Solved, moving on, and at peace (or so WE are!)

-Today was a long day. I think every day gets longer and longer. I spent the day on the phone back and forth with one pathology department, then another. They were the same labs I had come up with last week. The difference is that this week, we were anticipating the results of the re-reading of the very very first specimen that Bobby had removed back in November. That specimen had originally been read as basal cell. We fought till the end to prove the reading of that specimen-whether it was correct or incorrect. The problem was that it didn't match the reading of the second specimen. Until today, they still didn't match. We were prepared to put the brakes on the surgery until we got our answer.

-Finally, at 4PM today, the lab stated that the specimen had been read. YEAH!!!!! Once again, our frustration peaked. "Mrs. Harsh, there is a problem. We will have to wait until our supervisor gets in on Wednesday morning for her to review the information BEFORE we can release the results of this report." Bobby's surgery is scheduled for Wednesday morning!!!! We are so close, but yet so far. I had a little bit of fight left in me--just a little.

-I won't go into the ugly details, but to give you a clue--Bobby talks about left brain vs. right brain...and I think today, I let them have it with both brains at once. I had to plea with them. About 15 minutes later, Dr. Smith (pathologist from Quest) called us back. With no surprise to us (and him), the biopsy came back as Spindle Cell Melanoma. Melanoma is NOT Basal Cell! Not even close. But, we had our answer and could now move on. (Not to say we won't address that HUGE MEDICAL ERROR later).

-I can't say enough about the people that helped us. The red tape was very sticky. Everyone at all of the labs (ummmm well....most of them) was exceptional. It was an incredible journey--just to ensure that the diagnosis was correct.

-More later....it is late...time for a snuggle...We are going to get up early to get some family pictures done in the morning.
(w/o proof reading)--I'll do that tomorrow
Happy New Year!