What a Whirlwind!

One phone call can quickly change your day I've learned.

Last Friday, August 20th, I received a call from the hospital letting me know that they decided they wanted to do the ultra-sound right away to get an idea on how they wanted to proceed with the biopsy. I explained to them I still had not received the PET scan CD, but they were insistent that I have the ultra-sound. I asked when, and they said today. I scheduled it to go directly after work. I figured if it was only an ultra-sound I wouldn't need anyone to go with me. I was a little hesitant because I have gotten myself into situations when I really should of had someone with me.

Our local hospital has sure gotten a lot of bad press, but I have to say, I've been fortunate to have some great experiences. They were actually incredible to me last Friday. They treated me as if I was their only patient. Of course this made me a little nervous because I started thinking they knew something I didn't, and my situation was a lot worse than what my doctor was letting on. The technician asked A LOT of questions, teased me that I was the Princess and the Pea because she was looking for a lump the size of a pea, explained how they would do the biopsy if they were able, and even showed me on the computer screen the areas she was able to locate. After she was done, she took me to her boss, the head of the radiation department, to discuss what would be done next. This made me even more nervous.

He explained they wanted to get views with the ultra-sound to compare them to the PET scan once the CD arrived. Once they had both it would determine if they could do the biopsy. They wanted me to have more blood work drawn, which would also help them make their decision. The technician did find a 4mm node on my thyroid, which she believed would be too small to biopsy, and she found a 1.4 cm node in the location of the reported 8mm node that was showing "hot" on the PET scan. She said it was either a different node or that the node had already grown, which didn't seem possible after only 15 days. I knew the CD wasn't expected to arrive until Tuesday, Aug. 24th.

I scheduled to take a half day off from work on Wednesday, Aug. 25th to pick up the CD in Riverside, drop the CD off at the hospital in Corona, get my blood drawn, and also see my Radiation Oncologist.

Now...I have to back up just a little.

I did see my Pulmonologist on Wednesday, August 18th. It was perfect timing because he went through the PET Scan report and explained it in detail with me, checked my fractured ribs, listened to my lungs (no crackling - yeah), and put me on an antibiotic because I had began coughing with a low grade fever. All and all he was very pleased with my progress.

Well, you know strange things happen to me (that's if you've been following me along this journey from the beginning), so you won't be surprised to know that the next evening, after I took my first dose of antibiotic, and went to bed, I woke up in the middle of the night knowing something had bit me. I could feel the welt but was too tired to get up and look at it. By morning it was evident that I received a spider bite. Now, for a normal person (unlike me) no big deal, but for me I received the bite on my left wrist which was the same arm my lymph nodes were removed. My body can no longer handle any type of poison (or infection) in that arm. By Saturday afternoon my hand and arm were already starting to swell. Most people probably couldn't tell but I went to put a shirt on that I've worn for years and couldn't get it around my arm. I wasn't too happy.

I knew the one doctor who would know what to do would be my Radiation Oncologist and I was seeing him on Wednesday. I have since learned that if it happens again I am to call my Oncologist right away. Fortunately, I had already began antibiotics so it probably helped fight back an infection. I knew before seeing him that he would schedule me for Lymphedema Therapy again. He explained it will be the only way to try and get the fluid back out of my hand and arm. The therapy isn't painful, it's just an annoyance. I have to go daily for the first 5 days, then 4 days the next week, 3 days the following week, etc. They wrap my arm up like a mummy for compression and I can't do anything. Plus, I will have to take off work to be able to go to therapy. I've tried to find other locations that are open in the evenings but the only location is at the hospital. I will have to post a picture of me all wrapped up.

So, on Thursday, August 26th, I received a call that they received my blood work, and they needed me to come in to the Cancer Center so they could draw more blood. It was something the lab did incorrectly. On my way home from work I stopped in, and they greeted me with, "We were just going to call you." I'm thinking, "What is going on?" Well, they had just received a call from the Radiation department at the hospital which informed them that the decision was made that they cannot proceed with the biopsy. They are sending a recommendation to my doctor, which she will inform me of their conclusion. At least it got me out of having to give any more blood.

Now, your wondering, is this a good thing or a bad thing? I really don't know. I know that I didn't want them to go stabbing me with a needle if they didn't think they could get a good biopsy. It probably means we have to wait until my next PET Scan (in 3 months) until they can see if it shows again or has grown.

This is how I feel...I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to take the time to continue to rest and heal.

I still have a lot of healing to do both physically, and even emotionally. This week I've felt like I had been hit by a truck. I couldn't believe how tired I was. I felt like I was dragging. I need a couple of days that I can just rest, and do nothing...those days just don't seem to be available right now. I think it's obvious my body was fighting a sinus infection, and then having the spider bite didn't help.

I did get the opportunity to sit down and write some this afternoon. It felt wonderful! Now, I just need to type it up, get it proofed, and post it on the One Thing blog. I'm not sure anyone even looks at that blog anymore because I haven't written in so long, so as soon as I post, I'll let you know.

Next week, unless I start therapy, I have NO doctor appointments scheduled. What will I do with my time?

Rest sounds good to me right now.