Not So Great CT Results

This afternoon I went in for my labs and appointment with my oncologist. As it turns out she got the full results of my CT scan by meeting with the radiologist first thing in the morning. They went over the films together and compared them to my last scan. I knew the news wasn’t going to be good since my last chest x-ray showed progression, however the news was a little more surprising/complicated than I expected. The CT showed that the mass in my lung has grown, however there is an area surrounding it that could be infection or disease. In addition to all of this, that area of my lung is partially collapsed and there is no flow going into it. Although I’m not having any trouble breathing, they think this could be what’s causing the pain in my back. Two of the lymph nodes that were under control on the prior scan also show progression. They’re not sure if those are Hodgkin’s or non-Hodgkin’s.

Due to the collapsed lung and fast growth of disease/infection, they need to take action right away. I’m scheduled to have an appointment with Radiation Oncology Monday morning, followed by a PET/CT in the afternoon to plan treatment. I will be undergoing my 4th round of radiation treatment since I was diagnosed. I don’t know the details of the length, but I’m guessing anywhere from 4-5 weeks (everyday). In addition, some time on Monday I will be meeting with a pulmonary specialist to have a stint inserted into my lung on Tuesday. The stint should assist with bringing flow back into the collapsed area of the lung. If they don’t insert this, there could be a high chance of me getting a severe case of pneumonia and the infection (if there is any) not clearing up. The procedure will be done under sedation and the stint will remain in my lung for the rest of my life. I of course am not looking forward to all of this, but understand the need and are glad that everything is being done quickly.

As soon as the radiation treatment is complete I will have to go on a new chemo to make sure that my mediastinal mass does not start getting out of control. Right now we’re focusing on the lung mass however.

Again this news has interrupted our travel plans. We were planning to go to Mexico to visit my family during the upcoming holidays and now that will have to be postponed. I’m pretty sad since I was looking forward to it and Chris and I haven’t been able to go anywhere for a while. It will also be our one-year wedding anniversary on New Years and we were hoping to be able to go away since we never had a chance after we got married. I guess I’ll just have to get over this hurdle and plan for something soon after.