Yesterday I went with Pete to his appointment with Dr. E, the neurosurgeon. He wasn't happy to have me tagging along, but I'm glad I went even though he pretty much gave me the silent treatment to show his displeasure. I can understand his reluctance on one level, and my intention is certainly not to make him feel that he is incapable of doing things or taking care of himself. I just believe that it is in his, and my, best interest to be his "co-pilot" on this journey; to be a second pair of ears and to help him ask questions, not because he can't do these things himself, but because sometimes your mind takes you in one direction, while missing what may be in another. I am there to support him, as well as for my own peace of mind.
We sat in the waiting room for some time before getting called in to see the doctor. Sitting was very uncomfortable for Pete as he has had a flare up of his lower back problems. He's suffered with pain (herniated disks) that radiates down one or both legs for several years, and sitting for any length of time can quickly become excruciatingly uncomfortable for him.
When we were finally called in Dr. E went through the films and put a couple of them to the viewing light. He pointed out the area where the first tumor was removed and noted a small white spot that he said was most likely scar tissue from the surgery and he began to take the films down. That caused a bit of confusion as that tumor was on the left side and the spot that had been indicated on the report said it was on the right, so we questioned him about that. He looked at the films, then went to the report and re-read it, and sure enough, it did identify a small spot on the right. Back to the films, he shuffled them around, put 2 more up and studied them. Finally he pointed out a very small white spot, barely visible on the right side (left side of the film image since everything is reversed) and said that it might be this that they were referring to as he couldn't find any other spot.
The fact that he had difficulty finding the spot that the radiologist had mentioned in the report actually made me feel a bit better. For one thing, it confirmed the fact that it is indeed very minute, so it may be the "blood vessel on end" as the Dr. W2 (radiation oncologist) mentioned. The other is that, though Dr. E (neurosurgeon) had to take a second look to find what was identified in the report, the radiologist, the specialist in reading and interpreting films, did make note of it as something to be monitored closely with another follow-up MRI.
This morning Pete had a Contrast-cocktail to drink at 7 AM and another at 9 before his CT scan scheduled for 10. This is to check the status of his lung mets/chest/pelvis/etc. The actual results/report will be presented by Dr. W (hematology oncologist) when he goes in for the next round of chemo this coming Tues, Wed & Thurs.
He's scheduled to work tomorrow after an early morning appointment with the neurologist. If he ever does need to see a neurologist after this, he will seek out a different doctor. Considering all the doctors he has visited in the past year or so, this is the only one with whom Pete had not been pleased, as mentioned before.
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