Jan vs Tami Round One

Greetings,
At last Dr. F. has made a recommendation. It seems, after consulting with the tumor team, the best first course of action to try to shrink this tumor (nicknamed tami) will be a portal vein embolization. He's built in some additional options depending on the tumors response. If it actually grows because of this treatment, I'll be switched to a plan of chemo used in one of the current drug trials. If it shrinks, another PVE may be necessary before Dr. A. is able to resect the liver and tumor.

Portal vein embolization is used to cause the atrophy or shrinking of a part of the liver and the hypertrophy or extra growth of the remaining liver. Dr. F. warned me it is an unpleasant and painful procedure, but I'm not sure he's actually experienced one himself. I decided to stay in denial about that part of the conversation for many reasons. If I know something is going to be painful won't it be really painful and won't I fret and worry about it? YES. Can this "pain" he speaks of be worse than when emergency room Dr. Assh*le decided to press down on my liver and diaphragm to see if they would "spring" back which was followed by the only shrieking scream I can remember producing in the last 30 years? Besides, they have a really cool chart for pain in hospitals and when you rate yourself they bring you stuff. In my head the pain cannot be an issue, it just has to happen. I can already hear Beverly and Sobotik chanting "stay ahead of the pain Janni, stay ahead of the pain".

This procedure will require a few days stay at MDA in the lovely H-town. I'll keep you updated on a date, but I expect it will be within the next few days.

Thanks for all the inquiries and support you've shown for my family and me during this time. I feel like this is the first step in really starting the fight process, but we really started the day after that emergency room visit. I greatly appreciate the prayers, kind notes and emails. We (it may take the entire “village”) will kick this tumor's ass.