A bit of a scare, some pain, and getting back to work

So a few things happened this week. Last week, the lump on right side of my neck reappeared. I started to get really worried since the first time the lump appeared, both my oncologists were puzzled, and this time, unlike the first time, the lump was quite firm. I made an appointment with my ENT doctor. After feeling the lump, my ENT doctor was pretty sure it was a secondary tumor. He had his nurses order new MRI scans to get a closer look. He then called my radiation oncologist, and they decided to proceed with a fine needle aspiration biopsy of the lump. When he stuck the needle into the lump, all he got was fluid. I asked, "Is that good or bad?" He responded, "It was not what I expected." I was still not sure if that was good or bad. He then proceeded to call the lump a cyst instead of a tumor, and that's when I realized it was good! The fluid was sent to pathology for closer analysis, but I am hopeful that everything is okay. The MRI scans were canceled.

I had my PEG tube removed this week. Before my appointment with my GI doctor, I was fearful that they would remove the PEG tube by yanking it out. And that's exactly what they did. OUCH! Yes, it was painful, but thank goodness the pain lasted only one minute or so. Doctor said the hole should heal by itself completely in thirty days. My stomach will forever be fused to the front wall of my body.

I have been released by my doctor to return to work on March 16. I'm really looking forward to returning to work and seeing my co-workers.