I created this page as a means of keeping Family and Friends informed of Mom’s ongoing health issues.\u00a0 It\u2019s not meant to be impersonal\u2013but it is a way to conveniently and consistently provide communication to the people who love and care about Mom.\u00a0 After the initial post, I\u2019ll add updates at the top to keep it easy to read \u201cthe latest\u201d as things develop.
Comments are active. Thank you all for your thoughts and concern.<\/p>\n
Mom tripped and fell on Saturday.\u00a0 She has a nasty bump on her forehead and now looks like she went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson, but is otherwise OK.\u00a0 We ended up ordering takeout for Mothers’ Day lunch.<\/p>\n
Kelly and I picked Mom up this morning at 5:30 to take her to the hospital in Plattsburgh for her bronchoscopy.\u00a0 As I type this (10:15am) the procedure is complete and there were no complications.\u00a0 Her follow-up with a doctor is a week from today (next Monday).\u00a0 We do not anticipate that all the results will be in by then, but I will post another update after that visit.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The Main News: No Evidence of Cancer<\/b> The most important takeaway from the biopsy is that the lab found no malignant (cancerous) cells.<\/b> While the imaging (CT and PET scans) looked very suspicious, the tissue sample showed that the mass in Mom\u2019s lung is actually being caused by a specific type of infection.<\/p>\n
What is the Diagnosis?<\/b> The biopsy tested positive for AFB (Acid-Fast Bacilli)<\/b>. This is a family of bacteria that includes Tuberculosis, but in Mom\u2019s case, the doctors suspect it is a related, non-contagious version called NTM (Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria)<\/b>.<\/p>\n
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\u2014they were busy fighting the infection, not spreading cancer.<\/p>\n
Why the Confusion?<\/b> Mycobacterial infections are known as “great imitators” because they can look exactly like lung cancer on X-rays and PET scans. Because Mom\u2019s symptoms (weight loss and shortness of breath) overlapped with cancer symptoms, the doctors moved quickly to rule the worst out first.<\/p>\n
The Plan Moving Forward:<\/b> We are now in the “identification phase” to make sure we treat this correctly:<\/p>\n Confirming the Strain:<\/b> Mom will provide sputum samples and have a specific blood test (QuantiFERON) to confirm exactly which bacteria we are dealing with.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Infectious Disease Referral:<\/b> 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.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Vigilant Monitoring:<\/b> 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.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Overall Outlook:<\/b> 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.<\/p>\n Thank you all for your support and prayers during the “waiting game” this past week!<\/p>\n April 6th, 2026 – Biopsy Day<\/strong><\/p>\n 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.\u00a0 Everything went well.\u00a0 Before and after x-rays were taken to make sure that the tiny hole created in her lung had closed properly.\u00a0 We left her house at 8:00 in the morning and she was home by 2:00.\u00a0 Kelly and\/or I will be staying the night with her so as to respond to any respiratory distress should she experience any.\u00a0 This is just a precaution.\u00a0 The appointment with her pulmonologist is on Tuesday, April 14th.\u00a0 This is when we will know once and for all if this is cancer.\u00a0 The radiology so far would seem to suggest that it is cancer, but the doctor will let us know.<\/p>\n April 5th, 2026 – The Story so far…<\/strong><\/p>\n Last Fall Mom had a routine chest x-ray.\u00a0 The results included a note to follow up in 6 weeks.\u00a0 Neither Mom nor her doctor noticed the note, but by February someone at the radiologist noticed and contacted Mom to schedule a follow up.<\/p>\n The reason for the follow-up was because a mass had been detected in her upper right lung.\u00a0 Comparison between the two x-rays indicated that there had been slow growth.\u00a0 Subsequent CT\/PET scans have confirmed and refined this.\u00a0 In an effort to determine what this mass is, a biopsy will be performed on Monday, April 6th.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I created this page as a means of keeping Family and Friends informed of Mom’s ongoing health issues.\u00a0 It\u2019s not meant to be impersonal\u2013but it is a way to conveniently and consistently provide communication to the people who love and care about Mom.\u00a0 After the initial post, I\u2019ll add updates at the top to keep […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4453","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4453"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4473,"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4453\/revisions\/4473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/romeyn.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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