Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Sharing a Bit - Sept 9

Hmm, looks as though I missed the month of August entirely! At least, I missed on making any posts here. My friend Al mentioned this lack of posting recently and said he assumed it was due to my many ailments and dealing with yet more ailments my wife has been suffering. Then also there has been the need to keep up with business, which goes on no matter how I may feel on a given day. And this was all true.

But here's to all my friends who are concerned and have expressed desire to know what is happening. My wife (Phyllis) has finally nailed down a definite date for surgery to correct her deteriorated upper spinal column and have some fusion of bone fragments to rebuild the protection needed around her delicate spinal cord. The date is September 30 and I have high hopes for success to relieve a great deal of pain - even though she is dreading the new form her body will assume with a stiffness and lack of full motion she has always enjoyed. I've promised to patiently re-train her golf swing to match the new restricted range of motion. But we are getting there!

My own appointment yesterday to hear the results of scans and a biopsy of last week was a "bust." In medical terms, the results were "negative." That of course is not some kind of negative outlook for my future - merely their expression for knowing no more than we did before. Had it been "positive," that would have meant probable cancer that could then be set for treatment. But "negative" merely means we start over with new tests because whatever is in my right lung is restricting my breathing and causing a horrible cough that sometimes causes other pains, not required to be described here. Point is, we don't know what is going on inside my body - yet.

Friday I will undergo a PET scan (which is supposed to unfailingly reveal any cancer formation) and there is already planned a follow-up test which is described as a "C T scan assisted needle biopsy" which should give conclusive evidence of what the mass is made of and how it should be treated. Again - we wait.

News when it happens . . .

1 comment:

  1. Glad for the update, but disappointed that you have to wait to know. Time is not a friend here.

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