So, referring back to my post To bx or not to bx in August of 2009 - after a lot of consideration, I decided to not do the lung biopsy and just follow the protocol of having CT scans of my chest for 2 years. They stretched the frequency back from 3 months to 6 months, and then out to a year.
I had my last CT about two weeks ago and went for the results on Thursday. I got a little nervous just from the doctor's mannerism, and then his statement "this was supposed to have been your last CT", and I felt my stomach flip. I told myself to concentrate on what he was saying. He said there are changes on the CT, the nodule has enlarged and is irregular in shape. He told me I need to have it excised, but that I need to have a PET scan first.
I associate PET scans with cancer.
I managed to ask some semi-intelligent questions. I managed not to fall apart. I did start shaking as soon as the doctor left the room to get the PET scan scheduled. I texted Chris, then we talked. He is concerned of course, and now we are both ready to move on, get it done, but as with all things medical, you have to WAIT. I have to wait a week to have the PET scan, then wait a week to see the doctor for the results, and then I have to wait for the surgery to be scheduled and then I have to wait for biopsy results.
My parents and family and friends are all obviously concerned.
Even though I have to wait - I do have some things on my side, other than God who has me in his hands, I work for 3 wonderful cardiothoracic surgeons. 2 of them went to the hospital that same day and personally reviewed my CT scans, and discussed them with the radiologist and the pulmonologist. All 4 agree that the nodule has to come out.
I feel so much better though now knowing what their line of thought is - the edges of the nodule are ill defined and it is very difficult to compare and say with certainty that it has remained stable. They are unable to feel confident that they are comparing the same slices. So, their recommendation is biopsy. The question has been answered - yes I will biopsy. They also all four feel that it has a very low chance that it is malignant - but we need to have an answer one way or another.
The Queen of Lungs is doing my surgery. That's what my friend who is the director of the cardiac services line at the hospital where I will have my surgery calls her. She's called the Queen because SHE.IS.THE.BEST. I'm so blessed to have her as a boss, and as my surgeon. I feel totally confident and comfortable.
The pulmonologist had told me that I would need to have a thoracotomy which is open lung surgery and a couple of days in the hospital. After reviewing the CT, my boss says she can do a VATS (video assisted thoracic surgery) with a wedge resection. It's less invasive and should only need one night in the hospital.
So, that's the plan. I have an answer to the question about whether or not to biopsy, so now it's just going through the motions to get to the final answer to the puzzle.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
I'm feelin' groovy
I'm feelin' groovy, come on get happy!
Yesterday afternnon, I went to my Goddaughter's 10th birthday party. I hadn't seen her, nor the rest of her family, since May of 2010. We all lead busy lives, and there is the occasional text or email. I had not told any of them about my weight loss efforts.
As the day of the party grew near and I got more excited about seeing all of them because I miss them since life changed because I moved to a different city and my job took me literally in a different direction.
I shopped and found Ella just the perfect gift. Her favorite thing right now is Vera Bradley. Luckily I found a store nearby my office that sells her product line.
The way the afternoon unfolded, and each person arrived - I got to see the reactions to my weight loss - talk about NSV's! I'm at 41 pounds loss right now, and feeling so good about that.
I think the best one was when Karina did a double take - her jaw dropped, and I could see it registering with her. She told me that she was trying to figure out which mom I was and which kid I was there to pick up, and then she realized it was me.
All of the reactions were great, and it is such a positive reinforcement - so yeah, I'm feelin' groovy.
Yesterday afternnon, I went to my Goddaughter's 10th birthday party. I hadn't seen her, nor the rest of her family, since May of 2010. We all lead busy lives, and there is the occasional text or email. I had not told any of them about my weight loss efforts.
As the day of the party grew near and I got more excited about seeing all of them because I miss them since life changed because I moved to a different city and my job took me literally in a different direction.
I shopped and found Ella just the perfect gift. Her favorite thing right now is Vera Bradley. Luckily I found a store nearby my office that sells her product line.
The way the afternoon unfolded, and each person arrived - I got to see the reactions to my weight loss - talk about NSV's! I'm at 41 pounds loss right now, and feeling so good about that.
