Today I went in for another endoscopic ultrasound test.
This is the test where they take a garden hose with a camera taped to the end of it and cram it down your throat.
And they say doctors don’t have any fun.
Waiting for this test has been particularly nerve wracking since it’s outcome was so significant. If the tumor shrunk, treatment progresses as planned. If the tumor had grown, it’s time to consider the folks in the obituaries as my peer group.
The obituary crowd will have to wait, I’m not going to be hanging around with them any time soon.
The tumor had shrunk so much it wasn’t visible, though they could still see the scar tissue where it had been. The doctor did a biopsy where the scar tissue was to determine if there were still any cancer cells left.
We will get the results of the biopsy in a few days.
The enlarged lymph nodes that they were previously concerned might be cancerous are no longer enlarged. The doctor did NOT do a biopsy on them because he no longer considered them potentially cancerous.
The fact of the matter is this is the best case scenario. Apparently this doesn’t happen very often and is considered very good news.
They will want to proceed with the surgery because this will ensure the best chance of success. The bottom line is today’s findings significantly increase the odds of a positive outcome.
So the next step is the CAT scan on Wednesday, which I’m not too concerned about. With the amount of toxic chemo chemicals they pumped into my system it’s unlikely a few stray cancer cells survived the onslaught, much less spread.
So after that it’s free time until the big surgery on September 16th.
Now that will be an entirely different story. But one I’m sure will be entertaining once I’m functional enough to tell it.
Wow. That is great news!!
We’re pretty excited.
Fantastic! That positive mental attitude serves you very well, my friend – keep it up!!
Good riddance to bad rubbish!
Jeff – I think I’ll stick with the positive attitude. It seems to be working for me, as well as for everyone else.
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I had a nice chat with your brother. I couldn’t believe even he sometimes reads this blog. That pretty much blew me away.
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Marcia – I can totally live with them hauling the cancer off with the rubbish. Too bad they have to use surgical instruments to do it. But what the heck. When it’s gone it’s gone. What difference does it make what kind of garbage truck hauls it off.
Yippee! Happy to hear the good news!
Now all I have to do is psyche myself up for major surgery and nine more weeks of chemo. I’m over a third of the way through this, and the initial success is exciting, but it’s still a long road. I hope it continues with minimal bumps and pot holes.
That is awesome!! Surliness toward tumors is always appropriate.