My sweet Seth

Seth is amazing. He has seen more doctors and been poked more than anyone should ever have to. So update.....Seth was supposed to have his spleen out this coming Tuesday. It's not going to happen so soon.
We saw the hematologist today, Dr. Chandramouli. I really liked him. He is the doctor who knows the most about Seth's condition, and who would have the most answers, and he did. His clinic is at the Utah Cancer Center. What the hell!! I sat in the lobby with my big black glasses on crying and saying to myself, how are we here. Piper and Quinn and I met Seth for his appointment. They have a really cool fish tank. Two Dory's live in it. (Finding Nemo)
Once we started talking to the doctor, things got better. Seth does not have cancer. I repeat he does not have cancer. That was for me, sorry.
The type of myeloproliferative disorder that the doctor thinks he has (there are 4 types), has no link to leukemia. I probably sound like rainman asking about cancer to these doctors, but he specifically said "you and I have the same risk of developing cancer as Seth does with this condition."
Of the 4 types of myeloproliferative disorders, Dr. Chandramouli thinks he has polycythemia vera. If you are like me as soon as you are done reading this post you will look it up on line. Only read information from www.nci.nih.gov.
Seth has to have a bone marrow biopsy on Monday. It will be done in the clinic. Woo hoo I get to go visit Dory again. He will take a mild sedative and have a needle stuck in his hip. Awesome huh. By Wednesday this will give us the exact result as to which type of myeloproliferative disorder he has. If he does have polycythemia vera, the treatment will be a urea pill that he will take to surpresss his overactive bone marrow production of red blood cells. Doc says you live a totally normal life and your mortality rate is no higher than you or me. The bone marrow biopsy sounds horrible but he said his PA will do it and it is not that big of a deal. Whatever guy!!
This myeloproliferative disorder is a mutation of the JAK-2 gene. Just bad luck. It is not genetic so thing 1 and 2 don't have it. Seth has done nothing to predispose himself to this mutation and it wasn't a gift from his parents. Just plain old bad luck.
They have only discovered the mutation in the last 4 years. God I love nerds who spend most of their lives with their heads in a book or in a lab. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Dr. Chandramouli called Dr. Fujita and recommended we wait another week on getting the spleen out. If Seth has one of the other 3 of the 4 types of myeloproliferative disorders, it might be better to leave the spleen in. Seth hates this idea. He is in pain and wants the jerk out. He was quite certain that Seth does have polycythemia vera though. In that case the spleen will come out and Seth will just take a pill to suppress the bone marrow production of red blood cells.
Seth will then go on being completely awesome and hot and live to be and old man and drive me crazy when he is old and senile.
This has been a horrible time in our lives, but we have clung tight and loved each other tons. Our poor children have been patient and so sweet. They have had to go to way too many doctors appointments and see their mom cry way too much!
Thank you so much to those of you who have been there for us. I will keep you posted.
We love you dearly!