On January 29th Mom went to the Cascade Clinic because she noticed wheezing. After an x-ray of her lungs, they immediately sent her to Dubuque for a CT scan. The evening of the 30th Mom, Dad, and us kids were called in to Sherry Kelchen's office. The x-ray revealed a mass in her right lung and in lymph node in center of her chest. Over the next four weeks, Mom had a biopsy, Pet scan, and MRI. Each step in the process has been more revealing than the previous. The tests are not all back yet, but we do know is that Mom has stage 4 cancer. At this point we know the cancer is in her lung, lymph node, and brain.
The next steps will include chemo to try to contain or shrink the cancer in her body and radiation to address the cancer in the brain. This will be an ongoing process (most likely for the rest of her life). After two rounds of chemo, a CT scan will be done to see what impact it had on the cancer. Two months after the radiation, an MRI will be done to see if additional radiation treatments are required.
Mom's faith is strong and she is very thankful for everyone supporting her through this difficult time!
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