June 5, 2006 - Pulmonologist

Today I stop in for a visit to Dr. De La Luz, my pulmonologist. I’ve seen him occasionally in the past, for help with sleep apnea. Today my purpose is to check out the nodule in my right lung that has grown in size between the time of my March CT scan and the one more recently, at the end of my chemo treatments.

Like Dr. Lerner, Dr. De La Luz is not overly concerned with the nodule, after observing it on the CT scan – especially since the PET scan indicates that it’s not likely to be a malignancy. He explains that it’s not actually located in the lung, but rather in the pleural tissues just outside the lung. It’s hard to see it on the CT scan image, though because it’s relatively small, and located between two of the scan’s cross-sections.

“I have good news and bad news,” says the doctor, after examining the films. “The good news is, it doesn’t appear to be anything to worry about. The bad news is, you’ll have to have another CT scan.” In order to be absolutely sure, he tells me, wants to take a look at another picture.

He orders the scan for several weeks hence, just after the fourth of July – giving it some extra time, to see if whatever it is that’s showed up on the earlier scans will grow any bigger.

Yet another test. I’ve had plenty. But I comply – what else can I do? If the last several months have has taught me nothing else, it’s the importance of being vigilant.