October 25, 2026

Well, it's been a pretty eventful couple of days over here!💜💜💜

Friday I finally met with surgical oncology, specifically Dr. Todd Tuttle, to talk about the surgery portion of my melanoma treatment. The appointment went pretty well! As it turns out, Dr. Tuttle probably won't be the one operating on my neck, where the cancerous lymph node is. That procedure is a bit more complicated and will require a different surgeon. He will likely be handling the melanoma site on my back, though.

I actually found the explanation of that procedure pretty fascinating. They'll remove an additional 1 cm of tissue around the original biopsy site, then extend the incision at either end to create a shape that can be pulled together and stitched closed in a straight line. It's interesting learning how all of this works, even if I would have preferred to learn about it under different circumstances. 

So, the current plan remains two more cycles of Keytruda, followed by surgery. It's nice having a little more information about what comes next, even though there are still some details to work out.

Now, onto something completely different and MUCH more fun!

Saturday my friend Lee took me to see BEAT at the Mystic Showroom at Mystic Lake Casino. And this man got us FRONT ROW SEATS!! Adrian Belew, Steve Vai, Tony Levin, and Terry Bozzio, right there in front of us, playing the music of King Crimson. What an experience! I had such a fantastic time watching these incredibly talented musicians up close, and it was really nice getting to spend the evening with my friend.

We also stopped at The Pointe Grill & Bar in Prior Lake. Pretty decent prices, good company, and just an enjoyable little outing altogether. I appreciated that Lee drove, too. He's a good, attentive driver, and I was quite comfortable being his passenger. Plus, not having to drive at night myself was a treat. Driving at night is bad enough. Driving at night in the rain? That's the next level of NO THANK YOU. LOL.

My pain did start coming back toward the end of the concert, but I managed to make it home before needing to take my medication. I was glad I could enjoy the whole show without having to leave early or let the pain take over the evening.

Thank you, Lee, for such a fun Saturday. I really appreciate you, the company, the music, and the chance to get out and just enjoy myself for a while. 💜

OH! And another bit of news! Our certified marriage certificate FINALLY arrived in the mail today! YAY! Of course, this is only the next step in the bureaucratic adventure. I still need to order another 4–5 certified copies and get apostilles on 2–3 of them for our international paperwork. So, not quite finished yet, but we're getting there! 

It's been a busy couple of days, and I'm tired, but I'm also feeling pretty good about the things that happened. Medical progress, amazing music, time with a good friend, and one more piece of paperwork checked off the list. I'll take it. 💜