I spent the past three weeks since diagnosis in a holding pattern. Each day, I make phone calls, I wait for records and wait for imaging and wait for one doctor’s office to call another.
I wait each day for the thoracic surgeon’s office from Cleveland Clinic to call and let me know they reviewed the records, they looked at the imaging studies, and they contacted the offices and it’s time to make the appointment. But the day they contact me doesn’t come. I fill my time with gardening, cleaning, audiobooks, and sewing.
Cleveland Clinic originally told me one week until they scheduled the appointment with the thoracic surgeon. It’s been three. Slowly, my patience disappears. But my hope stays strong. No matter what happens, I hold on to the hope that I can and will make it through this.
Each day wears on me. I wonder what comes next. I worry about surgery and recovery and what will happen. Will I need chemo or radiation? Or will surgery take care of everything? I wonder how many more days I will spend in a holding pattern.
At least in the process, I collected a CD with images of my tumor. I now share them with you while I remain in this holding pattern and continue to wait. The last update I heard was that I should hear from them by tomorrow. Maybe it will be the day?
The tumor currently measures 2.2 cm x 1.9 cm, or in inches for everyone else, it is .87 in x .75 in I am considered to be in Stage IA2. And as much as I complain about waiting, I’m very grateful that I’m not a case that needs to be urgently rushed in to the surgeon!