Imaging & biopsy schedule

I will have a knee MRI on Wednesday (11/18) and a biopsy on Friday (11/20). Why they can't do this all in one day is beyond me. I was originally told that a radiologist would read my MRI results on the spot so that a biopsy could be performed right away... then they decided nah. So now I get to drive to Seattle & back twice in one week! At least I can count on some Ranch House BBQ.

The saga continues

^^ That is literally what my sarcoma surgeon said to me when he walked into the room on Tuesday.

I have two new lumps next to the scar on the inside of my knee. We don't know what they are. It's impossible to speculate just by feeling them. They definitely appeared out of nowhere, are gradually getting bigger, mostly painless, and very firm. They're close together, but I can't tell if they are connected.

I went back to SCCA on Tues 11/10 and my doctor said the lumps seem a bit too focal to be scar tissue, but they don't necessarily feel like obvious tumors. So, he ordered me a knee MRI and fine needle biopsy. I am just waiting for the scheduler to call me to set up those appointments.

I emailed my doctor and asked him if they could be signs of pes anserine bursitis (a condition that has appeared on my past MRI's) and he wrote me the following:

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Hi Blair
You’re correct, the location makes sense.  I don’t think those lumps are typical of bursitis, particularly given the number of tumors that have grown over the past year.  I think that it’s best to do the imaging and biopsy we discussed in clinic.  If that shows bursitis that would be fantastic.

Darin

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Hopefully I will have an answer in the next couple of weeks. Everything takes SOOOOOOO LONG.

I am home

My doctor gave me the GREAT news before I was discharged this morning... it was just a fibroid!!!

Post-op in 6 weeks. 

Woohoo!!!

Hospital life

This has been one of the toughest weeks of my entire year. I know that is saying a lot. But I'm about to spend my 6th night in the hospital after a routine open myomectomy that should have seen me home days ago. I've had some complications throughout my recovery that has kept my team of doctors on their toes.  I won't go into detail, but I think we've got things nearly resolved... as long as I am presenting well clinically, we will probably head home in the morning. The surgical part of my recovery is going well... the incision looks great and the fibroid was removed w/o issue. It was 10cm!!! It grew another 3cm since September... damn! The pathology should be available by Friday.

Sarcoma follow up was great, too. Clear scan.

Time for healing...

Surgery week

That was a fast month... the longest stretch I've gone without a doctor visit since August 2014 when I had pneumonia... knee stuff began September 2014 and it's been a whirlwind ever since.

Back to the grind... on Tuesday (10/20) I have my 6th month sarcoma follow-up (plus chest X-ray) and fibroid surgery pre-op (plus blood work).

Wednesday, I get to relax...

Thursday (10/22) is surgery day. It will be my 4th surgery in 2015... 5th in the span of a year. Like I've said before, the recovery from a myomectomy is a lot like a c-section and I expect to feel like myself in a month. Why am I having this fibroid removed when it's a benign condition that is causing me zero side effects? A few reasons...

1) It's growing. Rapidly. It increased from 4cm to 7cm over the summer.
2) Because I have a history of sarcoma, they MUST rule out uterine sarcoma (an extremely RARE cancer BTW). The only way to do that is through surgical pathology.
3) It would impede fertility.

Once I'm healed up, I will restart Tamoxifen.