I think the best one was when Karina did a double take - her jaw dropped, and I could see it registering with her. She told me that she was trying to figure out which mom I was and which kid I was there to pick up, and then she realized it was me.
All of the reactions were great, and it is such a positive reinforcement - so yeah, I'm feelin' groovy.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
NSV
I just learned what an NSV is. It's a "Non Scale Victory" on Weight Watchers. And, I was happy to learn that I have had a NSV. My rings are too big. They keep slipping around and I have to constantly straighten them up. Irritating? Yes. Annoying? Yes. Do I mind? That's a big ole NO! Because as of this morning, I've lost 28 pounds since November 1, 2010.
I have to say that I am proud of myself. My sister inspired me - she's lost 57 lbs, maybe even more than that since the last time I asked her. I watched her having so much success and because I am so proud of her, I thought I'd give it a try.
I'm so glad I did. It's been one of the easiest things I've ever done. I've learned some good habits. I'm accountable to myself - something I never took seriously before, but I do now. I have loved watching the scale go down and the number of lost pounds go up. I feel confident that I can maintain. I don't want to gain it all back. I think about everything I put into my mouth - is it really worth it? I find that it has been easy to avoid things. I've found new snacks that I look forward to. And, if I want a piece of cake, if my points for the day will allow it, I let myself have a piece, albeit a smaller piece that I would have gotten pre-WW.
I started out quietly, I didn't make it known that I was on WW. I didn't want to fail. As the pounds starting falling off, and it started showing in my face and the comments about my weight loss started, I started letting people know that it was WW. 2 other women I work with have now joined, and are having success. One of our bosses lost 50 pounds (I didn't know it was WW while he was on it, just saw him saying no to all of the goodies in the office and exercising like a fiend.).
I've gone down one size, and really 2 if you count the fact that I was occasionally having to buy up a size because the scale had been going up. I'm between sizes actually and can fit into the next smaller size, but right now, I wouldn't be seen in public wearing them just yet. The NSV of being able to actually put them on and zip them up without difficulty is a great feeling. I had to buy a new pair of blue jeans yesterday and I was able to buy them in the regular section of the store, not in the "Plus Sizes", and they weren't "Women's" Now, that is a great feeling. Clothes are so much cuter in the regular sizes. I've lost 9 1/2 inches total.
I joined the gym, and have gone once. I can't do a lot of the exercises because of the back surgery I had last summer. I'm still having problems, and actually don't feel like the surgery made any difference other than the peace of mind to know that it won't get worse - it is locked in place with the rods and screws. I am hopeful that it will get better as I get stronger. So, my main plan is to swim, I did that the one time I was there, and swam for about 45 minutes, and really enjoyed it. I've never actually been in a pool to swim seriously, and let me tell you, it was hard. An Olympic size pool is huge! I was really working out. I'm walking 30 minutes on the treadmill three times a week now which I just started recently. I just finished 4 weeks of PT, and the Physical Therapist gave me a list of exercises that were okay and a list of things to avoid. I accidentally washed that list when I did laundry that night, oops. So Chris, who is also going to PT for a knee injury, is going to get me a new list next time he goes.
We are quiet the gimped up couple! He's got at least 8 more weeks of PT to go.
I think adding the exercise is going to help a lot. It's nice to have the energy to be able to exercise.
So, yes, this was totally a bragging post, but I think I deserve it.
I have to say that I am proud of myself. My sister inspired me - she's lost 57 lbs, maybe even more than that since the last time I asked her. I watched her having so much success and because I am so proud of her, I thought I'd give it a try.
I'm so glad I did. It's been one of the easiest things I've ever done. I've learned some good habits. I'm accountable to myself - something I never took seriously before, but I do now. I have loved watching the scale go down and the number of lost pounds go up. I feel confident that I can maintain. I don't want to gain it all back. I think about everything I put into my mouth - is it really worth it? I find that it has been easy to avoid things. I've found new snacks that I look forward to. And, if I want a piece of cake, if my points for the day will allow it, I let myself have a piece, albeit a smaller piece that I would have gotten pre-WW.
