Q & A, and Mark Your Calendars!

I hope you are enjoying your Sunday!!  One week until Christmas!

I've been getting a ton of questions... and rightfully so!  So many of you care and want to know that everything will be alright.  I wanted to use this post to answer the questions that I've been receiving.

Size

Q:  How big are your tumors, and where are they?

A: In short, they are small!  About the size of two green peas.  They are located in my right lung, in the lower right side, of my right lobe.  They are close together.  (Small and close together = easier to get out...)

Here are the tumors from my Chest CT.  The images are if you are looking up my lungs from my feet.

Surgery

Q: What exactly will Dr. Mann do in your surgery?

A: When Nate and I asked the same question, he told us that he will performing a VATS procedure. VATS stands for: Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery.  

Dr. Mann told us that he will make a small incision on the right side of my chest.  He will deflate my right lung and be able to access the lung through the side of my ribs.  He told me that he will be able to use his finger tips to help find any tumors that the imaging might have missed.  He said," I will use my sensitive fingertips to feel every inch of your lung tissue, I will be able to feel an pull out a tumor that is 1mm small!"  This is a much more effective procedure then typical metastasis surgeries.  Dr. Mann is actually in the process of educating other Oncology programs all over about this procedure and how effective it is!  He went on to talk about the fact the my recovery time with this technique will only be 3 weeks!!!!!!!!  

You can read more about the VATS procedure HERE.

Fracture?

Q: Your femur is fractured too?

A:  Yes, unfortunately it is but, its healing more and more everyday!  Here is an image from my MRI scan in November.

Recovery

Q:  What the recovery will be like?

A:  I wish I knew exactly what to expect but, with the lung - that's hard to predict.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, Dr. Mann told us that I will be in the hospital for 3 days afterward. He said the reason for this is pain management, lung inflation, and fluid collection.  

Dr. Mann explained that I will have an epidural in for most of the time that Im at the Hospital.  He told me that I will feel short of breath for a while until my lung work properly again.  He said that I will have a fluid collection tube inserted and he wants to make sure that it is almost dry before I leave and go home!  This is great - no tube when I leave!!  He said that by 6 weeks, I won't even feel like I had anything done!!  WOW

Staging

Q: What Stage is your Cancer?  

A: At this point, we don't know.  Once the tumors are removed, they will be sent to pathology for all that 'fun stuff'.  A few weeks after surgery, I will get a phone call from Dr. Mann with that information as well as a plan for my follow-up.

Mark Your Calendars - My Surgery Date

Q: When is your surgery?

A: We've all been waiting anxiously for Dr. Mann's Scheduler to call me and confirm the date that Dr. Mann threw out. We got the call!!   I have an official surgery date!!  I heard from the scheduling coordinator at Dr. Mann's office.  She told me that I am no longer on a wait list for Thursday- that I am officially booked... and I have a time!  This Thursday, December 22nd @ 1pm!!  We. will need to arrive by 10am to complete paperwork and get to my room by 11am.  

She told me that Dr. Mann is actually trying to get me in for surgery EARLIER and that the time might be bumped up earlier in the day.  I would love to go in for surgery FIRST thing in the am.  I'm not very good at fasting - I get light headed. When I had my c-section earlier this year it was at 5pm, so I showed up earlier in the day and they started an IV of glucose to take away the light-headed feeling.  I should hear back from a nurse this week to tell me if I'd be able to do that for this surgery.

Thank you for reading!!!!