Watch my head spin!

Wheee!!

That’s how I feel on this roller-coaster ride that has become my world these past few days.  From the dizzying heights of euphoria and joy to the downhill free-fall that takes your breath away (and makes you feel like you’re going to throw up) to the depths of sadness and grief and confusion…Yeah, we’ve pretty much run the gamut.

We met with the oncologist today.  Well, technically he was an ornorhinolaryngologist, but who’s checking?  He and Matt had a great discussion on vascular pressure and fluid dynamics.  I think somewhere in that discussion he talked about cancer, too.  I was lost at “vascular pressure.”

So what did we learn?  Well, mostly about vascular pressure and fluid dynamics.  I sat there, notebook in hand, ready to take notes on the intricacies of Hodgkin’s Disease and treatment plans and chemotherapy and biopsies and radiation and…mostly I sat and listened to my brainiac husband talk scientific formulas with the brainiac doctor.  Needless to say, I did NOT take notes.

The doctor did manage to squeeze in a few nuggets of helpful information here and there.  So I present to you, in no particular order, the “Top 10 little factoids we gleaned from our 2-hour visit today”:

1. He is “pretty sure” Matt has lymphoma.  What kind?  What stage?  Has it spread?  How advanced?  That, my friends, remains a mystery.
2. His job is to make a diagnosis.  He will not be in charge of Matt’s treatment, should he require chemotherapy and/or radiation.
3. He is a surgical oncologist.  Matt’s cancer is not surgical.  It is a form of blood/liquid cancer.  Just like air is a liquid and the laws of fluid dynamics allow for an airplane to fly.  See, I was paying attention!
4. Matt will undergo a dizzying array of testing over the next 10 days, beginning this afternoon with a blood test to rule out kidney damage prior to the PET scan. (not a major concern, just a preventive/cautionary measure)
5. The litany of tests includes: full body CAT scan (including the head, neck, chest cavity and pelvic region) with contrast, PET scan (complete with a Valium prescription – only one, though.  They seemed unconvinced that I needed one too), and completing the crash course is an “excisional biopsy.”
6. We will meet with the doctor about a week after the biopsy to review the results of all the tests, and at that time we should have a clear diagnosis and an idea of treatment.  Matt and I should also be ready to receive our honorary medical degrees.
7. The issue with the jugular vein is a non-issue.  No biggie.  Veins are wimps.  Arteries, they’re the big guns.
8. Matt does not have a tumor or a mass.  He has a lymph node.  A GINORMOUS lymph node.  About 9 cm (3 inches) long, from his Adam’s apple to the top of his breastbone.  Unfortunately, the original CAT scan does not show how deep or wide it is, but we’re pretty sure it’s both deep and wide.  Sing with me now…”Deep and wide, Deep and wide, there’s a lymph node growing deep and wide…”
9. We don’t know when the CAT scan/PET scan/excisional biopsy will be performed because the people in charge of scheduling had left for the day by the time we were finished.  The target date is Oct. 10 with a follow up visit with the doctor on October 20 or 21.
10. The most important news is that the trip to South Padre is still on!  Woot!

You can visit Matt’s blog for more lymphatic hilarity with “Name that Tumor!”

******DISCLAIMER*******

Please don’t mistake our attempts at humor as meaning that we are not taking this seriously.  Believe me, we are.  VERY seriously.  We just have to balance the uncertainty, fear, and anxiety we are both feeling with a little bit of levity.  Don’t worry, I’ll have plenty of more serious posts in the future.