Wednesday, June 25, 2008

This one is about Me

Today I had an appointment with a specialist in Nashville, Tn at Vanderbilt. You see, about 3 months ago I had a spot (looked more like a large zit) on my nose (I know....attractive huh?) Anyway, I went to my PCP and he thought he had gotten all of it out but within a week it was the same so I went back to him. He decided it was a cyst and referred me to a dermatologist. That doctor did a punch removal of the core of the cyst and that was send off for evaluation. Eight weeks later.........do you hear me? Eight weeks later I was told over the phone that I have been diagnosed with T-cell Lymphoma. Needless to say that was a hard thing to swallow, especially since I was told this possible devastating news over the telephone. To make a long story a bit shorter I was referred to Dr. Zic at Vanderbilt. In the meantime, before my appointment in Nashville, my PCP Dr Turnbo (my hero) ordered a complete CAT scan with contrast from head to toe, literally. That testing came back as normal which was a giant relief. But I still would not believe it until the specialist, Dr. Zic said so. Well this morning about 9:30 Dr. Zic said so. He said that it is a very treatable cancer. Looks like I will have 2-3 weeks of radiation to my nose. If all goes well I will not need to go back to Dr. Zic for 2 years. What a relief! There have been lots of prayers going upstairs for me and I appreciate it.

Dr. Zic said there are all kinds of T-Cell Lymphomas out there. Mine is quite rare. He compared it to about 3 people out of 10 million would have this particular type. But the main thing is that it is treatable and also not hereditary so my kids have nothing to fear along that line.

So I will see my wonderful PCP Dr Turnbo tomorrow afternoon and get everything set up for treatment. I am so lucky to have found this early, had it seen about early and got into the specialist within 3 weeks. All in all everything pertaining to this scare has been blessed. I thank The Good Lord above for that.

I just wanted to share with you what has been going on the past few months with me. I am so thankful the outcome was good. We have every reason to believe it will be treated and gone.

I've been saying it and I say it again............Life is Good!

10 comments:

Lou said...

Whew!Big sigh of relief.
I'm smiling with you!

Scott W said...

You will sleep like a baby tonight. I love you.

dAAve said...

The results are GREAT and certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Trail Riding Cowgirl said...

Hi just found your blog via another one I read. You are blessed and I am glad things are better than feared. Have had some scares this year myself and let's you realize how precious life is.
Life is Good!
Carolyn

Karen said...

I feel so relieved for you. You must feel that a huge weight has been lifted from your shoulders. You're absolutely right -- life IS good!

Hugs, K

Momma / Cowgirl said...

I am so glad to hear you found this early and will get the necessary treatment. I have had 3 bouts of skin cancer and know what a scare, then joy it can be to know it is treatable.
Take care of yourself!

Zanejabbers said...

Prayer is powerful. Kudos.

Patricia Marie said...

Great news.

Melanie said...

Trailboss-
Wow! That is definitely a lot to swallow over the phone! I am glad that you are keeping such a positive outlook. I will send some love your way:)

Pony Girl said...

My mom, and a good friend of mine, both had small patches of something unusual on their faces that they had biosied. Luckily both were basal cell, but, my friend had to have hers dug out quite a bit and it left a scar. It is scary stuff. I know someone who just had routine dental care and they found a suspicious spot on his tongue. A week later he's had part of his tongue removed. His cancer is actually a worse kind (squamous cell), but luckily it hadn't spread to the lymph nodes. I tell you this because this type of thing is becoming more and more common. The most important thing we can do is be vigilant and get checks! I go to the dermatalogist for a mole/skin check every year. I was a sunworshiper for years...tanning beds, the whole works. I am a breeding ground for skin cancer. It terrifies me!!
Thank you for sharing your story. It also helps promote awareness. We all have things on our skin that we wonder what it is or where it came from, how long it's been there....the important thing is that if people suspect anything slightly abnormal, they need to go have it checked!
It must be such a relief to get good news!! Whew! Take care.