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my husband may can cancer-continued

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radiantquest

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he went to the doctor today who was a general surgeon to schedule a biopsy. when he got there the doctor said that since it is possibly cancer he wants to refer him to an oncologist. Dr. Albert Aboulafia. he is at the sinai hospital. for those of you in the NE United States you have probably heard of Sinai hospital. i hear that it is a pretty good hospital. so anyway we are trying to get an appt with him. rosalyn the receptionist is supposed to call tomorrow with an appt. i am so frustrated that we are playing this waiting and bill paying game with the medical field. if this is cancer we are waiting months for answers that we need now. at any rate this is where we are now. below i am going to copy the results of his MRI that we just recieved today. these are the doctors notes.

Within the lateral head of the triceps muscle and distal lateral deltoid muscle, an infiltrative area of abnormal signal with marked enhancement which could represent mass or other etiology; however, malignancy must be excluded and, therefore, a tissue diagnosis is recommedned. This may be a vascular lesion, as there are punctate foci of decreased signal intensity within it, and there is a marked enhancement after the administration of contrast. This does not have the appearance of a cyst or lipoma. A hemangioma would be less likely as well, though it cannot be entirely excluded versus other vascular lesion. Again, sarcoma cannot be excluded. A myositis or inflammatory etiology are other possiblities, less likely, however.

to me this means that they are not sure, but think there is a chance that it is cancer (sarcoma) and would like to rule this out. they also think it could be a vascular lesion. i have done a little research on "vascular lesion" and my results dont tell me much. is there anyone on the forum that can explain it? sarcoma does not sound like a favorable diagnosis from what i have seen. as far as cancers go i hear this one is pretty aggressive. the doctor told him that if it is cancer they may have to remove a consideral portion of the muscle in his arm leaving him somewhat disabled. husband is very unhappy to hear this. i guess we both (husband and i) are preparing for the worst so that it doesnt surprise us. i know that we should be optimistic but we would both rather be prepared in the event that diagnosis is unfavorable and be surprised by a better outcome.

thoughts?

sorry about the typo in the title, i cant edit it.
 
radiantquest,

I wish I had advice or a way to make you feel better, but all I can offer is support. Hopefully his doctors will continue to take care of him and quickly provide a diagnosis for both of you. Please continue to update us on your husband''s condition - he is in my thoughts and prayers for a favorable diagnosis (and if not, a speedy recovery).
 
radiant- I am so sorry for all of the stress that you and your husband are going through right now! Navigating the medical system can be a job in itself. It sounds like they are doing the right things, though. And so you don''t get too worked up about getting appointments TODAY; they likely will not consider your husband''s appointment "emergent," but rather urgent. Soon, as opposed to today.

The radiologist talk on the MRI pretty much means that you are right; they do not know what it is. However, to be honest, most things are not really diagnosed by a scan. Cancer diagnoses are always, always a tissue diagnosis. This does mean they need a biopsy before they know anything. Radiologists often "hedge" on what the diagnosis might be, because they don''t want to miss something bad. "Vascular lesion" could really mean a number of things, but most likely just an artery or vein that is a little different than normal. It may connect in a odd way, something like that.

I wish you both the best; please keep us updated.
 
A vascular lesion is either:

1. Any abnormality of one or more blood vessels. In the case of a mass, it is most likely to be an aneurysm (swelling of the wall of the artery), likely as a result of a malformation that has been present for all of your husband's life. They are very rarely cancerous.

2. Any mass with blood vessels within it, which could have developed for a number of reasons.

Sarcomas are aggressive in that they grow very rapidly, but they are most often locally invasive - ie they don't tend to spread to distant sites, which is the major fear with most cancers. Once you cut them out, that is usually it, although radiotherapy is sometimes used too.

Could you schedule an appointment with a doctor or a specialist nurse, to talk these things through? They could most likely explain things far better than me and more specifically to your husband.

Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.
 
lilycat- thank you for explaining that to me. we are supposed to see this new doctor on monday at 11:30 as long as the receptionist gets the referral and all in time to make the appointment. i am going with him so now i know that my questions will get answered. its frustrating when he comes home from an appointment and hasnt asked the questions that i want the answers to. so hopefully by this time next week i will have some real information

thanks again for all the support
 
I don''t have any advice, but I am praying that it all comes up clear. Stay strong sweetie (hugs)
 
I hope everything goes well for your husband...I can''t imagine how hard it is to wait for answers...you are in my prayers...
 
Date: 6/25/2009 2:01:58 PM
Author: radiantquest
lilycat- thank you for explaining that to me. we are supposed to see this new doctor on monday at 11:30 as long as the receptionist gets the referral and all in time to make the appointment. i am going with him so now i know that my questions will get answered. its frustrating when he comes home from an appointment and hasnt asked the questions that i want the answers to. so hopefully by this time next week i will have some real information


thanks again for all the support

You''re welcome Radiantquest. I''m really glad you''re going with him to see the doctor - it''s so much better to hear the explanation first-hand. I would advise jotting down a list of any questions you think of over the weekend and taking it to the appointment, so you don''t forget at the time. Don''t be afraid to ask the doctor anything. A lot of stress comes from fear of the unknown.

Hugs and prayers to you.
 
radiantquest, all of the doctors involved with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer are very used to their patients bringing either a notebaook and pen with them or a voice activated recorder. Buy a notebook and fill it with the questions you would like asked and answered, so if you can''t go to a doctor''s visit with your husband, he''s sure not to forget to ask what you want asked. The notebook will also help you both, if in case- God forbid, you have to make decisions about treatment choices. Just write down as much of what the doctors say as possible. Everyone is always advised to bring a friend to visits also because more often than not, it''s too much for just the patient to handle or comprehend. All of the anxiety and adrenaline makes people anxious and confuses our thoughts.

I''m praying for you both.
 
I''m so sorry you are worrying. It must be so hard. I am praying for a good outcome to this. Hugs.
 
hi radiantquest...

been following your posts, keeping track of things for your husband. i''ll be thinking of you this coming monday and anticipating your update post; hopefully a few tests will narrow things down quickly. the tests themselves can be exhausting, so make sure you both (particularly your husband) get plenty of rest.

we''ll all be praying for you both.

best wishes and warm thoughts to you both,
 
Radiant, I am happy you came back to update us, I assume you''ve been on many minds since your first posting. I am going to say a prayer tonight that things progress smoothly.
 
Many prayers for a positive outcome!

Lori
 
my thoughts and prayers are with both of you. i hope the test results come back with good results, and in the meantime you get your questions answered.
 
More good thoughts, prayers, and dust honey. And hugs... many many ((HUGS))
 
More prayers for a great outcome for your husband''s case.

I agree that there should be a ''friend'' in addition to the two of you to hear the doctor''s opinion. A voice recorder is a great idea, but I would also suggest notebooks for you and the friend. Your hubby might be too nervous to be able to comprehend exactly what is being said.

Hopefully, the doctor will explain in plain English what''s going on, but if any of you have questions, don''t be afraid to ask. As well, I''d suggest staying in the office until you and your hubby are absolutely clear about what you''re dealing with - don''t be rushed out if there are unanswered questions.

((((((BIG HUGS TO YOU BOTH))))).
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How long till you find out any more?
 
Lots of (((Hugs))) and *healty dust* headed your way.
 
I''m sending truckloads of dust and good thoughts your way!
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I am so sorry to hear it. Please know that your husband's well being is in my prayers!
 
so sorry to hear, loads of dust and prayers your way!
 
Good luck tomorrow. I hope you both get some much-needed answers, as well as a very quick timeline on how they''re going to figure out what''s going on.
A voice recorder or friend to come along and take notes sounds like a really good idea - things definitely don''t sink in well on the first telling, especially when it''s about something so stressful.

Kate
 
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