Crazy day at Pittsburgh

I will start with Saturday (7/30), which turned out to be a disaster. First of all, the power went out, so we couldn't watch TV and the boys couldn't use their electronics, so, of course, they got bored and fought with each other. Secondly, a bat visited our house that same morning, and was hanging on the lamp on the stairs. Luckily, Fred was able to come over and shoo the bat out a nearby window. Finally, I woke up with a lump on the top of my head near my incision. We went to the ER at Mount Nittany. After a head CT, the doctor wasn't too concerned and thought it was fluid. They still called the neuroseurgon at Forbes, and they recommended I come in, but on an outpatient basis. We set up an appointment for Tuesday (8/1) morning at 9:45.

Tuesday comes, and we take the 2 1/2 hour drive to Pittsburgh. I look at the GPS and the arrival time shifts from 9:45 to 10:00 to 10:15. It turns out one tractor trailer rear-ended another truck. There was a fatality and a fuel spill, and Route 22, the road we take to Pittsburgh, was completely closed. We kept trying to get back on the road, but it was closed at every intersection. We ended up on back roads. We were stressed because we got no cell signal, and weren't able to use the GPS or call the hospital. We finally get to Route 30, another major highway that goes to Pittsburgh, and we called and told them we would be a full hour late. They were nice enough to tell us that they knew we were driving a long distance, and they will see us when we get there. So, we finally get there.

The nurse and the doctor see us. Dr. Julian, the neurosurgeon who performed my brain resection, was fearful that the tumor expanded, causing the lump. He wanted me to get an MRI. Initially, they wanted me to come back next week. However, Dr. Julian and the staff sucessfully got a stat order on the MRI so I could get it done on the same day and not take the drive next week.

I got more and more nervous and stressed as I waited 2 hours for the MRI, got butchered by nurses who stuck me 4 times to get an IV in (I am needle-shy), and after the MRI, I had to wait another 30-plus minutes for Dr. Julian to get to the other hospital and call us with a recommendation.

Finally, the radiologist comes out and said Dr. Julian called, it was nothing urgent and we could go home. At that point, all of the stress went out of my body like a balloon. I was nearly hyperventilating and Jaci was crying. Jaci called Sandy, and she was crying. After a celebratory dinner, we returned home.

Dr. Julien was nice enough to call us on Wednesday, and told us that lumps like this can show up while recovering from radiation treatment, it is harmless, and it will go away on its own. He also said I am doing really well and should seek out trials and treatments while I am walking and talking.

Our next steps are for me to get fitted with the Optune device, which creates low-intensity electric fields through a device attached to my head. Also, later this month, we travel to Lancaster General Hospital, Jaci's former employer, to consult with a brain navigator, and an oncologist who specializes in brain cancer. As always, I will keep you updated.