Deb Crowe Schlosser Beats Cancer

Tomorrow is 7 weeks since the last chemo, and I am still celebrating the end of Chapter 1. My taste buds are almost 100%. I made tamales & fajitas for Christmas & was so happy to eat to my fill & enjoy it. Then for NYE, I ordered a chef-made chocolate cake & savored every bit. Dang, do I like food.

Steve & I flew up to Houston this past Saturday & I am comfortably ensconced at my sister’s. My brother drove our Texas wheels down so we don’t have to Uber, rent a car or bug folks for rides. And it’s awesome to have a family dinner that includes my sweet cousin too last night. We head to the heart of Houston today to check in to the hotel that is connected to MD Anderson. Literally connected so we can walk from our hotel room without having to brave the cold temperatures or traffic. (Hey – 60 degrees is really cold for us!)

Tomorrow we start with the pre-op tests, labs, etc. at 7:20AM. We figure that the back-to-back-to-back appointments will end around 5. Long day. Then Wednesday I only have one biopsy/ultra-sound so might try to visit the museum down the road. Thursday is surgery – they told me it will probably last around 4-5 hours. They are keeping me overnight but I’ll be back in our hotel room on Friday. Then we are going to skip Friday rush-hour traffic & stay one more night in the hotel, then head back to Stacy’s on Saturday. I expect that I’ll be laying low through the weekend into next week. I’ll start the follow up appointments next week & am anxious to find out the pathology results. We don’t fly home until Feb 7. Then I’ll have PT so that I can go from not raising my arm even an inch to being able to hold it behind my head for an hour.

Since about Christmas when all the chemo effects subsided, I started to feel so much like my old self. My weight is stable, my energy is almost 100% & my body is not frustrating me like it was. My mood has been so good and when I think about how my body is going to look & feel after surgery, I feel powerful. Positive. Feeling that way has been really surprising considering what I’ve been through but I’m going with it.

I’ve only got 1 concern that is hanging out in the cosmos of my head….

Has the cancer spread? For all of the labs/tests coming up tomorrow, the doctors are not going to do any scans or determinations on if this has spread outside of the lymph nodes until after the pathology comes back. This piece has tested my patience & my anxiety more than anything else. I get it – I understand why they wait. But still. I’m a planner & an organizer & when I think about getting my life back so that I can work/travel/paddle board/go out in public without a mask/etc., I really need this information.

Since I’m Stage 3 & also because of the type of cancer it is, it has a high-rate of returning. Not necessarily in Pancho (my right side) but in another organ or part of my body. Hence only Lefty is leaving the building at this time, along with the affected lymph nodes.

And there’s still Chapter 3 – Radiation. Not scared about it, just want it all over. But will it all be gone out of my body?

This is me asking y’all to pray/meditate on this leaving my body for good. That the impressive team of doctors that will be working on me this Thursday will get it all out of me & prohibit it from spreading. I’d really appreciate any/all prayers. And my gratitude only gets bigger.

Much love & respect for everyone on my team!