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Today did not go so well. The scans showed two relatively large lymph nodes by the trachea "Y". The cancer is spreading. These were normal just three months ago. Due to the quick growth and size, Dr. Eng said they are inoperable. I'd like to confirm with the surgeon, but surgery does indeed seem difficult given their location and instability. She wants to move right away to aggressive chemo to fight them. I may get a biopsy or PET scan back here in Dallas for more confirmation, but she and Dr. Rodriguez were pretty sure what we're dealing with. I'm going to make some calls tomorrow to better understand things. But it doesn't look good.
There was also a tiny lung nodule, like the other six I've had removed. By itself, it is not a big problem, and could be resected like the others were. That is not the focus of attention right now.
So how am I doing? Let me illustrate to you my mindset. After meeting Dr. Eng, I spoke with Christine on the phone (she stayed in Dallas due to her condition) and decided that I really wanted to go back today to be with her, even though she thought maybe I shouldn't drive after that greuling day. I walked out the hospital door, picked the car up at the valet, and started driving. And driving. I drove about a fifth of the way to Dallas before I realized I had left my suitcase, laptop, and everything else back at the hotel. I had to turn around and go get it all. Then drive the same route again, only this time in heavy traffic, to creep back towards Dallas. Frustrating.