I created this page as a means of keeping Family and Friends informed of Mom’s ongoing health issues. It’s not meant to be impersonal–but it is a way to conveniently and consistently provide communication to the people who love and care about Mom. After the initial post, I’ll add updates at the top to keep it easy to read “the latest” as things develop.
Comments are active. Thank you all for your thoughts and concern.
June 15th, 2026 – 4:00pm
Mom is home! The final decision was that she go straight home without rehab. Kelly picked her up and I met them at the house. Mom was able to get from the car to the living room unassisted (using a walker) and is sitting comfortably in her favorite chair sorting mail and reading the paper on her iPad. We will see to it that she has around the clock company for at least the next few days.
June 12th, 2026
I haven’t made an update in awhile because for over a week now we have been assuming Mom would be going home “tomorrow.” But Tomorrow, as the song goes, is always a day away, it seems. The pneumonia is gone, and Mom’s strength returned, but she had little stamina. Walking to the bathroom in her room winded her. Then she spiked a fever. And her sodium levels are low and continue to be. And now something with her right knee has developed and initially prevented her from even standing. She can now stand and take a few steps, but not many because of knee and foot pain. Rehab is a non-starter because of at least one of the meds she has been prescribed. And so we are waiting until she is well enough to go home. At this point the earliest that will happen is Monday.
May 29th, 2026
Mom had a rough week, but seems to be on the mend from the pneumonia. She is still in the hospital with an estimated discharge date of Monday (6/1). Today she seemed to have some strength back, and her most critical numbers (sodium and white blood cell count) are almost back to normal. Her plan is to discharge to a sub-acute rehab center for awhile because while her strength is returning, her stamina is still not what it should be and she knows it.
May 26th, 2026 – 8:00pm
Mom was finally admitted and moved to a room at about 7:00 this evening. It was a long day of waiting. While initially attentive, the staff went hours without updating us. But things were pretty much out of their control, as the hospital is at capacity with one whole floor closed for renovation. Kelly and I accompanied Mom to her room and then left for the night. We will deliver a few essentials in the morning and see what else is going on. No word yet on how long she will stay there.
May 26th, 2026 – 9:30am
We are back at the hospital–CVPH this time. Mom asked Kelly to stop by this morning on her way to work. She was very weak and breathing shallow and asked if she should go back to the hospital. Kelly contacted me and I went straight to the house and we took her straight to the ER. We went to Plattsburgh to be near her pulmonologist. We expect she will be admitted for IV antibiotics and monitoring. Her white blood cell count is elevated. They have taken another chest x-ray and will possibly do a CT scan. They are also taking more blood samples for testing.
May 25th, 2026
The bronchoscopy follow-up with the pulmonologist was last Monday. The good news is that the biopsy did not show cancer. The doctors currently believe this is more likely a slow-growing bacterial lung infection called MAI, which is related to tuberculosis but not the same thing.
There are still a few lung spots they want to monitor carefully because of past smoking history, so another biopsy is being scheduled to rule things out more definitively before beginning long-term treatment.
If it is MAI, treatment will likely involve multiple antibiotics over several months, but they are still waiting for final culture results to determine the best medications. Those results can take several weeks because this bacteria grows very slowly.
The coughing after the bronchoscopy is considered normal, and they provided a device to help clear mucus from the lungs. Overall, the doctors feel they now have a clearer understanding of what is going on and a solid plan moving forward.
Yesterday we took Mom back to the hospital. After the fall and the bronchoscopy, she went through a week of post-trauma symptoms and then seemed to be getting back to “normal.” Then, after a day or two of that, she was worse again. No energy, no stamina, frequent cough, loss of appetite and occasional inability to keep food down. They performed an x-ray and discovered pneumonia! She is now on antibiotics to treat that. I spent the night at her home last night. This morning as I type this she is up and at the dining room table still not feeling great, but has taken her morning dose of antibiotics. More to come.
May 11, 2026
Mom tripped and fell on Saturday. She has a nasty bump on her forehead and now looks like she went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson, but is otherwise OK. We ended up ordering takeout for Mothers’ Day lunch.
Kelly and I picked Mom up this morning at 5:30 to take her to the hospital in Plattsburgh for her bronchoscopy. As I type this (10:15am) the procedure is complete and there were no complications. Her follow-up with a doctor is a week from today (next Monday). We do not anticipate that all the results will be in by then, but I will post another update after that visit.
April 16, 2026
We met with a new pulmonologist, Dr. Mir, today to review the recent biopsy and PET scan results. We have some very reassuring news to share regarding the concerns we had last week.
The Main News: No Evidence of Cancer The most important takeaway from the biopsy is that the lab found no malignant (cancerous) cells. While the imaging (CT and PET scans) looked very suspicious, the tissue sample showed that the mass in Mom’s lung is actually being caused by a specific type of infection.
What is the Diagnosis? The biopsy tested positive for AFB (Acid-Fast Bacilli). This is a family of bacteria that includes Tuberculosis, but in Mom’s case, the doctors suspect it is a related, non-contagious version called NTM (Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria).
Essentially, her body tried to “wall off” this infection, which created a 3.1 cm mass that looked like a tumor on the scans. This also explains why some lymph nodes “lit up” on the PET scan—they were busy fighting the infection, not spreading cancer.
Why the Confusion? Mycobacterial infections are known as “great imitators” because they can look exactly like lung cancer on X-rays and PET scans. Because Mom’s symptoms (weight loss and shortness of breath) overlapped with cancer symptoms, the doctors moved quickly to rule the worst out first.
The Plan Moving Forward: We are now in the “identification phase” to make sure we treat this correctly:
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Confirming the Strain: Mom will provide sputum samples and have a specific blood test (QuantiFERON) to confirm exactly which bacteria we are dealing with.
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Infectious Disease Referral: Once the exact strain is identified, she will likely see an Infectious Disease specialist to begin a course of targeted antibiotics. These treatments are often long-term but are designed to clear the infection and let her lung heal.
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Vigilant Monitoring: Because the doctors want to be 100% certain, she will have a follow-up CT scan in about three months to ensure the mass is shrinking as expected with treatment.
Overall Outlook: Mom is in good spirits and relieved by the biopsy results. The “Stage 4” concerns from last week are off the table. We are now focused on treating an infection and getting her stamina and appetite back to where they should be.
Thank you all for your support and prayers during the “waiting game” this past week!
April 6th, 2026 – Biopsy Day
Kelly and I drove Mom to the hospital in Plattsburgh this morning where she was prepped for the procedure that would extract a sample of the large mass detected in her lung. Everything went well. Before and after x-rays were taken to make sure that the tiny hole created in her lung had closed properly. We left her house at 8:00 in the morning and she was home by 2:00. Kelly and/or I will be staying the night with her so as to respond to any respiratory distress should she experience any. This is just a precaution. The appointment with her pulmonologist is on Tuesday, April 14th. This is when we will know once and for all if this is cancer. The radiology so far would seem to suggest that it is cancer, but the doctor will let us know.
April 5th, 2026 – The Story so far…
Last Fall Mom had a routine chest x-ray. The results included a note to follow up in 6 weeks. Neither Mom nor her doctor noticed the note, but by February someone at the radiologist noticed and contacted Mom to schedule a follow up.
The reason for the follow-up was because a mass had been detected in her upper right lung. Comparison between the two x-rays indicated that there had been slow growth. Subsequent CT/PET scans have confirmed and refined this. In an effort to determine what this mass is, a biopsy will be performed on Monday, April 6th.