The Two Day BI Trip

After work yesterday (Mon 4/6/09 (happy bday scott & dickie)) we headed to the Park Plaza in Boston, the best part of our 2 days. After checking in we headed to our room on the 12th floor (did you know the hotel skips the number 13 when counting their floors?) After getting settled and starving we headed to BI. An empty waiting room - what a good sign! It would have been even better if they could find a vein; but nope, we had to wait for an IV nurse to show up (after two missed stabbings). Well 15/20 minutes of hot packs on my arms must do wonders, I might have looked like I had a sunburn but she got the vein. Okay now it's into the small cylinder for 40 minutes. Ear Plugs in (check), Breathing Strap On (check), Lead Weights (check), Emergency Bulb in case I need help (check). 40 minutes later, done - time to eat!

We headed back to the Park Plaza where we went to M.J. O'Connors, an Irish Pub, good food, (they also own The Harp and Ned Divines). Better than dinner was Finale, a dessert place we had seen on Phantom Gourmet - AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!! (highly recommended). Following dessert = sleep!

Good Morning! A nice stroll around Boston, Au Bon Pain coffee and croissant for breakfast (ooo la la), then back to the hospitals. Breathing tests (they make me drool, but quick and painless), lunch (sbarro, great calzone!), then the important stuff, the answers - or so we thought...

So last nights liver MRI showed "suspicious spots on my liver" (didn't we already know this?). The point being that they need to be checked out. I will be going in for a liver biopsy (within the week, tba); however I won't receive results from that until a week following the biopsy (also tba). There was no need to meet with the radiology specialist seeing that the determination of the biopsy might change my treatment in that they will not use radiation.

I have gone back and forth as how much information to post. I came to the conclusion that the reason the doctors went through everything with me is so that I'm not blind-sided come the results of the biopsy, so you all should be given the same respect.

They have reason to believe that the spots on my liver are cancer spots, however they could just be inflamation (please keep this in mind), which is why the biopsy is so neccessary. Unfortunately if I have thymic carcinoma cancer also in my liver then it is not curable and is considered to be on the same line as stage 4 lung cancer. If it is cancer, my treatment will be chemo that will give me the best quality of life with the benefit of extending my life as long as possible. They estimate that I would have about a year left to live. If they can't prove cancer, then they will go ahead and do the previous plan and treat only the thymic carcinomas (two) on my thymus.

I'm sorry to all you who have to find out this information in such an impersonal way; but to reiterate this information to everyone is very difficult for John and I. Our plan, please take our lead is not to jump to conclusions... we do not know anything until we receive the results of the biopsy.. and as always, I will let you know when I know.