Hi all!!! Sorry I'm a bit late, but GMail didn't want to work last night, and I was too tired to be patient!!!
The good news is that there is still no sign of tumor via bronchoscopy. That's no change from the last bronch 2-3 months ago.
The bad news -- though Al doesnt' seem fazed by it -- is that his right vocal chord appears to be paralyzed. Dr. Berquist says this is no doubt the result of his radiation treatments. And he expects it's permanent. My only thought was "I'm never going to hear my sweetheart's natural voice again." Al's comment was "why didn't he tell us about this BEFORE now???" He also wonders whether it's always been that way, as he had a freak accident as a toddler that affected his vocal cords. So when we see Dr. Berquist next week, we're going to ask a few more questions than I had the presence of mind for.
Dr. Berquist also commented how much swelling Al has in his throat, and believes this edema would be decreased with a CPAP machine to relieve his sleep apnea. We've done this before, if you'll recall, after his bypass surgery in 2000. This version makes more sense to us both, so we're going forward with it. I think Al's relieved to know this on-again, off-again swelling really ISN'T just in his mind, and more importantly, there's probably something we can do about it.
Now he's anxious to get Dr. Beck to order that PET scan. I'm anxious to see what the CT scan reveals -- we'll have that news on Monday morning. So I'll update you again Monday evening.
Hope all is going well with all of you. We're both looking forward to our annual Valentine tradition tomorrow -- going to the Wichita Garden Show, and spending the day away from home alone together. Thanks for keeping us in your heart.
xoxoxo
Sharon
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