update from NIH

Yesterday we received a verbal reading of the pathology report from the NIH. Their biopsy results are essentially inconclusive, which could be considered sort of good news, if you like. They don't see definite evidence of the aggressive lymphoma subtype that Halifax originally suspected, but they cannot rule it out. They do see evidence of EBV, which is the virus that causes mono. (We're currently consulting with Infectious Diseases to confirm whether I've ever had mono at some point.) The NIH also recommended that we repeat the biopsy at some point in the near future. So I'm scheduled for a CT scan soon to see if the mass is still there, and if it is, then we'll do another biopsy.

Our next meeting with my hematologist will be on B's birthday, August 30. We're basically in wait mode until that time, but since I'm still feeling so well, there's probably no cause for alarm at the wait. The situation would probably have escalated differently if NIH had confirmed Halifax's suspicions or if I had become symptomatic again, but since neither of those things has occurred, we're just keeping our fingers crossed that I have an extremely anomalous case of mono! :) (Granted, there are still some major strikes against that hypothesis and in favour of lymphoma, but we'll know more in the next few weeks.)