Whence last we spoke my life here at the NIH Clinical Center had been thrown up in the air and we were waiting for the pieces to fall where they may. It is in no way raining a revised schedule with definitive answers, but perhaps we can say a light mist has broken out.
This morning holds one of two fun activities for the Princess: a) radioactive cardiac CT scan, or 2) jugular test to gather and analyze the goo draining from my pituitary. The jugular test is, of course, far more invasive, but it will give us yet another piece of information to judge whether or not the pituitary is indeed my problem. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the veins into my pituitary are quite "dainty" and Dr. Chang, who performed the IPSS probe into my pituitary on Friday, couldn't get the catheters all the way into the areas he wanted. So analyzing what is draining from the pituitary is the next best thing. The goo drains through the jugular, so that's where he needs to go.
If we can't get that pulled together for today (Dr. Nieman, the head hoo-ha of my Gaggle of Doctors and the best around, only made the call to go forward with the procedure last night), it will probably go forward tomorrow. That would leave me with the cardiac CT scan this morning and a cardiac and chest/abdomen/pelvis MRI late this afternoon. Cushing's can lead to buildup of bad things in the heart, so the team is checking on that in addition to looking for a tumor somewhere else while the MRI is being done. Efficient, huh?
The only bad news in all this testing fabulocity is that I can't have any FOOD!! I have to fast for all these particular tests, and I gotta tell you the hardest part is not being able to eat. Or knowing when I will be able to. Oh well, I'm sure I'll be able to make up for that with a plate of nachos bigger than my head after I get discharged from Medical Freak Camp so I won't get my knickers in a knot over it.
So that's where we stand. I'm using my relaxation techniques to stay calm, cool and collected while my treatment plan gets whirled around in a medical blender. I don't know if I'll get outside today for a walk, but I'm going to try. You all are charged with getting outside yourselves if possible and smelling a rose, appreciating the scenery and smiling. Always smile and be fabulous!!
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