Totally Tubular Tumor Times

We spent most of the weekend starting our spring clean of the acreage and trying to finalize plans for eldercare. It looks like we have the next week arranged for care, which buys us a bit more time to establish a more permanent solution. Mom has indicated that she would like to remain with us if that's in any way possible.

The PET scan was this morning around 7 a.m. Following a radioactive-sugar injection Diana was run through this donut shaped machine while images were taken from nose to knees. Not as all-encompassing a tube as with an MRI, nor as noisy. Got good images the first time through, so we were back home before Mom left for daycare.

Met with our pulmonologist after lunch. It appears that the cells have not metastasized elsewhere, making surgery the recommended course of action. "Go in, cut it out and throw it away" says he. Worse case sCenario is that the left lung will be removed without completely removing the cancerous cells. Best case sCenario is that the upper lobe of the left lung can be saved and the tumor completely removed.

Best course of action will be determined by the thoracic surgeon...sort of on the fly during surgery. That is, once he's in the infected area, he will have a better idea of how much of Diana, if any, needs to be removed in order to completely remove the tumor.

If we do nothing, it will most likely result in death within five years. Surgery, especially if the tumor can be completely removed, would improve the numbers, depending on a passel of variables. Radiation and/or chemotherapy at this point is not recommended.

So, we meet with the surgeon next Tuesday and could be in surgery within the next two weeks. Seven to ten days of hospitalization, three to four months of recovery...

In the meantime, we have another week.

Crocus, daffodils, winter aconite are already in bloom and hostas are coming up quickly through the leaves that we left to mulch the gardens last fall. And, as always, we're finding blooming things in places they weren't planted. Circumstances beyond this spring's control is going to result in learning whether we need to remove those leaves, after all.

We finally have all the Winter Holiday decor down and ready to be packed. (Well, I don't think we've ever gotten it all, but...) Putting spring in our step, to say the least.

Some silliness from this past week: every nurse, clerk, etc. that Diana dealt with for any period of time was named something that started with a BIG C: Cindy and Cathy for the bronchoscopy, Connie for the pulmunary stress test. Today's check-in person was named Cathy...really, it was *grins*

While we have a couple of business committments that will need to be honored in May, Diana's employment(s) will probably be curbed severely after the middle of April.

In the meantime, we're trying to cover a lot of information in this short space and time. If you have questions, comments, suggestions or thoughts, please comment them and we'll do our best to answer them.

As Kevin keeps saying, "It could be woise (sic)!" ...it really could.

Tumor Things and more

On a practical note:

The gifts and suggestions of foods are appreciated and being used and consumed as recommended. It's really great that I already eat a small box of raisins daily (fiber, don't ya know?), and we've been turned onto a roasted almond that makes stopping at the recommended ten rather hard to do *grins* (Cost may well mitigate that, however, unless we can get the insurance company to pay for them???*heh*)

Blueberries haven't been among my favorite berries, but I don't hate them; and, I'm willing to explore them again. Tomatoes and fish are things that we are happy to do more of, as the Food and Discovery Networks have been doing their part to educate us as we've been hanging out doing eldercare.

I've been using lavender in much that I do (candles, oils, creams, etc.) and I drink plenty of water, green tea, and now, Naked Juice. The jury is still out on the the coffee enemas and the noni juice...

I'm reading Paula Poundstone's new book which seems to be exactly the kind of humor I need right now...no tumor humor, but our friends and family are all over that *grins*

On a more esoteric note:

I view this news of my more imminent demise as no surprise. As a young woman, I didn't expect to see the turn of the century. I was raised to understand that death, as a part of the cycle of life, was inevitable and to believe that one should anticipate the consequences of his or her actions. I made many choices for which cancer was only one of the horrific consequences one could expect.

Timing is the factor that is unpredictable in some interesting ways:

Kevin and I, as we're sure most couples, would each like to have the other around as long as possible. We flew in the face of that statistically with the direction and amount of our age difference.

We're now thirteen years past his heart attack, because of the "wonders of modern technology."

The statistics on my survival rates have certainly improved since the turn of the century because of said same. So much information...if we could just figure out the right questions. *grins*

I think all of these kinds of situations are more difficult for the surviving partner. I certainly fear Kevin's death more than I fear dying.

We're doing what we can to alleviate all of Kevin's responsibilities with eldercare. We would both like to be able to devote all of our energies on shrinking and/or removing this tumor and surviving together.

And, we appreciate all of the healing energies, prayers, wishes and thoughts.

Both of us are spending time grounding ourselves in the Nature of the woods, where healing energies seem to abound. And, we know that either of us could be fatally hit by a falling branch any day... *shrugs*

Tuna, I've chosen to view the 76-hour cold as a potential new cure. Wouldn't it be trippy to learn that there's a cold virus you can blow down someone's lungs to shrink a tumor?

Friday's Tell

The Pulmonary Stress Test was done on Friday, 3/23.

First, a baseline blood pressure and an EKG were taken.

The test itself involved biking while being attached to electrodes. Headgear held a breathing tube, and the nostrils were pinched closed; it was similar to riding a bike up an ever-steepening hill while wearing scuba mouthgear. Computers monitored the lungs and heart.

...aaaaaaahhhhhhhh, the wonders of modern technology.

While the specific results of the pulmonary stress test will not be available until next week, we are being led to believe that surgery is a viable option, if indicated as a possible course of action.

Next Tuesday will be the PET scan which will tell us if the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body.

We then need to meet with tumor specialists: an oncologist and a surgeon. *grinsbigly* First the oncologist will help us assess the stage of the cancer and the recommended treatment(s). Then we meet with the surgeon. Sure would be nice if we could arrange a meeting of both of them along with the pulmonologist and our family physician, wouldn't it??

