Lymph node biopsy

This is my last of the tests (I think) before chemo starts. Compared to yesterday, this was a breeze, although it was a deeper procedure. The doctor wanted to do a biopsy on cancer infected lymph node, so I got the full surgery treatment. Fancy hospital gown, IV in the hand funny little surgery hat...everything. They walked me to the operating room and I was surprised at how large it was. I have only seen operating rooms on TV, so it was interesting to see the real equipment. There were a few unsettling sights. The first one to catch my eye was the table where I would lay. I had always imagined that surgery would take place on a bed similar to the ones in a hospital room. That was not the case. In the middle of the operating room was a long vinyl bench looking thing, with arm supports sticking out perpendicular to the main bench. I was startled because it looked exactly like the gurney's you see on TV for a lethal injection room.

Anyway, they asked me to lie down and they were nice enough to cover me up with blankets because it was really cold in the room. Then I saw the surgeon standing next to me and I remember telling him "You are going to freeze!" because he was wearing a scrub shirt with the tiniest shortest sleeves. They must have given me the gas right then, but I don't remember it. The very next thing I knew, I was sitting in a chair and somebody was talking to me.

I have had no pain from the surgery, but I do feel really unstable on my feet and very tired. I guess that is from the anesthesia. I had no nausea problems and was eating soup, crackers and some chili by the end of the day.

My only regret with today is that I missed seeing the live inauguration. Angela and I had made plans to drive up to DC on Sunday and take Dominic to the National Mall so we could be a part of the event. We have some high school marching band clients who had been invited to perform in the inaugural parade, so we really wanted to be there for them and for the history of the moment. Mr. Cancer took away that opportunity and that is why I am going to beat the shit out of Mr. Cancer.

Bone marrow biopsy

No doubt about it, this was the worst thing to happen since I was told I have cancer. A bone marrow biopsy involves sticking a huge needle (roughly the size of a broom handle), through your backside, through your hip bone and into the bone marrow. A sample of the marrow got sucked out and sent to a lab. Funny thing, I thought it would be gray or brownish like in a ham bone, but it looked like blood! My back has been sore all day and sudden movements are a little painful.

Echo and PET scan

When the radiologist explained to me that an echocardiogram is an ultra-sound test of the heart, I was relieved. I had seen my wife receive an ultra-sound when she was pregnant and it looked painless, easy and even a little exciting because I could watch the monitor displaying my heart. Everything was going fine until the technician decided I should also get a bubble test. So, we moved on from the safety of a simple ultra-sound wand to the pain of injecting a large IV needle and flushing it out with lots of saline. I was not happy about that, but the test was successful and I walked out feeling confident that my heart was healthy.

Later in the afternoon, I went to another office where I would get my PET scan. If you are not familiar with this process, it is a whole body scan in a long tubular CT scan machine. Before heading into the tube though, I had to get another IV injection. But this is no ordinary injection. The juice is a radioactive compound that will be soaked up by any cancerous cells and glow a bright color when scanned by the CT machine. This helps the oncologist determine where in my body the cancer is present. The whole test lasts about an hour and a half and is completely painless. The only uncomfortable part is the "banana smoothie" I am given to coat my stomach. If a smoothie shop started serving banana smoothies that taste like that piece of crap they would quickly go out of business.