Yet another set-back

More headaches

We thought things were looking pretty good. The uncertainty surrounding the PET Scan results was laid to rest since there was no more cancer discovered in the mouth.

They did find a small mass in the lower right lung that appeared to be cancerous. The next step was to see my oncologist, have him review the findings and determine the new plan.

This plan, as we understood it, would include a fine needle biopsy of the tissue in the lung and then move forward - possibly involving surgery followed by chemotherapy to assure that new little beast was gone for good.

Well we got the oncologist's office early since we were anxious and looking forward to getting this surprise phase of the roller coaster ride off to a smooth start.

No such luck. I had blood drawn and my port flushed as part of the normal procedure at the oncologist. Once we met with the doctor, he said it was all put on hold since the surgeon's office failed to send the full PET Scan report.

He will need to get that information and then schedule another appointment to discuss those results. This is what we were supposed to do at the appointment today.

The oncologist will need to determine if this cancer discovered in my lung is a separate cancer incident or is secondary to the mouth cancer. In other words, did the cancer spread.

I have a return to work order scheduled for December 1. Now, we don't know if that is a good date or not. I may need surgery again and see what follow-up treatment will be administered.

I posted my displeasure on facebook and someone at the hospital did not appreciate the negative reference for the public to see. They contacted me within the hour and asked if I would message them with a phone contact number. I complied immediately, then waited. Again. For over an hour and by that time it was past 5:00 pm so we assumed this was going to be first on the agenda tomorrow.

We want to get this behind us. We want to celebrate a newly-declared cancer-free status and start our lives over with a whole new outlook. Instead, we wait.

Update: November 20, 11:27 am. Someone from the hospital left a reply on my facebook page indicating a patient care representative will "reach out" to me today (sounds familiar for some reason). This is the response:

Florida Hospital Altamonte Hi Bruce,
We apologize for the delay in response and have contacted a patient experience representative who will reach out to you today.

In the meantime, I will wait. Again.