Last week, I had the follow CT scan of my chest performed. Today I saw the oncologist to review the results.
First, let me explain to you how I handle test results. I typically do not look at test results before my follow-up appointments with the oncologist (even though they are automatically sent to me electronically usually within hours to a day of having the test performed). I don't need my own interpretation of the information in my head before I hear the medical explanation (and the plan for addressing it) from someone with clinical experience and expertise. My imagination is not my friend in these particular scenarios. I've been pretty disciplined in this approach all the way through this journey, and I'm comfortable with it. However, I have noticed with the past few appointments that the medical professionals assume I have already looked at the results and they walk in talking about plans before I actually know what the test showed.
This time around, I decided to look at the results of the CT scan, with Greg, the morning of the appointment. We read it together. And I cried. The scan showed new spots on my lungs and consolidation of the spots that had already been there, and the word "infectious" appeared a few times throughout the report. It felt pretty grim to us. It sounded like cancer, but the radiologist's recommendation was to follow up with another scan in three months. We felt discouraged, disappointmented, and a bit frightened. So, we prayed together. We thanked God that nothing is a surprise to Him and He is in control.
When we saw the oncologist, as I suspected, she came into the room expecting us to be upset and assuming we had already looked at the results. She showed us the images and explained that some of the spots looked "suspicious" to her eye but she wasn't sure either. The recommendation was to do another scan in three months, but she was leaning toward ordering a PET scan. The spots were too small to biopsy at this point. She wanted to run it by a pulmonologist friend of hers and get his expert opinion on how he would interpret it.
She called me after the appointment. She ordered a PET scan to be done and wants me to follow up with her after the results are in.
So, the waiting game continues, and we are trusting God.
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