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!