How it started

We've all heard that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.  This journey didn't exactly start that way.  This journey, now being walked by my husband, Ed, of 43 years, started with a new part-time job after being retired for several years.  The TB test required by this job resulted in a reaction.  Since the job involved delivering drugs to chemo patients, the positive TB test necessitated a chest x-ray.  The chest x-ray revealed something suspicious on the right lung, possibly asbestosis.  The radiologist reading the x-ray requested a CAT scan be done.  So, off to the family doctor Ed went to get the order for the CAT scan.  The CAT scan was performed several days later, on a Thursday, actually on August 27, 2015.  The call from the family doctor that evening was not a good sign.  Ed was told that he needed to see a pulmonary specialist as soon as possible.  We got a call the next morning at 9 AM to be at the pulmonary doctor's office at 11 AM.  Dr. Cousins, the pulmonary doctor, was very serious and concerned as he told us right off that the CAT scan results, along with Ed's symptoms, almost certainly indicated lung cancer.

To back up a bit, maybe two months' prior to all of this happening, Ed noticed pain in his right rib area.  As I mentioned, he had retired, having been a self-employed heating and cooling contractor for 30 some years.  In his semi-retirement, he would do HVAC jobs here and there, mostly for people he knew.  He had just done one of these jobs when he noticed the rib pain, so he naturally attributed it to pulling a muscle or twisting too hard.  The pain subsided after a couple of days, so he didn't think anymore about it.

Then he started to work on his part-time driving job in mid-July.  He was noticing being tired, and he mentioned a stark change in his bowel habits.  He was also losing weight.  He had lost maybe 20 pounds in the month leading up to all of this.  He had little to no appetite.  These are the symptoms on which the lung doctor was now concentrating.

Dr. Cousins drew us a picture of the CAT scan results. 

The dark spot on the middle (M) section of the right (R) lung shows the mass that was pushing into the ribs, causing the pain.  The large round circle between the lungs represents the heart.  The small circle with dots in it above the heart represents the lymph gland that is near the heart.  The doctor wanted to do a two-part operation which required putting Ed to sleep, making an incision in his throat, and doing down alongside his bronchial tube to remove a biopsy of the lymph glad.  This was the first part.  The second part was going in his lung and taking a biopsy there as well.  After many calls and much determination on the doctor's part, the surgery would be performed on Monday, August 31.

I awoke at 3:30 that morning and couldn't go back to sleep.  Ed got up at 6 and had to shower with a special soap in preparation for the morning's surgery.  We were at CAMC at 7, and our day began.  He was being "worked in" to the surgery schedule, so we weren't sure what time the surgery would be.  As it turned out, the surgery for someone that was scheduled before was cancelled, so he went in at 10:00, with the doctor telling me that it should take about an hour.  I called my daughter, Alison, who had promised to come and sit with me, and she said she'd be right there.  Alison arrived, an hour came and went, then another hour.  Finally, at 12:30 PM, Dr. Cousins came into the waiting area.  He said the delay was from taking several biopsies and checking them in the Lab.  The lymph gland was  hard, which was unusual.  The pathology report would take several days, and that would tell the story.  If the lymph gland was clear, they could possible do surgery and remove the mass from the lung.  If the lymph gland was affected, that would mean that it's Stage 4 lung cancer and chemo and radiation would follow.  Dr. Cousins said we should hear something by the end of the week.

So now, we're on Day 2 (Tuesday) of our wait, trying to live life as relatively normal as possible. Ed is trying to eat, sleeping when tired, and taking as little pain medication - the hard stuff - as possible.  He's taking Advil and Aleve, and both of those seem to be working.