What the CT Scan said

Dr. Wendy called me this morning with the report from the radiologist. After three months, my lungs are not significantly worse. Nor are they better.

She faxed me the technical notes which I'll get later today.

So, still looking for a diagnosis. She warned me yesterday that the pulmonalogists are likely to give me a lot of information and no clear answer.

It's an anti-climax. I suspect I'll have more to say about it later.

CT Scan

Tomorrow morning I'll go in for my second CT scan. We'll get a report mid-week, and then I'll know if Fred has grown or receded in the three months since the last test. Some part of my brain is cold and shuddering. I'm afraid.

It's odd to have such a fear of bad news mixed with a non-frightening medical procedure. I'll be getting 14 times the amount of radiation than I'd have with an X-ray, but there's no pain or awareness of the radiation. I've already had the contrast chemical dropped into my blood, so I know I'm not allergic. It's nothing too hard. I'll get up, get over there and go through the paperwork, the shuffle from office to office, and the strangeness of having people I've never met take me through a process while I'm dressed in a flimsy hospital gown.

My life and death question doesn't fit into this impersonal medical world. So, I want a chorus of wailers with me. I want their voices to rise and fall in discordant cacophony then steady to a soothing it's all gonna be okay hum. I want them to alternate one state for another from the moment my alarm goes off and through several days of waiting until I get off the phone with the results of the preliminary radiologist's report. Then I want them to stop.

Next CT Scan?

The surgeon wanted to do it immediately.
Dr. Dilisio says in October.
Dr. Wendy suggests 3 months after the original one (June 2) which would be the first week of September. She wants to be very sure that what we are seeing is not inflammation from the bronchosope.

In the meantime, off to UCSF for a 2nd opinion.
My asthma is definately up and I've had two fevers in the past four days.

Medical Questions & Non-Answers This Week

Dr. Wendy talked to me last night on the phone and we went over the questions and tests. Dr. Dilisio was supposed to call yesterday but he didn't. He called today. His answers are in italics.

• Aspergillosis— is it now ruled out due to both bronchoscope cultures and blood test? Or, does it take longer to grow?

It’s not likely but it’s not ruled out. Diagnosis comes from many markers.

• CEA blood test: Carcinoembryonic Antigen —normal for non-smoker: “3” Mine: “10” Very sick with colon cancer patient: “800”
  

This may be something but it’s not high enough to tell us much. It’s neither here nor there.

• IGE test. Slightly positive What does this mean?
  

Allergy – mild. But he couldn’t find the results. He was speaking very hastily.

• Other blood test results all negative: that’s good, right?
  

We didn’t get to this question. He was very rushed.

• Bronchoscope cultures showed candida. Could that be from the esophagus as the instruments came through on their way out? I know I had candida there. I took two diflucan pills, a week apart. Is that likely to have taken care of it, if it is in middle lobe?
  

He was too rushed to hear this, but started our five minutes by saying candida does not figure into the problem as he sees it.

• When is the best time to repeat the CT scan? I want to repeat it when there is a chance to see some positive changes if this whole mess is due to inflammation or fungis.

October 2009

• What kind of drug routine would I have pre and post surgery?
  

We never got to this question.