I had my Sando shot appointment on Tuesday so I mentioned it to the nurse. She went and got one of the PA's to come and see me. I think I should have just called my surgeon but I didn't want to. I don't know why I fear looking like a hypochondriac! I really was in a lot of pain! Anyway, the NP wanted me to go get a CT Scan of my lungs because it could be a pulmonary embolism (blood clot). They scheduled it for the next morning. I went in and had it, after which the tech let me look at it (I asked her if she saw anything and she said nothing that looked like blood clot or fluid on my lungs). We could see my liver so we looked at that and you can see surgical clips or something where he excised one of the tumors. Pretty cool.
She had me go wait in the waiting room until the radiologist looked at it (PE's can be life-threataning). She poked her head out and gave me the "all clear". I had just made it to my car when my cell phone rang. It was her, the tech. The radiologist wanted me to come back in because he saw something in my liver that concerned him. So I went back and hoped up on the scanner and got my abdomen scanned! Kind of funny, really.
He saw fluid and air around the areas of tumor excision, which could be tumor necrosis caused or it could indicate infection. He said he would call my doc and that they would call me for follow-up. The NP called me a couple hours later and said they wanted me to go back in for another CT of abdomen and pelvis--this time with contrast. I had only IV Contrast for the chest CT. I wasn't too thrilled about having to drink that crappy contrast!
I haven't heard back on the 2nd scan yet. I do have a follow-up appointment with the NP on Monday. I think the pain is a little less severe today. Either that or the pain from my sando shot is so bad it is masking the other pain. My butt and leg are still killing me, which is unusual for me for it to last this long. Usually two days and I'm pretty much over it. It's been three.
I think I should have called my surgeon. He probably would have had me come in but he may have also known what this is without all the scans. Maybe it is normal? I keep checking my online health system to see if the report is there yet. The first one was there within two hours! They were really busy yesterday though so maybe the radiologist hasn't had time to transcribe it yet. I'm curious to see if it is any different than the first one. I may call my surgeon if it sounds like they want anymore follow-up tests. I hate to waste money. Even if it's insurance money!
A few other interesting findings from my first scan. They noted a "tiny 2 mm nodule within the inferior
anterior aspect of the right upper lobe. No specific followup for this small finding is recommended
according to Fleischner Society guidelines". Also, there is small retro-esophageal and
para-aortic lymph node identified within the mid chest. Now, why do they even mention those? Is it because they should not be noticeable? Are they of concern? Are they normal findings? I just wonder...
Hopefully, this is something that will resolve on its own but just needs watching. At least I got my follow-up scan to see what my liver looks like! It just happened a little sooner than I though it would. I'll keep you posted!
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