...there was a swollen lymph node on the right side of my neck, above my collarbone. As mentioned in my previous post, the first scans did not show anything. So I carried on and didn't think much about it until I started waking up with neck pain a few months later. After an amazing summer traveling, singing in my best friends' wedding, and working with my aphasia choir, I went back to my doctor and was referred to get a CT scan of my neck and chest. They were looking for more enlarged lymph nodes, especially in the chest. My primary doctor called me that night and told me they did see swollen nodes in my chest and referred me for a lymph node biopsy. I originally thought it would be a fine needle aspiration biopsy, but found out the entire lymph node would need to be surgically removed. I was extremely nervous about this. I've never had such "major" surgery, not even a broken bone. When I learned that the surgeon was a friend whose daughter I taught piano lessons to, I felt better. Mom and I met with him before the surgery and he explained what it could be, and what it couldn't be. A few days later, my mom and Tim accompanied me to the biopsy appointment and waited (hours) for me to wake up after surgery. It was all okay! (Sleeping is my most favorite thing, so I didn't mind the chance to catch up on some z's!)
We were expecting to hear the results one week later, at an appointment with the surgeon. I actually got a text message from the surgeon a few days before the appointment, asking me to call him. I thought it could go either way. When I called him back, he asked if I was driving (I wasn't), then told me it was Hodgkin Lymphoma and told me how I am strong and it is very treatable. I was surprisingly calm. I was on my lunch break during my internship and just sat in quiet for a little while. I talked to my parents over the phone after work and that night I stayed over with them. Tim was in Canada until the end of the week, so I wasn't able to tell him until he got home. I wanted to tell him in person.
On Friday the 13th, my parents, Tim, Julia, and I met with the surgeon and afterwards, the oncologist. I don't remember everything we spoke about, but I can say that it didn't feel like the appointments we always see in the movies about finding out about "the big C." I think speaking with the surgeon over the phone before our appointment, helped me process and begin to accept sooner. I recorded the appointment with the oncologist so I could go back and listen. We discussed what treatment would be, likely chemotherapy every two weeks. Since then, I've been overwhelmed with making appointments for various diagnostic tests: bone marrow biopsy, CT scans of the chest and abdomen, pulmonary function tests, bloodwork, the works! They all managed to be scheduled and now I am just waiting for treatments to begin.
The bone marrow biopsy was definitely weird, but I got through it. I was laying on my side, as the oncologist sat behind me, and my mom and nurse practitioner (who are hysterical together, cracking jokes and keeping me calm) were in front of me, holding my hips and shoulders. At some points I could feel a sensation going down my leg and the doctor said he most likely hit a nerve. I remember the nurse saying "it will just feel like a bee sting!" to which I responded in a rushed, worried voice "but I've never had a bee sting!" I took off from work that day and rested at home with a large pressure bandage on my lower back.
For the CT scan of my chest and abdomen, I had to drink 900mL of a barium sulfate "liquid" the day of the scan, so that my organs, etc. would "light up" for the scan. I had to drink half a bottle every half hour. This has, so far, been the very worst part of this whole ordeal! My co-workers were very encouraging, but I could barely swallow the liquid after the third half bottle.I had to finish the last quarter of the liquid at the hospital- it took me nearly an hour and a case of the hiccups, before the radiologist said I was done drinking and took me in for the scan.
-"orange creamsicle" milky liquid, mmm-
Pulmonary function exercises were kind of fun. I had to breathe into a tube while receiving instructions from the diagnostician. Long breaths, short breaths, fast breaths, slow breaths.
The oncologist also recommended that I start fertility treatments for egg harvesting. This is something I never thought would be part of the process. I started fertility treatments about a week ago, which only delayed treatment by a couple weeks. This was approved by the oncologist. I'm glad I am getting treatments for egg harvesting because I feel it is better to have options, just in case. More on fertility treatments later.
That's all for now, folks! Thank you for your love and support during this time.
:)Gillian
