I Have Surgery

May 13. Dr Teitelbaum does a fine needle biopsy of the superficial mass. I have to sweat out the weekend to get the results. The procedure was almost painless. He did two passes with a 21 needle. The first return was bloody. The second return was not visible to me.

May 17 or 18: The biopsy result is reported as a pleomorphic adenoma of the salivary gland.. This is a generally benign tumor although there are some malignant forms of it. I am very much relieved, but I have my doubts. Why would it arise outside the gland? This tumor can be multicentric.

We now have to arrange for surgery. The family is coming to visit for my Mother-in-law’s unveiling. As the lesion is benign, there does not seem to be much urgency to do this. The earliest I can schedule the surgery is June 3, almost a full month after the mass was discovered.

June 3 2010: This is our 48^th wedding anniversary. I arrive at the hospital 7:15 AM for the surgery scheduled for 9:15. The procedure is to be done at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno. I was on staff there for about 30 years in the radiology department starting in 1976. The assistant surgeon is to be Jerry Moore, who I have known almost that time. After some lab tests and an EKG, I meet the anaesthesiologist, Gary Grimes. He is very kind and reassuring. He gives me Versed and I wake up in recovery with no memory of even going to the OR.

Dr Teitelbaum checks me after surgery. I can smile with both sides of my mouth. (The dreaded complication of parotid surgery is facial nerve injury which leaves a person with weak facial muscles.)

He reports to me that the frozen section of the lymph node was benign. Things are looking good, but I still have reservations about the real pathology.

June 7 2010. I am feeling well enough to go to the bridge club. I keep my cell phone off. After the game I have a message from Dr Teitelbaum to call him. I get his office but not him. I page him. I call Judy and she says she spoke to him and although he would not give her any details, the news is “not good”.

Dr Teitlebaum calls back and says I have a Merkel Cell Tumor. All the lesions removed were metastases to lymph nodes. The frozen section was a false negative diagnosis.I look this up and find it is a malignant tumor of the deep layers of the skin. So where is the primary?