Bad news
So, some of you know that I've been sick since Mid-December or so. (Some of you don't.) Other's know, that in March they finally diagnosed what was wrong with me.
Now, for this you need a little history. When I was 8 I was diagnosed with a Wilm's Tumor in my right kidney. Wilm's tumors are a type of kids cancer that generally have something like a 90% survival rate. After the removal of the kidney, two years of chemo, and some radiation, I was fine. Fourteen years passed and they were calling me cured.
Until this February, when a trip to the family doctor's for wheezing landed me in emergency for a week, and I got stuck in the hospital for ten days. It took them another week after that, but eventually they diagnosed my breathing problems as partially a collapsed lung and partially a WIlm's Tumor relapse.
So I've been kicking around sine February, getting various tests and chemotherapy every three weeks. Due to the fairly intense chemo schedule, I gave up on university classes after the first two weeks. The discovery that the chemo tanks my counts so badly for two weeks that I have absolutely no way to fight off infection also helped the decision. So mostly, I've been doing way too much reading, and spending obscene amounts of time on the computer.
In August, they finally offered me the surgery I was supposed to get in May. The surgeon had been stalling, because what they were planning to do to me was not how they usually go about treating adult lung cancer (which is seriously nasty stuff, btw). Fortunately, my cancer is a different type, and probably wouldn't spread if they tried to operate. SO, they would be taking out part of my left lung...
Of course, that isn't quite what I heard when I woke up. I got the wonderful news that, "Oh, we had to take out the entire lung." Excuse me, what?! Ha, I thought it was a bad dream. As I recovered though, I realized it wasn't quite as bad as I'd thought. One of my Dad's friends knows a guy that runs marathon's with one lung, and another that plays hockey with only one lung. I didn't really notice any shortness of breath, so it seemed to be going well. The surgeon thought he'd gotten 95% of the cancer, with just a few little remnants left.
Until, about three weeks after surgery my elbow suddenly felt as if I was smacking my funny bone repeatedly against a wall. So we called the surgeon to see if he thought it was part of the surgery pain. He said it sounded like a nerve thing, and that we should talk to our family doctor. So we went to our (completely useless) family doctor who said he _might_ be able to get us in to see a specialist in three months or so. So we went in instead to my doctor at the cancer clinic... Who on hearing my faint, "Could it be the line in my arm?" Promptly took the line out to almost immediate relief of the pain.
So my elbow was taken care of, everything is hunky dory right? Not so much. Now my back was aching, and suddenly a few days later I discovered that along with the cramps, my stomach was suddenly distended. After an hour late one evening chain dry heaving we finally got the go ahead to hit up emergency, who proceeded to turn various tests... Blood, Urine, Ultrasound. The first two came back fine, the later was a bit inconclusive as they could tell something in my abdomen was swollen, but not what.
So they sent me in for a CAT scan this morning. I knew the news was not good as soon as a social worker showed up with my doctor to give me the news.
In the something like three months since my last scan, the cancer has spread a great deal. Turns out the cancer is not only IN my abdomen (causing the swelling+pain), but in my liver and right lung as well.
So yeah... Basically I don't know how long I have, but it isn't much. I'm toast.
So, if you feel like chatting with me if you happen to catch me online, feel free to so so. However, at the risk of weirding people out I'll be leaving anyone that doesn't message me first well alone. *nod*
Thanks for the fun, guys.