Jerry's biopsy results

[csutherland]

Jerry had an uneventful bronchoscopy & lung biopsy last Tues with no problems, unless you count the bruised belly from the 14 Lovenox shots. Now he's having a time of it getting his INR back up. It was 1.2 right after the procedure, then 1.6, and today 1.8. That's while taking the Lovenox shots along with the warfarin Tues-Fri, and a higher dose of warfarin since. He has to go back Thursday to be tested again.
But... they found something unexpected in the bronchoscopy: three little lesions that are Squamous Metaplasia (two in the trachea and one in Right Mainstem). When these are removed the warfarin/Lovenox saga will happen again. Meanwhile, the area that they originally went in to biopsy because of "infiltrates" was impossible to get a good sample. What they did get was negative but the pulmonologist isn't satisfied & has ordered a PET scan to see if there are hot spots. These infiltrates are signifigant in the left lower lobe and only about 1cm in the right lower lobe. If hot spots show up then a different kind of biopsy will happen. The 3 small lesions will be addressed after that.

The infiltrates could be simply leftover pneumonia. He's feeling much better every day.

 

[Bina]

I'm sorry to hear of all this.....but it does sound like his docs are being very thorough which is a blessing in itself.
The INR is creeping up steadily, let's hope that a couple more days will find it perfect.

 

[Cooker]

Wishing you the best .... prayers coming your way

 

[Andrew'sMom]

sending prayers!

 

[Mary]

I don't remember if I mentioned before that I also have infiltrates. Luckily they were able to compare two previous MRI's and see that they have been present for a long time and no growth. I had the last MRI to check my aorta, but after they saw the infiltrates, a pulmonologist my husband works with checked the films too. They think it's residual from either chronic bronchitis or several bouts of pneumonia I've had during my lifetime. Hopefully Jerry's will be benign also.

It sounds as though they've caught the metaplasia early, so that's good.

 

[Duff Man]

Hey that's good news. Squamous Metaplasia is benign, right? So hopefully the infiltrates are just your average, benign lung nodules.

 

[Ross]

Sounds like a good plan of action. Glad to see something caught very early before it can become a major issue.

 

[skeptic49]

Glad to read that Jerry is feeling better. You are in my thoughts.

Jim

 

[csutherland]

more test results

more test results

Jerry was set for a PET scan this past Wed but on Mon the pulmonologist himself phoned and said he was postponing it because the cultures were coming back yeast/fungus. It needed a few more days to develop so they'd know exactly what type, and today he called and gave it a name: Blastomycosis. He's now being sent to an infectious disease specialist next Fri.

My research tells me that this may be an extended period of anti-fungal meds. These will no doubt conflict with warfarin but we'll deal with it. The worst part is all the driving to & from the coumadin clinic.

The 3 lesions are on the back burner for now until this is addressed.

Meanwhile, Jerry is feeling pretty much back to normal.

 

[Mary]

I know it can be hard to get rid of, but it's still a better diagnosis than what it could have been.
I'm glad to read that Jerry is feeling much better.