I started out quietly, I didn't make it known that I was on WW. I didn't want to fail. As the pounds starting falling off, and it started showing in my face and the comments about my weight loss started, I started letting people know that it was WW. 2 other women I work with have now joined, and are having success. One of our bosses lost 50 pounds (I didn't know it was WW while he was on it, just saw him saying no to all of the goodies in the office and exercising like a fiend.).
I've gone down one size, and really 2 if you count the fact that I was occasionally having to buy up a size because the scale had been going up. I'm between sizes actually and can fit into the next smaller size, but right now, I wouldn't be seen in public wearing them just yet. The NSV of being able to actually put them on and zip them up without difficulty is a great feeling. I had to buy a new pair of blue jeans yesterday and I was able to buy them in the regular section of the store, not in the "Plus Sizes", and they weren't "Women's" Now, that is a great feeling. Clothes are so much cuter in the regular sizes. I've lost 9 1/2 inches total.
I joined the gym, and have gone once. I can't do a lot of the exercises because of the back surgery I had last summer. I'm still having problems, and actually don't feel like the surgery made any difference other than the peace of mind to know that it won't get worse - it is locked in place with the rods and screws. I am hopeful that it will get better as I get stronger. So, my main plan is to swim, I did that the one time I was there, and swam for about 45 minutes, and really enjoyed it. I've never actually been in a pool to swim seriously, and let me tell you, it was hard. An Olympic size pool is huge! I was really working out. I'm walking 30 minutes on the treadmill three times a week now which I just started recently. I just finished 4 weeks of PT, and the Physical Therapist gave me a list of exercises that were okay and a list of things to avoid. I accidentally washed that list when I did laundry that night, oops. So Chris, who is also going to PT for a knee injury, is going to get me a new list next time he goes.
We are quiet the gimped up couple! He's got at least 8 more weeks of PT to go.
I think adding the exercise is going to help a lot. It's nice to have the energy to be able to exercise.
So, yes, this was totally a bragging post, but I think I deserve it.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Winter Storm Part 2
So, I ended the Winter Storm post with the sentiment of "it could be worse", well, it got worse. Not so much from a standpoint of more ice. It did start melting more, and we were able to open the office at noon on Tuesday.
Fast forward to Friday and the town Chris works in still hasn't thawed. While at work, outside, he slipped on the ice. He landed on his knee. I knew it was bad when I told him he should go to the ER and he didn't complain. I met him there. He left with a knee brace and crutches and a clinical diagnosis of a torn meniscus. A few days later when we can finally get to see an orthopedic surgeon - we find out he actually has a torn ACL. So, yeah, it got worse.
Fast forward to Friday and the town Chris works in still hasn't thawed. While at work, outside, he slipped on the ice. He landed on his knee. I knew it was bad when I told him he should go to the ER and he didn't complain. I met him there. He left with a knee brace and crutches and a clinical diagnosis of a torn meniscus. A few days later when we can finally get to see an orthopedic surgeon - we find out he actually has a torn ACL. So, yeah, it got worse.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Winter Storm
It's the Deep South - and who can't get excited about the winter storm that is heading your way? The news prepped us for 3-4" of snow in our area, and 6-8" north of us. Finally around 10 pm last night, it started rolling in. Guess what, we were in that tiny part of the huge system that just got ice! The crap end of the storm. About a 1/4" in our yard this morning, and it's raining. It's warmed up to a blistering 34 degrees, so it's melting when it hits. We went out and got a few pictures, but I just couldn't get excited about it, esp when my SIL said they got 6-7" of snow and the kids were out making snowmen, snow angels and throwing snowballs. I'm glad the niece and nephew are having fun though!
I got a snow day from work, but honestly, I needed to be at my desk.
It could be worse though, the power could be out, but so far, so good. We've had a few flickers, but it's still on.
I got a snow day from work, but honestly, I needed to be at my desk.
It could be worse though, the power could be out, but so far, so good. We've had a few flickers, but it's still on.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Happy Birthday to Pops & AG!
Happy Birthday to Pops and Anna Grace! Love you both. Hope you have a wonderful day.
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