Finally Some Good News

As mentioned in previous posts, I've been battling some health issues recently.  I haven't written out the full details on this blog, because I didn't want everyone worrying about me.  We weren't sure what was going on, so I figured I would wait until we had more information before I shared the full situation with the world.  First things first, I'm finally done with my weekly blood draws!  It took FIVE weeks, but my hcg went down to zero.  What a relief. 

Now, on to another issue I've been dealing with.  I've said a little about the cyst that was found under my right kidney during the MRI for my back.  The doctor wasn't too worried, thinking it was either filled with protein or blood, but protocol dictated that we investigate it further.  I went in for an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago.  The results from that weren't great.  The ultrasound told them that it wasn't a cyst, but instead a mass.  "Mass" is a nicer way to say tumor.  That's not what I wanted to hear.  Doing a biopsy would be invasive, because of its location, so my doctor ordered a CT scan first.  While I waited for my appointment for the scan, my mind wandered to a lot of different places.  Most of the time I told myself it was nothing, and I had nothing to worry about.  But, of course, there were those fleeting moments where I thought about it being something more, something cancerous.  You want to stay positive, but you also can't live in a utopia where bad stuff only happens to other people.  All I could do was wait.

I had the CT scan last Friday.  It was "with contrast," which means I had to get the contrast fluid administered through an IV.  I did some research on what contrast is, and what its potential side effects are, and I started to get nervous.  It took three tries before they were able to get the IV set up correctly.  Not a good start!  Luckily the scans took less than 30 minutes and before long, I was on my way home.  I didn't have a reaction to the contrast, so that was a blessing.  Just more waiting until I got the results.

Last night, I got an email from my doctor with the findings.  The CT showed that the kidney mass was just a benign, fatty tumor.  Benign is a glorious word to see!  Feel free to tease me about having a "fatty" tumor, though.  Lol.  I don't care!