Got to the hospital this morning at 8 am -- dp had blood drawn and then a PET scan. This one took quite a bit longer than the hospital A version done in late March. Maybe they can take longer at the U since the equipment isn't on a trailer waiting to go somewhere else...
About 11, we went to see Dr. C, expecting to sign the consent form and do the official registration for the study. However, Dr. C saw something on the CT scan...
There's a pretty small 'nodule' in the right lung. It doesn't light up on the PET scan like you'd expect a cancerous mass to, but it was suspicious enough that Dr. C wanted to bring the surgeon back in. Badda boom, badda bang, we go back to meet Joan and the same thoracic surgeon (Dr. P) who did the mediastinoscopy two weeks ago. He agrees that it looks suspicious ('it was a good pick-up by Dr. C'), and badda boom, badda bang, we're scheduled for surgery first thing tomorrow.
This is another diagnostic procedure -- they need a biopsy of the nodule, and they're not sure how much they'll have to dig to get it. First, they'll try a thorascopy; a catheter and camera will be brought in through the rib cage on her right side. If that fails, then it's on to a thoracotomy, where they make a larger incision in about the same place, spread the ribs and cut by hand. Either way, the goal is a wedge biopsy.
They aren't assuming that it's cancer, or that if it is, it's the same kind of cancer. Best case is that it's negative, and we could probably still enroll in the study in a couple weeks, after dp's had time to recuperate again.
If we get by with a thorascopy, we'll be home tomorrow or Saturday. If it's a thoracotomy, it'll be three to five days recovery in the hospital.
More on this plot twist as it develops. We need to go do two more hibaclens showers before 5 am. Love to you all.
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