Keep on keepin' on

Here's something we weren't expecting to have to keep in our bathroom during these months of predicted "rest." The cute little white basket so innocently adorned with wound dressings is a daily reminder that no, we haven't been able to take a deep breath as we had hoped.

The painful lump above Ema's knee is worrying us. So is the fact that her leg still isn't healing. I've been taking pictures of the wound every night before we redress it so I can examine them side-by-side, and it simply isn't getting better. That's the affect of radiation damage. Skin cells just don't like being bombarded with massive doses of gamma radiation. Just ask Bruce Banner.

So - the plan? Ema is scheduled for an MRI tomorrow (Tues) to find out what that test can tell us about the lump above her knee. We have an appt. with her ortho oncologist the next day for him to examine the wound (site of the last biopsy) and recommend a course of action which might be another skin graph. Hopefully he will also be able to view the MRI at that point, although a 24 hour turn-around is rare for such tests.

We remain guarded and hopeful, but it's depressing. Seems that the only thing we can do is dig deep for the strength to persevere. I remind myself that, at this very moment, Ema is in no immediate peril. We have things we need to deal with, and that's what we do as a team - deal with things, one after another. We keep on keepin' on. Someday soon, perhaps we can take a deep breath and once again rest with both eyes closed. . .just like the good old days.