First you pray

Mr. Wonderful had a nasty sinus infection last Christmas.  It just would not go away.  He saw our family doctor for 2 rounds of antibiotics and then a round of steroids.  Around March, he started saying that he needed to see an ENT - so I gave him the name of one to call.  April and May came and went and he still complained, but did not make that appointment.  FINALLY, in June, I called the doctor and informed Mr. W that he was to see this new doctor the following week.

The doctor sees a "mass" in Mr. W's right nostril and immediately sends him for a CT Scan.  That was right before 4th of July weekend.  We were told that the doctor would have the results in a week.  2 days later, we get a call that the doctor wants to see him right away.  He was referred to another specialist at LIJ Hospital.

This new doctor looks at the scan, peeks up Mike's nose and says, "Oh boy, that's gotta come out!  No hurry, though, whenever you are ready, we will operate and you will breathe a whole lot better."  He explained that this mass started up by the frontal lobe of Mike's brain and travelled down the sinus path into his nostril.  He assured us that this is never malignant.

We were not waiting.  I started the process that afternoon.  We were fortunate to be squeezed into the schedule on August 8.  The surgery went smoothly.  The doc explained that this mass was even creeping down the back of Mike's throat!  He said Mike would be a new man and his appetite should pick up too.  YAY!!!

Imagine our shock when we were called by the surgeon's office to come in "right away".  Although I did not like the sense of urgency, I assured Mike that it was probably just protocol to release him as a patient.  Boy, was I wrong!  The pathology came back on the "mass" as a malignancy.  The doctor had the results for over a week, but continued to send them out to other places for clarification (Mayo Clinic, Boston, the Army, etc.)

We were then sent into a whirlwind of appointments - within 10 days, we met with the surgeon, went for a Pet Scan, had a biopsy done on a "suspicious" lymph node", met with a radiologist who would perform radiation therapy and a doctor who would administer chemotherapy.  All reports have been sent to Sloan Kettering for another opinion, as well.  All the ground work is laid, but we are still waiting for the final pathology to proceed. 

They have narrowed it down to 2 possibilities.  A Neuroblastoma of the Olfactory System or a Neuroendocrine Tumor.  Both are rare, both are aggressive.

First, I prayed...... now I ask you to pray for us, too...