Day 185--Perhaps Just a Hive?

We went back to the hospital on Tuesday for Torger's bronchoscopy, but we didn't learn much. They said there seem to be two spots on his lungs, but they're "diffuse and remote," and the doctors couldn't reach them with their scope so they couldn't get a biopsy without potentially poking a hole in his lung. Instead, they gave him some pleasant medications, then put a tube down his throat, flushed his lungs with water and vacuumed the water back out again. After that, they were going to put the fluid in a petri dish to see what, if anything, grows. Torger and I are both pretty much convinced the spots are the same type of lesions he was getting on his skin, which the doctors are now pretty sure are a response to his antibiotics. In that case, we're pretty sure they're harmless. They could also be some type of mild GVHD, since GVHD tends to go to the lung, skin, liver and gut. Torger was just pleased they didn't have to do a biopsy and clip a little piece out of his lungs! (The nurse told me that while they were prepping him for the procedure, he asked for "seconds" on the drugs they gave him, saying, "Hey, I grew up in the '60s--I can take it.")

We're heading back down to meet with the infectious disease specialist, Dr. Levi, on Monday, so maybe we'll find out something then...if there's anything to find out. After that, our next appointment will be for Torger's 180 day biopsy, which has been a little delayed by Dr. Tse's travels. If that comes back looking positive, we're going to be very happy, especially since he won't have to have another bone marrow biopsy for six more months!