The Topic of Cancer

 18 June, 2023: A Lump on my Throat
   
    I was mowing my lawn when I felt a sharp pain on the right side of my neck. Then I threw up (twice), thankfully nothing to severe. When I went inside and looked in the mirror, there was a large lump halfway down the right side of my neck. Maybe it's an allergic reaction. There is a lot of pollen in the air and the smoke from the wildfires in eastern Canada probably isn't helping any.

25 June, 2023: It's still there...

    The lump is still there and it is painful to touch it. It is also getting a little difficult to swallow food unless I chew it thoroughly. Obviously, it is NOT an allergic reaction. I will see the Doctor as soon as I can.

26 June, 2023: Doctor's Orders     

    I saw the Doctor this morning. When she saw the lump she said: " Wow, that's pretty big." She measured the lump as 2.5cm x 3.0cm ( roughly 1 inch by 1.2 inches for those who don't do metric ). She then ordered a CT scan of my neck. Because of it's location, she is concerned that it might be Thyroid Cancer. She thinks it is unlikely, but still......

 3 July, 2023: Waiting, Waiting....

    I just got word that my CT Scan is scheduled for the 26th. Wow ! Must be a lot of people getting CT scans, or the scanner broke down. 

26 July, 2023: Dr McCoy, Let's see what we've got...

    So, I went to the Hospital for my very first CT scan. All in all, it was a fairly easy process ( good thing I'm not claustrophobic ) and it went fairly quickly. I should get the results when I see my Doctor tomorrow.

27 July, 2023: Well, at least it's not Thyroid Cancer....

    Good news and not so good news. The good news is that I don't have Thyroid Cancer. Whew !! The not so good news is that the area around my right tonsil is swollen ( which explains the difficulty swallowing ). They are going to have me see an ENT ( Ear, Nose,Throat ) Doctor. As usual, we get to wait while the insurance company decides "Yes, Roy really should see an ENT Doctor.." Oh Well.

5 - 11 August: Shakedown Hike in Northern Michigan

     I spent the 2nd week of August Hiking in Northern Michigan. If you want to read about it ( and see more photos ) click here.

14 August, 2023: That was quick !!

    I saw Dr Ali, the ENT today, and I even got to see my throat. He numbed my nose and throat and then put a probe down through the nose. That surprised me ( I was expecting him to put the probe through my mouth for some reason. I guess that's one reason he is a Doctor and I'm not ), but it was quite all right and the probe showed that my tonsil area was really swollen. They needed to use the probe, because the CT scan only showed how swollen the lump was vertically on my neck, but not it's width. He showed me the probe image on an iPad. My right tonsil area is so swollen it is blocking half of my throat.

The image is upside down, the mass on the left is the lump.
The area on the right is what it should look like

    He then said that he wanted to get some samples for a biopsy. I thought for sure that he was going to schedule a surgery where he would cut in from the outside to get the sample. Instead, he used a device to reach down my throat to remove 4 samples from the lump.  Like I said, he's the Doctor not me, and that's a very good thing. He first sprayed my throat area so it was good and numb. Then he called in a nurse to hold my tongue out to the way so he could get the samples. If you thought I always had a big mouth and a big tongue, you now have scientific proof that you were right. She had to use both hands on the tongue depressor to keep my tongue still. It did sting a little when he cut the samples, and the Doctor did say I might spit up a little blood for the rest of the day. Other than a little discomfort, I was fine.

21 August, 2023: Rats !! I DO have Cancer !

    Dr Ali, just phoned. I have Diffuse, Large B - Cell Lymphoma. The next step is to get a referral to an Oncologist. I did some reading, and it looks like it might ( assuming I read the literature correctly ) be treatable, even curable. I guess I will find out when I see the Oncologist. I will be honest, I feel a little scared, but not overly anxious. I bet that will change once the chemo starts...

30 August, 2023: Dr McCoy will see you now...

    Did I ever mention how much I like my boss and co-workers ? To paraphrase a bit of dialogue from a favorite movie of mine:  "My Boss and co-workers are people of good character and they are my friends." When I got to work this morning I found this encouraging sign on my desk

Later on, I noticed that they all had something in their hair. They told me they decided to "grow" something in solidarity. I hope they don't decide to shave their heads if ( when ? ) I lose my hair during chemo.

     In the afternoon, I went to see the Oncologist , Dr Hazzi . Talk about putting a patient at ease ! Basically, the first words out of his mouth were: " You have a Lymphoma, but we can cure that. You might feel some nausea from the chemo, but we can treat that." Cool !! Unfortunately, I need to get some tests done first. I need to get an Echocardiogram to make sure the chemo won't cause heart problems, an MRI to make sure the Lymphoma hasn't spread to my brain and a PET scan to make sure it hasn't spread through the rest of my body.

1 September, 2023: Mid October ? You do know I have Cancer, right ??

    I just got a phone call from the scheduler at Dr Hazzi's office. She was able to schedule the MRI, but the other two tests might take longer. She said the earliest she could get me in for a "regularly scheduled" Echocardiogram was Mid October !! What ! Geez, by then, I will probably be drinking my meals through a narrow straw ! She said she would see if she could schedule an early morning appointment at a sooner date. As usual, we have to wait on the Insurance company to approve the PET scan.

2 September, 2023: That's more like it !!

    Dr Hazzi's scheduler just phoned. My Echo is scheduled for the 5th at 7:15 AM. That's fine by me, I'm usually awake at 6 anyway. Even better, the other two tests are scheduled for the following week. I get the chemo port installed on the 12th, have an MRI on the 13th and get the PET scan on the 17th. Rather odd, scheduling a test on a Sunday, but I'll take it. I will see Dr Hazzi on October 2nd to go over the treatment plan.