New Year's Eve...the beginning of...whatever this is...

I haven't talked about much lately, because life is stressful...the ladies in the Cabal know pretty much what's going on...and they're an awesome support to me...here goes...

New year's eve, I ended up sitting a couple hours in the ER where I work...not as an employee but as a patient. It's always amazing to me that as soon as you make the decision to go to the Dr's or Urgent care...as soo as you get there...all the symptoms that worried you decide to take a hike.

I had been having some shortness of breath for a couple of days, and while at work that particular day, I felt like I was going to pass out and got light headed...or is it got lightheaded like I was gonna pass out? Whatever...So, they started by doing a chest xray to see if there was pneumonia or whatever...the ER doctor comes back with this...

That, my friends, is a 10cm x 8cm mass on the upper right lobe of my lung.

Long story short...after lots of Doctor visits. Retarted doctors and great doctors...I have been classified as "Unique." I have found out that I have a Factor XII deficiency (has to do with blood clotting factors in your blood), which is so rare that the Hematology Oncologist I saw said, "This is something we see in text books but never in patients." Great! I have also found out that the type of Tumor in the pleural space of my right lung is so rare it has only been documented in a couple hundred patients.

I REALLY should have bought a lotto ticket!

None of the doctors/surgeons/specialists I have seen think that my continued shortness of breath has anything to do with the mass on my lung...fine...so we've done about half a dozen tests to find out what's causing it. I have had lots of CT scans, all normal with the exception that there's a mass in my lung. Plumonary Function Test was Normal. Echo of my heart was Normal. Methacholine challenge test (tests asthma) was Normal. This is why my Pulmonologist called me Unique...I called my self a Medical Mystery Freak...he chuckled and said, "we use the word, Unique" Whatever...haha

The tumor is not malignant. I had a needle biopsy done. But, because of the rareness of the tumor, there is concern that other parts of the tumor could have abnormal cells. When will hilskie have surgery, you ask? I have no clue. The doctors want to make sure there isn't something else going on with the shortness of breath. Who knows...maybe they'll get in and find that it has infiltrated my lung...

Being overweight there are a lot of risks doing a thoracic surgery. There could be some chest wall reconstruction along with this surgery...the tumor has to come out in one piece. OF COURSE! It's not like I woke up one morning and was suddenly overweight, I have been my whole life...but I have NEVER had shortness of breath. Try to convince doctors of that!

So...I'm not dieing...yet. But...I assume this will be an even more long and drawn out process...we're going on month 6 with this crap. I am done...don't want to do it anymore. Nope! However I am going to a great hospital down in Seattle. And, I finally have doctors that are listening to what I have to say. Thank goodness! For those of you who have known what's going on...thank you for your prayers and concern! It means so much to me!

This is truely a great community!