Update...

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and wishes. Just wanted to post a quick update for everyone, since I don't really feel like answering my phone.

I had my procedure this morning where they attempted to look around and get a biopsy of the mass in my lung. We are not sure if they were successful or not. The doc said that I was bleeding from the biopsy sites too much for his comfort and he stopped before he really got a good piece. What he got may or may not be enough for a diagnosis. If not, I will need a different kind of biopsy that will require them to go into the lung from between a couple of ribs on my chest - a sugergical biopsy instead of an endoscopy. Needle biopsy would not yeild enough of a sample either.

But the long and short of it is that the two docs who treated me today agree that whatever it is appears to be malignant. Yup. I said it. The Big C.

The question now becomes what kind of big C. They are guessing and hoping for Hodgkin's Disease, Lymphoma or a Germ Cell tumor. Any of these things are very treatable and even curable and tend to show up in otherwise healthy young adults like me. If this is the case we are looking at chemo and radiation, not surgery. It's not how I would prefer to spend the next year (or however long) of my life. But nobody asked me.

If this is not some form of lymphoma, but is instead a true lung cancer, I will need surgery to remove most if not all of my right lung. The docs feel the chemo is the lesser of the two evils, so that is what our hope is right now. Hodgkin's, or similar and chemo/radiation. Funny thing to hope for, but that is the plan.

On a different note entirely, I was able to open Steel Magnolias this weekend with little difficulty. We had three good solid shows and pretty damn full houses. Opening night, in fact, we had 230 people which is the largest opening night of a non-musical at the Palace ever. And the biggest opening, musical or non, since Beauty and the Beast two seasons ago. The crowds were appreciative and seemed to really have a good time.

Nikki Z. starts rehearsals tonight to take my place as Shelby. And it looks like she will definitely be needed. I know she will do a fabulous job. And I will try not to be sad if I cannot perform in the rest of the run. I got bigger fishies to fry right now.