procedure and was very nice. She was really surprised by Anna's strength during the procedure and indicated that she and her husband had done the procedure as students and it was not easy. She was also surprised that we had gotten in with Dr. Kaplan as he was the "best" and hard to get as your doctor.

Anna is ready for treatment to start. While our lives will shift yet again, we are ready to start the process and get on track. We have had a very special three weeks with Shiloh and feel strong as a family and ready to face this next phase. Each day we receive notes, phone calls, care packages and prayers from friends and family. While we have not been able to get back to everyone, please know, we feel the love.

Chance