Its Benign!!!

So I can finally talk about the recent event that has shook me to my very core.

I was sent to a neurospine surgeon, in March of this year, to have a consultation on possible back surgery...as if this is not scary enough! He sent me to have all kinds of tests, with one being a bone scan. During the scan the guy asks me if I had ever had a broken rib. Of course, I do not recall any. I asked him if there was a problem. He replied that my left 5th rib was showing "hot" on the scan. OK????....now I am worried. He then said I would need even more scans and x-rays(I got those done that day).

So it is the day that I get my results back from all the tests. I listen as the neurospine doctor tells me that he is very concerned about the "spot" that is showing up on my rib and he wants me to go back to my regular doctor for her opinion. He also lets me know that he does recommend back surgery as I have a slipped vertabrae with deteriation, a crushed disk, along with a fracture in the facet joints, all this in L4 and L5. However, he wants to wait until the rib is checked out and took care of before we talk more of the back surgery. He acts very concerned, especially about the rib.

Well I do go to my regular doctor and she refers me to a orthopedic surgeon as soon as she gets the tests(without even waiting for my appointment date). Yes, I wondered why she sent me to the ortho surgeon also, I mean for a rib? He tells me that it is not his specialty and he refers me to a thoracic specialist. But he is now calling it a mass/tumor at this visit. So now I am panicking!! I know what that can mean!

The day of the appointment with the thoracic specialist comes and my nerves are just about shot. He is such a nice, understanding man and takes the time to explain things(as he can see them) and gives me my options and leaves the choice up to me. Well in my thinking, if it is cancer(there I said it), I want it all out. So I chose to go with the open rib biopsy. This means they will go in and remove that part of my rib(right under my left breast).

I had the biopsy on Thursday April 10th. I had the staples removed Thursady the 17th. At this visit he told me that it was benign. I was so happy that I do not remember the name he gave me as to what it was called(not that I could spell it anyway). I plan to get the name of it when I go back in a month though, as I would like to look it up online and get more info about it. He also told me that I would probably have never known it was there had I not had those tests done, as it probably would never have caused problems. And that I will probably never have another one. I sure hope he is correct!!!

So as it is now I am nursing a very "touchy" wound. But I am SO happy that this turned out as it did!