Answers, Assurances, and Advances

Today I am grateful for doctors who are patient with their patients and for new slippers that are comfortable and cozy.

Yesterday I accompanied Darcy to his appointments with a pulmonologist and a thoracic surgeon.
We left with some answers and some appreciation for medical professionals and the technological advances that help them do their jobs.

Darcy's tumor is a hamartoma, a benign growth that can occur in various places around the body. The location of his, in the bronchus, is actually quite rare. Many hamartoma are never discovered and never cause any problems. Because his is basically blocking a small airway, it was leading to recurring pneumonia. It needs to come out and that's what yesterday's appointments centered on--what is the best approach to removing it?

We met with the pulmonologist first, who had spoken to the other pulmonologist who had done the first bronchoscopy. She conferred with the thoracic surgeon, who then met with us. This multi-disciplinary approach is becoming more common. I know Darcy and I both appreciated it. We got information we could understand. We got our questions answered. We got reassurance.

Any procedure carries risk and I will be nervous for Darcy when he goes in for an advanced bronchoscopy procedure to remove the tumor in January, but it amazes me what they can do with medical technology. It is a non-invasive, same-day procedure. Not every facility is set up for these and a limited number of doctors are trained in doing them. It was reassuring to hear that the pulmonologist doing Darcy's procedure has twenty years of experience and is fresh off additional training.

We appreciate that we live in an area where such medical care is available. Many are not so fortunate.

With answers and assurances yesterday, we await the procedure; confident that the advanced bronchoscopy will be successful.