What a week!

The MRI was originally supposed to reveal whether we had something to worry about regarding the hard, painful lump ABOVE the kneecap. What we weren’t expecting was that the radiologist who read the MRI saw an alarming mass BELOW the knee at the site of the original tumor! Take a breath now, this story has a happy ending.

The discovery of a possible “recurrence,” as the radiologist reported, sent Ema and I into immediate alert. This surge of panic sent our minds right back into crisis mode as we prepared for yet another year of treatments, tests, recovery, and fear. Her oncologist said that he’d get back to us on Friday with a plan of action, but we should prepare, at least, for another biopsy. That thought alone was disturbing, as Ema’s leg has been through so many traumas already that entering that site again seemed to go against both logic and nature.

So, we spent Friday with these thoughts in our heads and when five O’clock finally rolled around, we resigned to the notion that we simply would have to go through yet another weekend of worry. Then, at six P.M., her oncologist called. He told her that he spoke with the ortho oncologist and he explained that the mass that the MRI detected wasn’t a tumor, it was a void that he created during his last surgery (biopsy) and which he had filled with a type of surgical cement. Ema’s knees almost buckled as she heard this good news and a wave of relief swept over her. She told me the news and we hugged each other. It was such a profound sense of relief – possibly the biggest relief of this whole ordeal because so much was riding on the prognosis.

Needless to say, the rest of that evening, in fact – the whole weekend was very cheerful. I dare say, as I’ve been wrong before, but I think it might finally be time to take a deep breath. No more tests for about two months. Whew!

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Ema and I received a nice email from a fellow podcaster, Nanette from the “For Whatever Reason” podcast, and she turned us on to another Sarcoma blog, this one by a man named Dave who was recently diagnosed and is just beginning treatment. His story is so familiar, especially the agonizing periods of waiting between tests and results. Follow Dave's compelling and inspiration journey HERE.