I got a phone call yesterday (Thursday) morning.
My almost 85 year old father went to urgent care Wednesday night with an increasingly uncomfortable cough. They sent him to Stanford immediately after taking a chest X-ray. He has a baseball sized mass in his lower left lung.
They did a CT, and aspirated 700 cc of pleural effusion from the pleural space, and sent it to cytology, hoping there will be some results that would indicate either infection or cancer. They gave him antibiotics, just in case, but it was obviously most likely to be late stage lung cancer.
The next step was a biopsy, but whether to do it from the outside, through the chest wall, or by bronchoscopy (requiring anesthesia). The problem is the CT showed the mass had blood vessels and cysts, and enlarged lymph nodes, making a biopsy from the outside harder. They planned to do the bronchoscopy this afternoon, unless the cytology report came in and clearly indicated it was cancer.
Yesterday was the 18th anniversary of the day that Charles and I met - we had dinner plans - and instead, my world turned upside down.
I was in shock, and fear, and didn't know what to do. We are trying to sell our house, and had just signed a short-term listing - but realized we may need to take Dad in for the next while instead, because it is unlikely that his ladyfriend would be able (or willing?) to care for him.
Dad spent a long night alone in the hospital, knowing the likely outcome. I spent a long time trying to sleep too - melatonin wasn't enough; 1/2 a Lunesta wasn't either; finally dug into my old stash of Ativan to get a few hours of rest.
Today, we had to go to a doctor's appointment for Charles in SF, and then went to pick up Dad's ladyfriend (she can't drive anymore) and take her to the hospital, to visit dad before the bronchoscopy.
Apparently, the Jews found out Dad was in the hospital (he and his ladyfriend are members of the Palo Alto temple) - some lovely lady came in and brought him Shabbos gifts, and prayer card and then held his hand and sang some song of blessing for healing - I was standing next to him, holding his head and her hand, and trying to not sob out loud.
After they took him off for the procedure, I drove the ladyfriend home, while Charles tried to extract Dad's car from the hospital impound (Dad drove himself to the ER Wednesday night and didn't remember where the keys were) - mission finally accomplished, and Dad's car parked back at their apartment, we drove the 30 miles home.
The plan was, Dad would be released from the hospital probably tomorrow, while we waited a week or so for the results of the biopsy. Since he was going to be on pain meds, he would take a cab home. We settled into a quiet, sad silence as we drove home.
On the way back, I got a call from the pulmonologist/surgeon who did the biopsy. He was very excited to share his findings with me - when they entered the trachea, they found it to be very floppy and flabby - not stiff and rigid like a trachea is supposed to be, and the same with the bronchae in the left lung. They went to find the enlarged lymph nodes seen on the CT scan - and they had blood vessels in them, and were inflamed looking - not like they had tumor. And the rest of his lung was full of gunk - mucus.
It isn't for sure yet - and of course there COULD be cancer lurking in there - but the doctor was quite sure Dad has this, and NOT CANCER!
https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Health-Conditions/Tracheaobronchomalacia.aspx
I guess they don't see it that often. The doctor was both pleased with himself for the interesting and unexpected diagnosis, and that he didn't have to deliver terrible news.
Not sure what the treatment will be - probably lots of antibiotics, and then breathing treatments, and possibly stenting his trachea and bronchae. But Dad is going to be fine - he's going to live to be at least 101, as planned.
Dad, ladyfriend, my granddaughter from her 1st birthday about 2.5 years ago.:
My almost 85 year old father went to urgent care Wednesday night with an increasingly uncomfortable cough. They sent him to Stanford immediately after taking a chest X-ray. He has a baseball sized mass in his lower left lung.
They did a CT, and aspirated 700 cc of pleural effusion from the pleural space, and sent it to cytology, hoping there will be some results that would indicate either infection or cancer. They gave him antibiotics, just in case, but it was obviously most likely to be late stage lung cancer.
The next step was a biopsy, but whether to do it from the outside, through the chest wall, or by bronchoscopy (requiring anesthesia). The problem is the CT showed the mass had blood vessels and cysts, and enlarged lymph nodes, making a biopsy from the outside harder. They planned to do the bronchoscopy this afternoon, unless the cytology report came in and clearly indicated it was cancer.
Yesterday was the 18th anniversary of the day that Charles and I met - we had dinner plans - and instead, my world turned upside down.
I was in shock, and fear, and didn't know what to do. We are trying to sell our house, and had just signed a short-term listing - but realized we may need to take Dad in for the next while instead, because it is unlikely that his ladyfriend would be able (or willing?) to care for him.
Dad spent a long night alone in the hospital, knowing the likely outcome. I spent a long time trying to sleep too - melatonin wasn't enough; 1/2 a Lunesta wasn't either; finally dug into my old stash of Ativan to get a few hours of rest.
Today, we had to go to a doctor's appointment for Charles in SF, and then went to pick up Dad's ladyfriend (she can't drive anymore) and take her to the hospital, to visit dad before the bronchoscopy.
Apparently, the Jews found out Dad was in the hospital (he and his ladyfriend are members of the Palo Alto temple) - some lovely lady came in and brought him Shabbos gifts, and prayer card and then held his hand and sang some song of blessing for healing - I was standing next to him, holding his head and her hand, and trying to not sob out loud.
After they took him off for the procedure, I drove the ladyfriend home, while Charles tried to extract Dad's car from the hospital impound (Dad drove himself to the ER Wednesday night and didn't remember where the keys were) - mission finally accomplished, and Dad's car parked back at their apartment, we drove the 30 miles home.
The plan was, Dad would be released from the hospital probably tomorrow, while we waited a week or so for the results of the biopsy. Since he was going to be on pain meds, he would take a cab home. We settled into a quiet, sad silence as we drove home.
On the way back, I got a call from the pulmonologist/surgeon who did the biopsy. He was very excited to share his findings with me - when they entered the trachea, they found it to be very floppy and flabby - not stiff and rigid like a trachea is supposed to be, and the same with the bronchae in the left lung. They went to find the enlarged lymph nodes seen on the CT scan - and they had blood vessels in them, and were inflamed looking - not like they had tumor. And the rest of his lung was full of gunk - mucus.
It isn't for sure yet - and of course there COULD be cancer lurking in there - but the doctor was quite sure Dad has this, and NOT CANCER!
https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Health-Conditions/Tracheaobronchomalacia.aspx
I guess they don't see it that often. The doctor was both pleased with himself for the interesting and unexpected diagnosis, and that he didn't have to deliver terrible news.
Not sure what the treatment will be - probably lots of antibiotics, and then breathing treatments, and possibly stenting his trachea and bronchae. But Dad is going to be fine - he's going to live to be at least 101, as planned.
Dad, ladyfriend, my granddaughter from her 1st birthday about 2.5 years ago.:
