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“The scan went fine,” Alan said. “Everyone was helpful and it was quick. After the scan, I sat in the waiting room for 15 minutes until they had results. A doctor went over the results with me.” Alan was not surprised to hear that he had minor blockages in his cardiac arteries. More unsettling was when the technician pointed out a fairly large nodule at the base of his left lung. He took his results to his family doctor, who referred him to a pulmonologist. Two weeks later he underwent a P.E.T. scan. Alan was told he probably had lung cancer. On March 31, Alan underwent surgery. A five-centimeter mass was removed, revealing another, smaller mass. As it turned out, the larger mass was benign, but the smaller newly discovered mass was found to be malignant. “Go figure,” he remarked. After discharge, Alan had difficulty breathing. Pulmonary function tests showed significantly depressed respiratory function. In October he underwent another surgery, during which scar tissue was removed from his lung. Recuperating at home, Alan is thinking about the future. “I need to get my strength back and exercise. It’s on me now,” he says. |
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