Finally a Diagnosis

I received a call from Dr. Cordero saying the tests came back, and it was indeed Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. We would discuss more at my appointment on April 3.

We started calling the oncologists on the list given to us by Dr. Cordero. Dr. Thomas Rado didn’t have any appointments for 2 months. Dr. Kevin Weeks (recommended by Dana, as he had treated her father's lung cancer) had nothing for 1 month. We could get in to see Dr. Ruben Sierra next week, but he wouldn’t make any appointments until he saw the lab results, which were being sent over from the hospital.

And We Continue to Wait

We called and made an appointment with Dr. Cordero for Tuesday April 3 to discuss the results of the test.

We tried to schedule an appointment with an oncologist, but were told to wait until we got the results from the biopsy.

Home Sweet Home

At 2:00 PM, I finally went to my home, where I relaxed and took it easy. Dana came to see me around 4:30 PM, and of course that buoyed my spirits.

My oxygen levels were back to normal, and I was able to exceed the target on the breathing apparatus.

I went to bed at 8:30 PM in preparation for returning to work the next morning.

Draft Day

My blood oxygen levels were still low overnight, but I was feeling better. I was able to eat, and shower (for the first time since Wednesday). I even was able to participate in our annual fantasy baseball draft.

I continued to work with the breathing apparatus, and was certainly feeling better. That being said, I pooped out significantly earlier than normal, and fell asleep around 8:00 PM.

Going Home, But Not Really

I wasn’t feeling great in the morning. I got light-headed when I stood up, and I couldn’t keep any food down. Dr. Cordero came and said everything looked good, and it would just take some time.

They took another Chest X-Ray, which everything looked good. Dr. Cordero changed the dressing on my wound, putting strips on that he said would stay until our next appointment.

Eventually, I started feeling better, and was even walking around the hospital. My oxygen levels were still slow while I slept, but the breathing apparatus helped.

At 3:30 PM, I was discharged, where I went to my parents’ house to recuperate. The car ride home made me feel not-so-good, but getting home and getting a little bit of sleep helped.

At 8:30 PM, Dana, her son, and her mom came to visit me, where we sat up and chatted till almost 10:00 PM. It made me feel much better, and led me to fall asleep with a smile on my face.

Remember to Breathe

Even after being on oxygen all night, my oxygen levels were still quite low. Dr. Cordero surmised that because of the procedure, I wasn’t taking deep enough breaths.

I was given a plastic apparatus to take deep breaths, and help my oxygen levels.

My oxygen returned to normal levels while I was awake, but continued to drop while I slept.

In the afternoon, the nurse removed the catheter, and I was eventually able to urinate on my own. It felt good.

Because of the low oxygen levels, they wanted to keep me one more night.

Around 6:30, my dad came to visit and watch the NCAA Tournament. I still can’t believe Tennessee blew that game against Ohio State.

Fluid in the Lungs

I went in for the Left Mediastinotomy. After sitting in the waiting room for two hours, I was finally pulled in for the procedure, where I was knocked out. Dr. Cordero sliced and diced me. The procedure started around 3:00 PM.

I awoke in recovery in a complete haze after approximately two hours. My eyes couldn’t focus, and I could barely breathe. I had a Flash Pulmonary Edema, where my lungs were filling up with fluid. I was coughing up blood.

They gave me a water pill, which cleared up most of the fluid in my lungs. However, this filled up my bladder so quickly that I was unable to go to the bathroom. Multiple attempts to insert a catheter failed, as my bladder was too tight to allow any penetration.

I was put to sleep again. They then successfully inserted a wire-guided catheter. I awoke to find myself in my hospital room at 9:15 PM with my mom, my girlfriend, and a tube coming out of my penis.

I was hooked to a machine that was measuring (amongst other things) the oxygen level in my blood. It was low, so they hooked me up to an oxygen supply. It was about 10:00 PM, and I went to sleep.

Still Diagnosing to Be Done

Dr. Cordero said the results of the biopsy indicated lymphoma, but the markers that would indicate Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (which is what he thought it was), were not there. That means “inconclusive” rather than NOT Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

He wanted to do a full biopsy – a Left Mediastinotomy on Wednesday.

My mom and I walked across the street to the hospital to preregister.

I returned to work to find my stuff still there.

And the Results Are In...

I received a phone call from Dr. Cordero’s office scheduling an appointment for Tuesday March 20 to discuss the results.

Hurry Up and Wait

I received a call from Dr. Cordero saying that they would need to send out the cells from the needle biopsy to Spokane for “staining”, and it would likely be another week.

Time to get Needled

I worked in the morning, and then went to the hospital for the “CT Guided Core Biopsy”. Dr. Scott Hammersmith performed the procedure, and then sent me home.

Not the Germ-Cell Tumor

Appointment with Dr. Cordero. He told me that the blood test was negative for indications of a Germ-Cell Tumor, and I would now need the needle biopsy to indicate what we were dealing with.

Dana and I went across the street to the hospital to pre-register for the procedure. We had lunch in the deli there, and I determined that I love Kadlec’s Cream of Tomato soup.

Andrew's Bachelor Party

Spent the weekend in Vegas for Andrew’s bachelor party. Andrew was able to answer some questions for me, and more just made me feel a little more relaxed with the whole thing.