It’s impossible to express how off the chart anxious I was about repeating this EBUS procedure. Greeting my daughter Dr. Krimsky pulled her aside looking for some ‘over under odds’ to bet on how many staff I had told this morning about flat-lining during an EBUS last Spring at PinnacleHealth Hospital in Harrisburg. He guessed a couple as Megan laughed “OMG, try dozens!”
Opening my man purse when I got home I found a signed thank you note from my surgical team, this kind of stuff never happens at least not in my life time.
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Thirteen months ago I awoke from my previous EBUS to my daughter calling me to ask “Well, are you resurrected or a zombie?” and found myself imprisoned overnight on the cardiac unit in Harrisburg. This morning I awoke to the voice of Geliza the team’s Nurse Anesthetist telling me I can go home.
Dr. Krimsky had promised my daughter and I as quick an impression of ‘Bob’ as possible one way or another before turning biopsy over to pathology. My daughter took his "I'm 99% sure its cancer" hard, she was holding out hope for 'pissed off lymph node" as after all I have never demonstrated symptoms.
My "9 mm vague nodular density" was detected on a Dec 2011 x-ray for my annual physical, tumor was DX'd as Stage 1 and surgically removed from left upper lobe in March 2012 with no metastasis evident in surrounding tissue or left lung lymph nodes. My first follow up CT Scan in July was labeled NED (no evidence of disease). My second follow up CT Scan in November was compromised by a chest cold but sitting down with my thoracic surgeon he saw no tumors or suspicious areas, it's not bad news was his impression but neither was it good news and scheduled a do-over scan for late Dec however that plan fell apart.
Dr. Krimsky also briefly spoke with me but I was still a bit groggy but do remember him saying it was not good. My patient discharge instructions show "diagnosis: mediastinal cancer."
In consideration of our 170 mile round trip ride. We have a phone appointment for Monday to review pathology report, what type cancer, what stage, etc and plan the next stage of war on my lung cancer.
Looking on the bright side of life - this was the first 'outpatient surgery' in the last 16 months of my lung cancer odyssey that has not left me hospitalized.
Patrick Leer
Health Activist:
Caregivingly Yours, MS Caregiver @ http://caregivinglyyours.blogspot.com/
My Lung Cancer Odyssey @ http://lung-cancer-survivor.blogspot.com/
the rather fashionable mesh chapeau pictured is not available in any gift shop, you have to EARN it.
ReplyDeleteDamn. Double damn.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim and maybe even a triple damn.
Deletesorry Pat, I pray for all my cancer peeps daily, cute picture, great smile.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mel! and that was a before anesthesia smile :)
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