Where I've been

So life has been crazy lately. My dh had surgery on his ankle, 2 1/2 weeks ago, than found out my mother has Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, I believe Stage 3 because it is above and below her diaphram. I think that is the guideline for that stage. It is under her arm pit, her throat, her ear, her intestines, stomach, kidney, groin and several more places. The one in her throat was growing quickly. It was 5.1 on Monday and I think 5.5 on Friday. They did the biopsy that Thursday, got results on Monday, started Chemo on Wednesday.

So I decided to go to her next chemo treatment. Turns out she also has to have a bone marrow test done. So instead of chemo every 2 weeks, this time, the bone marrow is done at 2 weeks and the chemo is done at 3 weeks.

It was then my turn for surgery. I had a lump on the fleshy part of my vocal cords. Aka false vocal cords. It has cut off my airway a few times, causing me to gasp for breathe. It hurt when I would swallow and at randoms times when trying to speak it would flare up and feel like it was "pushing" against my airway.

When I went to the ENT, he sent me to see a specialist. Said I had the 2 lumps, one on each side, and he's not certain what they are but my followup with him will be with another doc in the office that specializes in the vocal cord area. I was supposed to come back in a month but it started getting worse so she agreed to see me earlier.

I saw her on November 24. Her diagnosis, Acid Reflux. More specifically, Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease or LPR. With Arytenoid Ulcer/Leukoplakia . These pics don't really show what I have but I think generally, it means a white spot. She said it is "suspicious" because it is white but said it will likely take 9 months and more before it gets better. Normally she sees patients for followup in 3 months, but because it is white, she wants to see me in 2 months. Said she's likely going to want to biopsy it. I asked for a pic of what it looks like and this is what I got.

This was her Medical Diagnosis:

By history, reflux mediated laryngospasm wtih concern for lesion R arytenoid
FLexible laryngoscopy: After informed consent is obtained verbally, the nose is spraysed with afrin and lidocaine adn the scope introduced in the L naris: nasopahrynx and oropharynx are normal with no frank lesions, mucosa somewhat red, B TVF are mobile; there is marked post-cricoide and periarytenoid edema and erytheam, mild secretoins, interarytenoid hyperplasia with almost fibrinous exudate/leukoplakic region of medial R supraarytenoid complext. NO other lesions

After thinking about it, I was really disappointed. Not only was I going to have to continue to deal with feeling like I was gasping for breathe, it was going to take 9 months or more to fix, but my insurance deductible was met for the year and now was going to have to throw out another $2500 if she was going to biopsy it.

So after talking with my regular Doc and the speech pathologist the first doc had me see, they both told me to ask if she could do it this year. So while the girls and I were in California, I called and asked. She agree to see me on the 28th and pencil me for surgery on the 31st, depending on the results. So when I saw her on the 28th, she said, yeah, I want to biopsy that. She thought it had changed some and the area on the other side was also starting to get some white color to it. She said cancer isn't at the top of her list, it's actually towards the bottom. She believes it is just irritation due to the reflux. here's the pic, it's that white are towards the center. The color is really bad, but the dull white areas are the areas that she is looking at.

She said normally she can do it right there in the office but that this is in an odd location and because of the angle, she can't get to it without putting me completely under.  So we scheduled the surgery for New Years Eve.  Thats a nightmare story in itself that I won't go into.  Let's just say, he is his mothers son!  We had to be there at 9:45 for a 10:45 surgery.  Well, Doc was late.  They came at 10:05 and told me she is running at least 1 hour late.  I would be in prep for an hour, than surgery for an hour and recovery for an hour.  So about we figured I'd be finished around 1.  HA thats a joke.  I finally went back in to surgery at 1!  I guess I took a hour and a half in recovery and was back to the room around 3:15ish.  I only know that from the text message that dh sent after he was called back in the room.  I remember them telling me they were going to get him and then them talking to him.

For some reason I am one of those people who takes awhile to come "out of it" .  It takes me at least an entire day before I feel normal again.  Dh, he's up and out in 20 minutes and can't understand I guess, why it takes me so long.  I was back in Phase II of recovery until about 4:30.  I had a horrendous headache, could hardly stand and was feeling sick and half asleep.  That's all I'm gonna say about that.

Doc gave me pics of what she actually saw and took out.  Much better pics that what I've shown you so far.

Biopsy results should be in for my followup appt on Wed Jan 5.  I am not supposed to talk for 5-7 days.  However, my grandmother passed away yesterday, so not talking is really not an option.  But OUCH! my throat hurts now.  It never really bothered me much after the surgery but it really hurts now

Well, I think that's all I'm gonna say for now.  I have a lot to do since I fly out on Wednesday.   I have to make lunches and bread and pack and get things together still and only have 1 day to do it..  I'll try to write more soon but don't hold your breathe.  At the moment the viewing is schedule for Friday and Saturday with Burial on Sunday.  My mother will have her Bone Marrow in Atlanta on Thursday than we will drive the 8 hrs to Orlando for the funeral.  <sigh> I feel like Forrest Gump, That's all I'm gonna say about that too.