So here's the scoop

For the past month and a half Mom has had a change in her cough along with some chills and then night sweats. She decided it was time to go to the doctor. She went in to see our regular doctor, Dr. Davis. At first, it was thought she just had bronchitis, but it was found that Mom has lost some weight. She is now a whopping 104 pounds! She says she forgot to wear her heavy shoes. Anyways, it was the loss in weight that prompted Dr. Davis to get a chest x-ray. When Dr. Davis preliminarily looked at the film she saw a small area that looked like pneumonia but the film needed to be read by a Radiologist at Cass Regional Medical Center (Cass). Mom was given antibiotics and began feeling better. Her chills and night sweats started to go away.

On Friday, February 20th, Mom got the call that the Radiologist had read the chest x-ray didn't like what it said so they strongly suggested she get a CT Scan to determine what is there. She had the CT scan done on Monday February 23rd in the morning. What a long few hours until we all started getting anxious and calling the clinic for results. I was at work and called the clinic for Dad and spoke with Dr. Davis' nurse Sheila. She is awesome and really got the ball rolling for the results. Sheila called me back a few minutes later and asked me if I was with Mom. I was not. I told her that I would call them and tell them to come in but I was on my way from work. My typical hour drive somehow became a mere 35 minutes. Thank God for green lights and good rush hour traffic! Mom & Dad decided to go ahead and get the news. I walked in the exam room for the recap.

Dr. Davis laid out the CT scan results for us:

"Right upper lung mass 5cm to 14cm (about the size of a grapefruit). Strongly suggestive of lung cancer." She has a small pericardial effusion that Dr. Davis probably thinks is due to irritation from the pneumonia and the size of the mass. There are also small areas on her liver that were to small to tell if they could be metastatic lesions or nothing at all. They immediately started talking to us about future appointments with specialists and they would do everything in their power to get them as soon as possible.

Words can't express how grateful we are for Dr. Davis and Sheila's help in getting the ball rolling. Those two are going to be a huge support for Mom and our family. They laughed when I said that it was times like this that I hated the RN behind my name, which is what I needed. I went in to the clinic this morning at 9:30 to get a printed copy of the CT report for Mom's new "Big Bad Binder" and they were wonderful, I got the report and her appointments were already scheduled. God is really watching over Mom because there was a cancellation and her appointment with Dr. Brook, the pulmonary doctor was at 10:30 at Cass. Her cardiology appointment is this Friday the 27th at 3:00 to check her heart out due to this pericardial effusion.

So Mom, Patsy, Dottie, and I headed for Harrisonville. There, the CNA had Mom do a Wright Peak Flow (WPF). I told Mom that I didn't think it really meant anything since it wasn't done right (from how I've seen them done). Mom was sitting slouched over with legs crossed and she told her to blow into it once with a whopping reading of 112. I thought you had to be sitting straight up, feet flat on the floor and the WPF blown into 3 separate times....but whatever. (Yes, these blogs will include nursing critique by me, sorry, that's just me!)

She then met with Tonya, a respiratory therapist, for a Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) to check lung capacities and volumes and flow rates...I'll admit it, I think I didn't pay attention during that unit in school. But it didn't look like the results were any different before and after the albuterol treatment on the computer screen.

She then met with Dr. Brook. He came in and did a very thorough physical exam and health history. Then we got down to the nitty-gritty. He popped up the chest x-ray and showed us the area that the Radiologist circled. That little hazy area didn't look anything like the larger white areas on the CT scan. On the CT you could see the mass as clear as day. The mass is too large to remove surgically at this point. He laid it out, "Given your family history of lung cancer and your history, this mass is guilty until proven innocent." He said the next step would to get a PET scan. According to Tonya, this "is the cancer test". This test is similar to a CT scan but the contrast used is radioactive and it attaches to malignant cells showing up as "hot spots". This test will tell if indeed it is the big "C" and if it is just in the lung tissue or if it has spread anywhere else. The PET scan is scheduled for Saturday, February 28th, Jodie & Jason's moving day. She goes back for the results on Wednesday March 4th with Dr. Salamat, Dr. Brook's partner. Again another date that God was watching over her. There was another cancellation that day.

Depending on the results of the PET scan will depend on the next step. If it is localized to the lung, then they will do a bronchoscopy to biopsy the mass to determine the type of cancer and staging.....if it's cancer (let's keep saying "if it's cancer). If it extends outside the lung to the mediastinum (the space between the lungs where lymph nodes are) then they will add a mediastinoscopy where they will make a small incision at the base of her neck and scope down behind her sternum and biopsy the lymph nodes there as well. This sounds a little more invasive to me.

(Her right and left lungs are where the arrows are and they should look alike. They don't, the left arrow is her right lung. That is where the mass is.)

Dr. Brook also told us that due to the "guilty until proven innocent" nature of the mass that it is possible, depending in the type and stage, that reducing the size could be possible for surgical removal later, but be prepared for chemo and radiation.

They also told her that she needs to be nutritionally sound. AKA, she could stand to gain a little weight. We're working on that with her. Wouldn't we all love to have a shake with all three meals?

She is doing amazingly well. She is liking all of the extra time we are spending together as a family with all the kids around. She also went and purchased a new Red Rider BB Gun to go shoot things with Jeremy......Oh by the way, she's retiring! Dad is staying strong for her, I think he is needing a little TLC as well. Jason, Jodie, and I are faring pretty well. I don't know about them, but there are four little words that get me every time-How are you doing?

I'll try to update this as much as possible. Mom was excited about the idea of doing this to keep family and friends up on what's going on. We do have an amazing family. One where word travels FAST, 12 hours and family in the Ozarks and even in Utah are calling to check on "Aunt Sandi". I keep telling Tim I have the most awesome family EVER!

Thank you all for all the prayers and well wishes. We will definitely need them in the weeks ahead. Please, do not hesitate to call or even drop in for a visit. It's an open door policy at the Beatty house...unless they're at the boat!