back to the ENT today, where she tried, usuccessfully to get some of the stuff out of the cyst. i almost passed out.
also, a month more of antibiotics. seems that they are very hesitant to cut these things out unless there is practically ZERO chance that there’s any infection, since that makes it hard to avoid cutting important things like nerves that go to my tongue. i can appreciate that, but i am very sad that i will have to have this dumb thing on my neck for 4 more weeks.
a branchial cleft cyst. so, basically, my gills are infected. the antibiotics are not working, and my doctor just prescribed me morphine to get through till i can go in and see the ENT people again next week. this is so frustrating, but still, i’m glad it’s not something worse. i guess the next thing is deciding if they want to operate to remove the cyst. argh. if you need me, i’ll be on the couch, under some dogs.
i woke up this morning to find that the cyst seems to finally be responding to the antibiotics, and looks like it’s shrinking. hooray! i really needed that today.
five days of antibiotics, and no signs of abatement of this dreadful cyst yet. in fact, the last two days were the most painful yet. i finally broke down and took some of seuss’ leftover painkillers from his oral surgery, which helped, but left me pretty much comatose on the couch all weekend. i’m hoping the increased pain is a sign that the antibiotics are actually working, and the cyst is just fighting back with all its might.
so, the neck egg turns out to be some kind of cyst. i had a FNA (fine needle aspiration) and a CT scan on monday, and that’s what they determined from the results. stronger antibiotics are prescribed. apparently, this type of thing is something you’re born with and usually presents in your 20’s or 30’s. it could keep coming back, and if it does, the gland it’s on will have to be removed. but, whew! i’m glad it’s a cyst and not something worse.
i went to the doctor again yesterday, and she decided to have me tested for cat scratch fever, of all things. i was bitten and scratched by my cat about 2 months ago (at least) when rescuing her from a neighbor’s dog. at the time, everything seemed to heal up nicely with no problems, but the doctor seems to think there is a possibility that bacteria could have been circulating all this time and is just now manifesting in my gland. she also referred me to go see an ear, nose and throat person on friday, so if it’s not the cat bacteria, i’ll have another avenue to pursue. at the moment, the gland is over 8cm across. bigger than a golf ball! i’m still really tired, but i’m backat work today because there’s just too much to do.
my old housemate died on thursday. my uncle died yesterday. i have had a giant, painful swollen gland for over a week now. i’m pretty worn out, and i would rather be in bed.
in case you didn’t notice my facebook or twitter updates about the state of my glands, i have a massive swollen one on the right side of my neck that just popped up out of nowhere on saturday afternoon. it’s kind of like having an egg incubating under there. initially, i thought it might be the mumps, since the symptoms seemed similar to what i had in 5th grade when i really did have mumps. but the sore throat never materialized. so now, we are left with a mystery inflammation. they took blood at the doctor’s, and gave me a script for antibiotics, which will work only if it’s not a viral infection. and basically, the only other thing to do is wait and see. as my doctor said, sticking needles in people’s necks is not the forte of a family medicine practice, so we won’t jump to that option just yet. i’m hoping for an ultrasound. that one i had back when they thought i might be having gall bladder troubles was hella relaxing. is that weird?
this morning i saw no less than 4 lost shoes on my walk to work. one gold flat with criss-cross straps, two black sneakers sitting next to each other but not a pair, and one black platform thong.
a few days ago, i saw a large red gummy worm stuck under someone’s windshield wiper, as if it was a parking ticket.
tonight i am heading to the mann to see a performance of tchaikovsky with fireworks finale. we’re having a picnic dinner there (you can bring alcohol! and food! to a concert!) on the lawn with some friends. and it’s just a short 12-minute bike ride from our house, something we didn’t realize till last week.
also.
