Blessing in Disguise

Why can’t I do things the normal, easier way? Ohh no, I like to do my “own things” and really make the doctors work for their money. So instead of just following my normal treatment plan, I like to add in a few detours.

In my previous post, I mentioned the large amount of tests I had done for transplant. Well, I learned the reason for these. On Friday afternoon, we received a call saying that in my MRI, they identified a mass in my left upper thigh. On Monday they would do more tests to figure it out. So, we were left all weekend to worry about the possibilities. Apparently several major departments at St. Jude talked back and forth trying to decide how to identify the mass and the best way to get rid of it.

On Monday I had an ultrasound and they found it was deep, down in the middle of my leg muscle and impossible to feel. After much deliberation, the doctors decided to take it out. To make it easy for the surgeon to find it, using ultrasound, they insert a needle into the mass. The surgeon followed the needle to the mass, so he could avoid any unnecessary cutting/larger incision. He identified the mass as an abscess (a pocket full of infectious material) about the size of a ping pong ball. Wheew, if I had to have a “mass”, hearing it was an abscess was the best thing. It was also good to know the infection was there, so it could be dealt with before transplant.

My leg was so sore that I looked like a great- grandma(complimentary to my mom who exclaimed , “no, you do not look like a grandma, especially since I move better than you… you are more like a great grandma!) I wish I had a video of me moving around and trying to get up. But, now that it has been a week since the surgery, I’m moving MUCH better.

So, after I complained about too many tests...I now need to eat my words. The tests are for a reason, and the MRI was a blessing in disguise. Now, I want them to scan my entire body, catch anything else….I want more tests!