It’s been just about one month since I had my surgery and recovery has been going slowly, but surely. Some days are better than others in terms of energy levels, and I continue to manage through my annoying cough, incisions and stitches. I really can NOT complain, though, all things considered.
The big open issue was related to the pathology report. The actual report showed up in my portal on March 12th. I read it, to the best of my abilities, and thought maybe I was in the clear. There were several mentions of “no tumor seen” and “no morphologic or immunophenotypic evidence”. But there were also whole paragraphs of medical/scientific jargon that made me wonder if my interpretation was correct.
Since March 12th was a Saturday, I waited until Monday (3/14) to reach out to my surgeon’s office. Unfortunately, he was on vacation that week and I was advised that I needed to wait until I saw him in person on 3/23 (yesterday). So wait, I did, with anticipation of some good news.
I am happy to report that my surgeon did, indeed, confirm that there was no cancer found anywhere in my lung, in the nodules, or in my lymph nodes! What a relief, and what a reason to celebrate, for sure!
Thank you to all of you who prayed, sent good vibes, and otherwise supported me during this time! Whew!
So the natural follow up question is: If not cancer, what WERE these growing nodules?
And that’s a great question with no real answer. The surgeon indicated that chemo can “do weird things”, but as I’m almost 10 years out from my chemo, that seemed an unlikely answer. But who knows? I’m just going to be happy that Spot and Smudge, and every other nodule, lymph nodes and tissues samples, are NOT cancer.
The pathology report indicated the “Possibility of underlying connective tissue or autoimmune disorders should be ruled out” as, perhaps, a reason for the suspicious nodules. However, considering I have “zero symptoms” of either, he thought it was best that they just “leave me alone” for a while. I’m good with that.
The next question: Do I regret going through with the surgery? Nope. Given my history, the risk was too high that it was cancer and I didn’t want to take that risk. I know I’ll be back to my normal self soon, and I’m not feeling any life-changing limitations to my lung capacity or anything else. My adage is always “better safe than sorry”. Having the surgery was the most prudent / conservative decision I could make.
The other great part of the visit yesterday was getting my stitches out! Yay!
In terms of next steps: I do not need to go back to see him. I will just continue to follow up with my regular doctors. He would like a repeat CT scan in about six months for a new baseline.
As for the cough, the surgeon indicated that it was not unusual to have a chronic cough after a surgery like this. The nerves get aggravated with the things they stick down your throat and it takes a while for all that to settle down. I told him I had tried Mucinex, Claritin, Pepcid (acid reflux can cause a cough), etc., and he said there was no harm in trying those things; whatever helps. They did also prescribe an inhaler in case it was an “asthmatic-type response”. So I guess I’ll try that, too.
David and I celebrated the great news with a lovely lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, including a celebratory glass of wine. Cheers! Hallelujah!
Thanks again to all of you for your love and support!
IMDb: A Reason to Celebrate (2019)