A couple of months ago I was at work and started to feel short of breath. It was the strangest thing. I brushed it off thinking it was heartburn until the next day when I woke up and it hurt to breathe. My husband took me to urgent care who of course rushed me right in. They ran some bloodwork (8 viles!) and did xrays to check for pneumonia. The xrays were clear of course and the doctor decided to send me for an ultrasound to check my gallbladder and all of my other organs. While we were waiting for that appointment, they called me and told me that the blood test they ran for blood clots came back elevated and that my white cell count was high so they wanted me to go for a CAT scan.
The ultrasound came back around the same time the CAT scan results came back. The good news was that they did not see a blood clot. The bad news? They found a mysterious mass on my lung. So they wanted me to go for a PET/CT scan to see if they could tell what it was.
I had to go see a lung specialist the next week. The original doctor had put me on the Zpack to kill any infection and my pain was much better. The lung specialist had no idea what it was. He wasn't even convinced it was on my lung, it could be on my heart. He referred me to a surgeon to do a scope surgery to remove it. That surgeon saw my CT scan and determined he was not the right person for the job. So I got referred to someone down in Clearwater.
The new surgeon Dr. A (as he will be called here), decided he needed to do a Thoracotomy. (You can click on the link for a detailed summary of what they are going to do if you want. )
Essentially, they are making an incision on my back right side, spreading my ribs to get access to my lung. Once they determine if it is attached to my lung or my heart, that will determine which surgery they do. If it is on my lung, they will just remove the part of the lung it is attached to. If it is attached to my heart, they will have to bypass my heart like open heart surgery, and remove it that way.
I am going to be in the hospital for about 5 to 10 days. I could get released on day 4 if I am doing well and depending on which procedure they end up doing. Once the tissue is removed, it will be sent off to be tested for a variety of things, including cancer.
I'm trying to mentally prepare myself. I have never had surgery (aside from wisdom teeth removal) and have never broken a bone. I'm trying to be calm about it but sometimes I just can't. I get tired of everyone asking me about it every time they see me. I know they care, and want to let me know they do, but at the same time, the more I talk about it- the more freaked out I get.
Part of the reason I started this blog is because I am tired of telling people what is going on. They can come here and read it, and I don't have to talk about it anymore.
I just want this horrible thing to be over. I want to know what it is so that my mind can rest. I am going crazy with the "what ifs".
I will update after my pre-op appointment on Monday, I promise :)
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