So it's been over a year now since that initial trip to the ER. How has it been? A whirlwind. I attracted and retained a few clients under my new business (or as an independent contractor). That has died off a bit and I'm exploring if perhaps I'm just burnt out. So my next chapter will be really reflecting on what I want to do in the next couple of decades to be happy and make enough money to retire at some point. If you know of any money-making opportunities or connections for work, share away!

My last follow-up CT scan was 364 days after that first scary finding that mentioned the C words. The exact sentence in case you forgot was "Findings are concerning for bronchogenic carcinoma with nodal metastases."  I've pasted the boring scan readings below if you're so inclined to read them.  Today I met with the Pulmonologist to follow up on the most recent scan, compared to those in the last year. The doc gave me the option to meet with either the Pulmonologist or the Oncologist but, I never got to having an appointment with the oncologist and the pulmonologist was harassing me about an annual follow-up anyway so I went with him. He was very happy with the fact that nothing was growing. He said basically, something concerning is there but we don't exactly know what it is. So we'll watch it and if it continues to shrink, good. We just don't want it to grow. If it grows then we're going to really look into what is going on. I asked if there was any reason to meet with an oncologist and if there was any poking or prodding we can do to find out what made it appear. He kind of just shrugged and told me that there was nothing for us to go off of or look for. I should be concerned if I start getting fevers or having any sudden ill health, but otherwise, it could just be some strange thing that happened in my life that caused this response and we may never know what. Ironically, I left my job a year ago and almost immediately had the accidental discovery. And then from there in the last year, it's gotten better. Was my job or work a contributing factor in the possible environmental stressor? 

With all this being said, I'm still nervous when a test comes up or a complication arises. Any medical appointment or any standard health issues (say a cold or ear infection) allow the tiny voice in my head to say, will this finally be the cancer or will we find something else unknown like last time? But all of the worry and stress that I went through in this last year is ONE experience I hope I've learned from, grew from and am now equipped to live at least another decade worrying less and being around for everyone.

FINDINGS:

Lungs:

* Multinodular soft tissue opacity, tracking along the bronchovascular bundle and with additional soft tissue components broad-based towards the interlobar fissure in the anterobasal segment of right lower lobe, relatively unchanged since 4/12/2022.

* Nonspecific 2 mm nodule in the right lower lobe (series 6: Image 260) and lingular segment (series 6: Image 282), stable.

* Stable right upper lobe calcified granuloma.

Pleura: No pleural effusions.

Mediastinum: Prominent and mildly enlarged right mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes noted as described below. Dimensions represent short axis measurement.

* Lower paratracheal/right hilar lymph node measures 6.5 mm, stable (series 5: Image 197)

* Hilar lymph node measures 10 mm (previously 12 mm) (series 5: Image 22)

* Hilar lymph node measures 9 mm, stable (series 5: Image 241)

* Interlobar lymph node measures 8 mm (previously 10 mm) (series 5: Image 251)

* Segmental lymph node measures 13 mm (previously 18 mm) (series 5: Image 253)

* Subsegmental lymph node measures 7 x 14 mm (previously 12 x 18 mm) (series 5: Image 268)

* Subsegmental lymph node measures 5 mm, stable (series 5: Image 276)