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*