Once that information is collected, we'll need to determine whether surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy, or some combination and order of the three is the best course of action. ...and how quickly.

We are still trying to cobble together eldercare so as not to have to move Marie, in both the short term and the long term. The Foley Catheter makes things sooooooooooooo much easier for the time being...gotta love that Contrast Principle! *heh* And, it means we can consider a less-skilled care provider for that particular need.

Rain and thunderstorms will keep us from being able to work outside this weekend, but will help open the daffodils that are up and ready. We spotted half a dozen this morning.

Also noticed that the deer are grazing the tulip leaves, up almost six inches *sighs* We have a techno-fix to try this year...we'll see...

We are generally well and greatly appreciate the healing thoughts and well wishes.

And The Biopsy Says...

Non small cell carcinoma, probably squamous cell carcinoma.

This is the second-best thing we could have heard (the best thing being: "We're all a bunch of dummies who don't know a fat tumor when we see it") -- Squamous cells grow more slowly, and are much less likely to metastasize to other parts of the body.

On the flip side, they don't respond very well to chemotherapy or radiation, so surgery seems pretty likely. Because the tumor sits at the junction where all three lobes meet, a lobectomy probably isn't feasible. The pulmonologist said they might be able to save the top lobe, but he wouldn't want to bet on it. He doesn't believe that the cancer has metastasized, so taking the lung might just take care of the problem.

First, though, we're off for more tests. There's a PET (positron emission tomography) scan next Tuesday, which will look for cancerous cells in other parts of the body. There's also a pulmonary stress test this Friday, to ensure that Diana can get along on one lung. ...that would make tumor tests *heh*

Quitting smoking is paying off (!) -- because she's a non-smoker, she has a much better chance of that being the case. ( Also, it's the small cell that's normally related to cigarette smoke, not the large cell that we're dealing with.)

The chest pain has been manageable with aspirin so far. Diana is having a bit of a problem slowing down...she worked so hard to become a power walker that it's difficult to slow her pace.

Our GP is thrilled. Isn't it amazing what the contrast principle can do??

Meanwhile, we're still weighing the options of trying to find assistants to keep Mom in her home as opposed to a nursing home placement. We talked to an Assisted Living Center, but that requires that she is a "one person transfer." Even though Diana has been transferring Mom by herself for the past three years, it seems that officially a hoyer lift requires two people to operate...

The crocus photo is from last year, but they should be showing up any day now. That should help Diana slow down, nicht? If any of you would like to visit da Woods to get a close-up look at the spring bulbs with us this year, we're pretty sure that they'll have a new brillance this spring and we'd love to share it!

We hope all of your news this week is better than ours!

Insult to Injury?

We went to the pulmonologist for the first time a week ago today; he had a cold. Didn't know just where in the course of it he was, but he clearly had a cold.

Thursday the bronchial and blood testing was done in the hospital. Seemed everyone we walked by that morning coughed or sniffed or sneezed.

Friday, for the bronchoscopy, the doctor was on the mend, but one could tell he was still dealing with the cold.

As soon as we returned home late Friday afternoon, Diana's left nostril started dripping. We thought the sore throat was from having a camera tube shoved down it, and that the coughing was related to said same...

*sighs* ...not the case. By Friday night she had a full blown cold.

And, that's how we spent the weekend: trying to separate cold symptoms from bronchoscopy symptoms...but, at least we were able to do that together as we watched the birds and every blooming thing. *smiles*

Followed our best cold remedies and by yesterday the cold had pretty much worked its way out. However Diana had a great deal of difficulty finding a comfortable position outside of sitting or standing very erect for most of the afternoon and evening because of chest pain. (It mostly hurt when/after she bent over, and you know what the proverbial doc says: then don't bend over.)

Results of the TB test appear to be negative (that one we can read ourselves). Results of the biopsy should be in this afternoon and we'll do our best to post as much as we can as quickly as we can.

We really appreciate everyone's love, support, well wishes, prayers and assistance. Thank you for being there for and with us.

And, we appreciate the humor. What we should have posted in response to 'tuna' was: We appreciate your benign sense of tumor *biggrins*

Here We Go

We're hoping we can keep family and friends apprised of the latest news, although we suspect this will also come in handy when we're trying to figure what happened just when.

The scenario surrounding the big C...

The presenting symptoms on Thursday, March 8th were: difficulty breathing and a dull ache under Diana's left breast. It was assessed to be a pleura effusion, treated with antibiotics and an x-ray was ordered by our GP.

Friday's x-ray showed a 5 cm dark area in the left lung. That resulted in a CT being done on Monday, March 12th.

Tuesday, March 13th we learned that it is, indeed, a tumor in the left lung.

Thursday, the 15th, being wary of the Ides of March (or the Ideas of March, as Kevin's goddaughter put it), the battery of tests preceding a bronchoscopy were done: blood gasses, various breath tests. Good gasses and good lungs, so...

The bronchoscopy was done today; it was pretty much nine to five.

Those results will be back next Tuesday, but in the meantime, they've provided us with some photos:

This is the view from the just above where the three lobes branch off. The airways are the dark holes.


This is just a small distance down and moving to the right, by the camera's perspective. The tumor is just to the left of the airway.


The camera has come down a bit more, and you can see the tumor more clearly.


Just a little closer than the last one.

That brings us pretty much up to date with the newest ball added to our juggling act.

We have eldercare pretty much covered through next Tuesday and are exploring options, both shorter and longer term, hopefully keeping Mom out of a nursing home.

The outpouring of support has been overwhelming.

And, that pretty much sums up the past week: overwhelming, indeed.

We're going to spend some time thinking about the Ideas of March, as we think she has something there *grins*