It's Not a Vampire Bite

On Monday, Scott and I went to see a head and neck surgeon at the University of Minnesota.  We were referred to him (and squished into his busy schedule as a result of ) our good friend Bill, who also works as an ENT at the U.

At our request, Dr. Khariwala removed two more lymph nodes for a second biopsy.  His idea was to perform a needle biopsy, which is much less invasive than the surgery, of course.  On the downside, if a needle biopsy comes back negative, then you are unsure if the lymph node is negative or if the needle missed the cancer cells.  As a result of our history, we opted to have the whole thing taken out right away.

So, on Tuesday, I went in for another surgery.  It went very well, considering that the goal was to slice out part of my neck.  It was a general anesthetic surgery, so yesterday was spent dealing with the after effects of having a breathing tube down my throat.  Today is much better.

Now I'm recovering from the biopsy in my armpit and a new one by my left collarbone.  It's not terrible.  I've certainly dealt with much worse.  Plus, it gives me a chance to take a bunch of Vicodin induced naps and catch up on my trashy reality shows.

Plus, this week is a totally different waiting game from last week.  With the first biopsy, we were trying to confirm lymphoma.  It was a terrible, heartbreaking and anxiety filled several days.

This time, though, Scott and I feel like we are trying to rule out cancer.  Two negative biopsies would be a pretty clear indication that this isn't lymphoma.  So, maybe next week's results will bring us that.  We also hope to find out more about why I have symptoms, if they aren't associated with cancer; which is why the pathologists at the U are looking for EVERYTHING.

Half of the sample went to the pathology lab and the other half went to the microbiology lab.  With luck, they will find something like a bacterial infection or an autoimmune disease.  And if all of that doesn't solve the mystery, then I also have a rheumatologist reviewing my case and an appointment with the infectious disease department in two weeks.

So, we are confident that an answer is on the way.

Go science!