Good News!

Melissa heard good news from her geneticist! He called to tell her that the Brca gene test is negative!! That means no taking out the ovary. This news does not shorten the surgery however, it will be 6 hours. She was told that putting in the port a cath will take an hour in itself! One good thing is that if they like the looks of one lymph node they will only take that one and the two on each side of it. At that time they will be testing the lymph nodes to determine the treatments with chemo and radiation. They will know if they need to remove all of them at that time but the rest of the pathology will not be known for about 5 days. The removal of lymph nodes causes a significant life change. She will have to be careful with her arm for the rest of her life. She will not be able to have blood pressure taken on that arm, carry heavy bags or get IV there. It also means that cuts or burns on that arm or hand will require antibiotics. There are a lot of things that are not good news when it comes to how much the treatment of this cancer will change her life, but she remains positive. Melissa continues to look at the blessings she has received since her diagnosis and before, which have prepared her. 
                                                                                                                             ~Nicole

P.S. I am not a medical person as many of you are sure to tell as you read all of this. If you have questions please let me know and I will be prompt at getting them answered. This is breast cancer according to Nicole, after she listens to Melissa explain it. I'm certain that I have something wrong somewhere!

News At Last

Melissa's Preemptive Strike 

It's been a long time coming and we finally know that Melissa will have surgery next Friday, November 22. What we don't know is the result of the genetic test, which determines the removal of the ovary and fallopian tube. She will stay to recover for a few days and pathology results from the lymph nodes will take about 5 days. That will determine the length and type of chemo and if radiation is necessary. Final cancer staging will be completed at that time. Melissa will have to be completely healed before they start the chemo so at the very least it will be 4 weeks after surgery. That will be right around Christmas! 

Melissa took a preemptive strike and cut off her hair in attempt to make losing it less dramatic! One thing that is going to be very difficult for her is that she will not be able to eat spicy food! It will actually cause damage to her so she can't cheat even a little. To hear her tell it, that's the worst news of all. 

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers through this difficult waiting game. I know she and her family have been very blessed and feel your love. Also a big thanks to those of you who are participating in fund raising, it is much appreciated. 

                                                                                                                          ~Nicole

I know everyone is waiting to hear more news, unfortunately there isn't much to tell. We are still waiting to hear the results of the genetic testing as well as a date for surgery. We do know they are having a hard time scheduling a spot for her because of the length of the procedure. They need a six hour spot and apparently that is not easy to come by. Thank you to all of you who fasted last Sunday and for all of your continued prayers, they are much appreciated. ~Nicole

Blanket Drive For Melissa Davids

Blanket Drive

Idaho Home Health & Hospice at 826 Eastland Drive, 83301

Twin Falls, Idaho on Tuesday, November 19th 

at 6:00pm until 10:00pm.

How does this work? What is it? You bring 4 total yards of blanket fleece (2 yards each of 2 different colors or patterns) and scissors. Use your imagination! These will be assembled by you that night and sold as Christmas gifts with 100% of the funds going to Melissa! What a fabulous thing to do for someone as wonderful as she is (imagine her face turning bright red now :)! Kari Pawson will be doing the assembly demonstration and helping everyone. If you can't be there in person, feel free to drop off fleece at anytime between now and then. One of the volunteers can assemble it for you. If you're looking for good deals we recommend www.yourfleece.com you can ship it straight to the address above, which is great if you live out of town.
If you would rather donate cash, that's okay too! Checks can be made out to Melissa Davids. If you have any questions you can call the office (208)734-4064. Hosting the blanket drive are Heidi Walker, Kari Pawson, Grace Hall, and Amy Ryan. What they had to say about Melissa~ Melissa is an incredibly selfless and generous person, we are honored to have the opportunity to give back to her. Please invite everyone you know!

I have ordered fleece and had it sent to the office, it was easy! I hope to be able to go that night, but if for some reason I am not able to, my donation is already there. ~Nicole

A Breakdown of My Appointments Today ~ Melissa

Here is a breakdown of my appointments today. 1st we met with general surgeon Dr. Eddy Jordan. He is quirky and flamboyant and absolutely brilliant. I ADORE him. He did a great job explaining the mastectomy procedure, and allayed a lot of fears. Dr. Eddy will perform mastectomy, sentinel node biopsy, and port-a-cath (implanted IV line for chemotherapy use) placement. If BRCA 1 or 2 (genetic test) are positive, then ovary removal will also take place by the Gynecologist at the time of the mastectomy, which is why we have to wait for surgery! (It would be best if they do not have to remove the ovary so prayers for that would be good-Nicole)
Next we met Dr. Gray, the medical oncologist, He explained the tumor staging process and also informed us that chemotherapy will be a necessity. He also told us that type and duration of chemo will be determined by pathology results after surgery. (Chemo will start after Melissa is done with antibiotics and all of her drain tubes have been removed so it will be a few weeks after surgery.)
Dr. Leslye Ingersoll, the radiation oncologist was the next to join our party. She told us that the decision to do radiation will be based on the results of the lymph node biopsy (performed at surgery). She also ordered a PET scan. 
We next met geneticist, Brent Hafen. We reviewed my family history, which is pretty ugly on my Dad's side. After a crash course in genetics, I headed to the lab for BRCA testing. This was one of those hoops the insurance is making us jump through :)
PET Scan came next. This is basically a CT scan that is done after a radioactive sugar solution has been injected. The idea is that the sugar will "stick" to a tumor so it is visible. Local surgeon Dr. Keith Harmon actually called me while we were still in Utah. He had called down to McKay-Dee to receive results..... NO additional tumors found!! Dr. Harmon said he wanted me to have peace of mind for the weekend. So sweet!
Plastic surgeon, Chris Shale, "worked us in" at 1:45. We left his office at 4:10! He presented many options for reconstruction and basically made our heads spin! No real decisions have been made, but Dr. Shale will be part of the initial surgery. He will place tissue expanders under the pec muscle-YIKES!!
The last person we met with was a physical therapist who is a lymphedema specialist. Lymphedema is basically swelling in the arm caused by lymph fluid backing up. This is due to removal of the lymph nodes under the arm. We talked about ways to prevent this from happening, and she measured my arms for baseline measurements. Now we wait for results of testing to return. Keep the prayers coming! Waiting is the toughest part :) ~Melissa



Melissa and Tyler came by to pick up the boys tonight. It was great to see her smiling and laughing as she explained all of the uncomfortable situations she had been in throughout the day, all about the Doctor's personalities and how much she loved them. I love her sense of humor. I feel like it is a huge blessing with all that she has been through, not only for herself but everyone around her. The waiting has been hard on her, tonight it seemed like knowing most of the plan had helped her feel better about what she has to go through. She is anxious to get started. Please remember to fast for her on Sunday! Thanks ~Nicole

A Letter From Melissa :)

Greetings Dear Family and Friends,
I just returned from a very long and informative day with the wonderful staff in Ogden. Tyler and I both feel very comfortable with the team and are grateful for their expertise. I met with many different specialists, and the prognosis remains positive. I do have some new information to share! The team met at tumor board on Wednesday and have currently staged the cancer at Stage 2. Surgery has been postponed until the results of the genetic testing are back. We anticipate these results in 7-10 days. We promise to post a surgery date as soon as we have one! Thank you so much for all your kind thoughts and prayers. I couldn't say enough today about the phenomenal support we have! Love you all ~ Melissa

                                          The Davids Family in Aruba 2010