Hey there! Thought I'd post a quick update since I had my biopsy done a few weeks ago. As a refresher or for those that didn't read my last post... I had two lymphnodes biopsied through a bronchoscopy procedure because they were hot on my last PET scan. And on a side note, they knocked me out for the biopsy, which was fabulous, lol. After a bunch of phone tag, I found out that those nodes were both negative for lymphoma. So, normally that would be exciting, however I still have another spot that wasn't biopsied (they couldn't access it with that type of biopsy), and it's a mass, not a node... and also lit up quite a bit on my scan. The odds of that one being negative are pretty much slim to none.
So... biopsy round 2 will be coming up shortly. Yay. I met with the surgeon this past week, and we agreed that another VATS (video-assisted thoracic surgery) procedure would give us the best result in terms of a good sample to examine. I've had this procedure done once before, back when I was initially diagnosed in 2012. It's done in the OR, and I'll have at least a 24 hour stay in the hospital afterward because in order to get to the area where the mass is my left lung has to be deflated, so they will leave a chest tube in after the surgery. A few points that may potentially be different this time around... first off, the doctor said that due to my previous VATS and radiation to my chest, he will most likely have some adhesions (scar tissue) that he will have to get around. That may complicate things (though I'm hoping it won't) and he may need to actually do a thoracotomy (which is a larger incision into the chest wall) to be able to reach the mass. That would require a 3-4 day hospital stay afterward, and I'm really hoping that it can be avoided. He also mentioned that if it's possible, he's going to actually remove the entire mass. Not getting my hopes up too high on that one though, because it's situated right in front of my pulmonary artery, and if it's adhered to that at all it's best to just leave it alone. Bleeding out during a biopsy isn't exactly in my game plan. Anyway... I'm going to have a repeat CT scan done on Wed, so he can have an up to date picture of what things look like so he can plan the surgery. Then Monday the 30th I'll be going in! So any positive thoughts sent my way are much appreciated, as I'm not really looking forward to going through this again... though at least I have an idea of what to expect. I'll update again next week. XOXO
