All in all it's just another left hook to the chin
She asked me to come to the appointment with her. She needed a level head to help her remember the questions that needed to be asked. I was her brain, that day.
About a month or so ago, she had some difficulty catching her breath. It began when she was sleeping - waking up, gasping for air, tightness and pressure behind the coughing. A preliminary xray led the radiologist to think it might be emphysema. Her doctor said that seemed unlikely, and ordered additional views. Those most certainly did not look good. A CT scan with contrast was ordered. By now, she was having some difficulty walking a moderate distance without becoming short of breath.
There is a mass pressing on her left bronchus, 4.2 x 4.9 cm, with widespread interstitial honeycombing and infiltrates, and lymph gland enlargement.
The pulmonologist told her, that in his opinion, it looks to be "sinister" - that's a comforting way to say "malignant". He wanted to do a bronchoscopy, which in her case would be about 50% successful in obtaining a biopsy; and a possible follow up with a PET scan. Yesterday was the bronch. Her husband accompanied her. The doctor told him, based on the initial appearance of the cells, it was certainly cancer. She has to wait for the final pathology report to determine which type, so they can work out a treatment plan. Of course, it is the weekend, and a holiday, and the 3-4 day wait will drag on seemingly forfuckingever.
All I can do is be here when she needs me, and try not to google too much. Right. I brought her some gladiolus, with wavy blooms of variegated yellow and burgundy. There is nothing else to do but wait.
She's 56.
And fate/the universe/whatever can suck it.
About a month or so ago, she had some difficulty catching her breath. It began when she was sleeping - waking up, gasping for air, tightness and pressure behind the coughing. A preliminary xray led the radiologist to think it might be emphysema. Her doctor said that seemed unlikely, and ordered additional views. Those most certainly did not look good. A CT scan with contrast was ordered. By now, she was having some difficulty walking a moderate distance without becoming short of breath.
There is a mass pressing on her left bronchus, 4.2 x 4.9 cm, with widespread interstitial honeycombing and infiltrates, and lymph gland enlargement.
The pulmonologist told her, that in his opinion, it looks to be "sinister" - that's a comforting way to say "malignant". He wanted to do a bronchoscopy, which in her case would be about 50% successful in obtaining a biopsy; and a possible follow up with a PET scan. Yesterday was the bronch. Her husband accompanied her. The doctor told him, based on the initial appearance of the cells, it was certainly cancer. She has to wait for the final pathology report to determine which type, so they can work out a treatment plan. Of course, it is the weekend, and a holiday, and the 3-4 day wait will drag on seemingly forfuckingever.
All I can do is be here when she needs me, and try not to google too much. Right. I brought her some gladiolus, with wavy blooms of variegated yellow and burgundy. There is nothing else to do but wait.
She's 56.
And fate/the universe/whatever can suck it.
posted by Julie at 11:50 AM
5 Comments:
I'm so sorry you have to go through this in all your helplessness:( Let's hope the miracles of modern medicine can step up and save this life where it has failed before.(((hugs)))
I'm glad you can be there to offer some ass-kicking when she's not feeling up to it. Whether it's 26, 56 or 106, it's too young to have to go through chemo/radiation treatments.
I'm sorry - it just sucks. Definitely stay away from Google. It's too dangerous.
That's awful...I'm so sorry.
Yuck Julie. I'm sorry.
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