Medically, this has been a really weird week for me. On Monday I collected a 24 hour urine sample as part of a baseline test for preeclampsia. On Tuesday I dropped off my jugs-o-pee at the lab and also had some bloodwork drawn. Then I went to see a dermatologist about a spot on my face that has been getting darker since I got pregnant, and she decided to do a biopsy so now there's a little wound on my face. Yesterday I had a prenatal massage in an attempt to help out with my SI joint pain (which I think has actually improved somewhat...knock on wood!!) Today I was scheduled to have surgery to remove the armpit lump I discovered back in October.
Last week I had a followup consult with the surgeon, where we discovered that the lump had actually shrunk somewhat! Based on the shrinkage and physical manipulation by the surgeon, he determined that the lump was most likely to be a sebaceous cyst, rather than a neural tumor. Although they were pretty sure it was benign to begin with, having it turn out to be a cyst was really good news because it meant there was no cancer risk. But, due to the possibility of the cyst becoming infected (and we all know my track record with infection...the boob wound, in particular, comes to mind) we decided it was safer to still take the cyst out.
So by 8:15 this morning I was sitting in a hospital gown with an IV in place, waiting for the surgeon. But then when the surgeon went to mark the cyst in my armpit he couldn't find it. It appears to have shrunk/disappeared completely since my consult last week! So no surgery necessary!! It's still possible that the cyst could come back or get infected, so I have to keep an eye on the area, but I didn't have to have surgery and this is pretty clear proof that the lump was never something scary, as scary things don't get smaller. It feels good to have some good news after a pretty exhausting week.
Despite all the recent medical excitement, I can't help but be aware that none of these tests/issues are directly related to my RA. Or even indirectly related, for that matter. Even the SI joint pain seems more likely to be related to my pregnancy than my RA. And, though I am unquestionably exhausted, none of my other joints are misbehaving. My body does appear to be functioning pretty well and, as the magical shrinking armpit lump shows, even healing itself.
My point is this: I've been thinking a lot about the R-word lately and wondering if it can be true. APL seems to think it is, but I'm not sure what I think yet. I think I need to think about it a little bit more. But, as soon as I manage to come up with some clear thoughts about the matter, I do promise a post about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment