The Big C Comes Calling

Desert sky, North Scottsdale, Arizona

 

I've already broken my vow to blog every day this month, but this time it wasn't due to procrastination. I've been diagnosed with lung cancer, which kind of knocked me for a loop.

 

I had read that a mass in a lung is almost always cancer, but somehow I wasn't prepared for the idea that it could apply to ME. But, as my doctor informed me Thursday, it does.

 

There is good news, however, and that has managed to keep my outlook positive. My oncologist believes the cancer was detected early and that there's a good chance that surgery might remove it entirely.

 

It's early days yet and I have to have few more tests to determine if the doctor is correct. Next week he wants me to have a PET scan, which detects cancer anywhere except the brain, and a CT scan of my brain. I have a copay for both procedures, but I think I should get a refund if the CT scan fails to find any brain at all, which is entirely possible. The oncologist is also scheduling an appointment with a lung surgeon, so no time is being wasted.

 

Is it scary? It may be, depending on the test results. The idea of surgery doesn't thrill me, but if it has to be, it has to be. I know so little yet that, aside from the first moments of panic, I'm not wasting emotion on what may or may not lie ahead.

 

That's why I chose this photo for today's post. Storm clouds are gathering, but there's still a glimpse of blue sky hanging in there, just like me.

 

I'll let you know how it goes and if you have a story to tell or just want to say hi, feel free to add a comment below.

 

Till next time,