In The Past 8 Months....

Where to begin, where to begin?

In December 2012 Brandon, the kids and I moved to Buckeye where we stayed with Mike and Brandi for a few months. It was crowded, moving a family of 5 in with a family of 8, it was busy all the time. In March of 2013 Brandon, the kids and I moved into a small 2 bedroom apartment off of Cave Creek and Peoria. Brandon Starkes a new Job in January of 2013 With Prescott Equity Solutions as the #2 Foreman ( Brandon and the #1 Foreman, Greg are actually really good friends now) and he LOVES it!!!!! The boys started going to Larkspur Elementary School and they LOVE it!!!! ( Casey has a hard time changing schools) I started working for Little Dealer, Little Prices as there Administrative Assistant and I, of course, LOVE it!!!! Life is AWESOME and going really good right now, we are all doing things we love and then get to come home to the ones we love. Doesn't get better then that.

Now, on to the not so great things...

March 12, 2013 Dr. Patrick Lam did a Colonoscopy and Endoscopy on me to diagnose me with Celiacs Disease because the doc and I were sure I had Celiacs Disease. Well, the findings were much more severe then that. Dr. Lam discovered hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Colon and Rectal Polyps and also some stomach polyps. Doctor Lam informed us that I most likely had a condition called FAP ( Familial Adenomatous Polyposis), FAP is an inherited condition in which numerous polyps form mainly in the epithelium of the large intestine. While these polyps start out benign, malignant transformation into colon cancer occurs when left untreated. People with the classic type of familial adenomatous polyposis may begin to develop multiple noncancerous (benign) growths (polyps) in the colon as early as their teenage years. Unless the colon is removed, these polyps will become malignant (cancerous). The average age at which an individual develops colon cancer in classic familial adenomatous polyposis is 39 years. well, I am 28 and my case of FAP is invasive. Dr. Lam did a few Biopsies on some of the polyps that looked suspicious and the results were crushing. The polyps had already started transitioning into cancer and the doc said that once that happens the cancer would start spreading to other areas pretty rapidly. Dr Lam referred me to a new Surgeon an Oncologist and a Genetics Counselor. My sister told me about Dr. Kim whom she briefly worked with at Banner Good Samaritans Hospital. I was also told to see Dr. Robin Obenchain in Oncology when then Refereed me to Kathy McCan for the Genetics Counseling. Kathy McCan did all my blood work and got my family's history of cancer and deaths caused bt cancer which was hard because most of my relatives that have had cancer have passed away. My blood test came back a LONG 3 weeks Later that I did in fact have FAP and that all my immediate family and kids would need to get tested. The doc said that there is a chance 15 to 20 percent that I could be the first one in the Yates/ Dieterich family to have FAP but the chance of me getting it from one om parents is 80 to 85 percent. Also, my kids, Aunts, Uncles, Brother and Kid have a 50/50 chance of having FAP. Out of 3 kids one of my kids will most likely have FAP but.... That doesn't mean that they have cancer now it just means that they will sometime in their life get Colon Cancer. Let me remind you that people with FAP have a 100 percent chance of getting Colon Cancer. There are other cancers that us FAP people are more susceptible to get such as: Stomach, Small Intestine, Pancreatic, Liver, Kidney, Brain and Thyroid. I am hopeful that I will not get any other cancers but then again I was part of the 2% that gets Colon Cancer at 28 so you never know. I think the hardest part about knowing that I have FAP is that my kids could have it too, I don't want my kids to go through what I have been going through.

I went and Seen Dr. Obenchain and she got the run down on all my problems and symptoms and why I decided to see a Colon Specialist. We talked for 2 hours and she didn't rush me, she just listened. She brought to my attention that even though I have the beginning stage of Colon Cancer I cant get the Chemo treatment due to the fact that the cancer and polyps will just grow back and with Chemo being pretty invasive and killing your immune system that wouldn't be good for me. Unless the cancer spreads to other areas I wont have have to go through the headache of Chemo and Radiation. Dr Obenchain said with me having FAP and the chance of getting other cancer I will have to see her for the rest of my life. That's fine thought, I like her and I would rather be checked up on every 2 months rather then not seeing her and it being too late if and when they discover something else.

SO.....  I went and met with Dr. Kim, the colorectal specialist and he told me that with the condition I had I needed my Colon out ASAP, which was no new news to me. The doctor wanted to do his own Colonoscopy so he could see for himself what he was dealing with. The Doctor said if he could he would like to try a J pouch. The J Pouch is The ileoanal reservoir procedure is a surgical treatment option for chronic ulcerative colitis, colon cancer and familial polyposis patients who need to have their large intestine (colon) removed. An ileoanal reservoir (or pouch) is an internal pouch formed of small intestine. This pouch provides a storage place for stool in the absence of the large intestine. Anal sphincter muscles assist in holding in the stool. Several times a day, stool is passed through the anus. Ileoanal reservoir surgery is a widely accepted surgical treatment for ulcerative colitis or familial polyposis because it eliminates the disease, gives the patient control of bowel movements and does not require a permanent ileostomy. Each patient considering this surgery is carefully evaluated to determine if this procedure is appropriate for them. This procedure is performed in one, two or three stages, but is most often done in two stages, usually 2-3 months apart. After doing my second Colonoscopy on May 6, 2013 Dr. Kim said that there was only about a 15 percent chance that he could do the J Pouch due to a large Polyp on the Sphincter muscle and the amount of Polyps I have in my Rectum alone. We went ahead and Scheduled my Surgery for my Colon to be removed for June 11th at 7:30amith a check- in time of 5:30am. The Surgery will be 7-8 hours, 12 at the most with a hospital stay of at least 5 days. I am very scared and nervous, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. I cant wait to not be sick anymore, I want to be healthy and to enjoy life more.

Well that's it for now. I will update as this new part of my life begins.