Bronchitis Postpones Surgery

Mary Jo was scheduled to have Dr Maurer perform an outpatient surgery to remove a lump from her right arm pit (axillia) at 2:10pm today. We called Dr Maurer’s nurse yesterday afternoon to postpone the surgery. We have not yet had the opportunity to consult with the Lymphedema specialist, but more relevant is the fact that the lump appears to be dissolving on its own and Mary Jo has been experiencing strong cold/flu like symptoms of a sore throat, cough and low grade fever since Saturday evening. I honestly don’t think Dr Maurer would perform a surgery in her condition even if she still wanted to move forward with the surgery. Her symptoms have been so strong and persistent that I called Dr Galls office this morning to inquire about her conditions and the possible need for antibiotics. I spoke with Dr Gall’s nurse and she advised us to get in to see Mary Jo’s primary care doctor for an examination today. Last week, Dr Gall had advised us during Mary Jo’s examination and consultation that Mary Jo’s white blood count numbers were very low. They had taken a hard hit from the six cycle chemo regiment. He also advised that Mary Jo should be cautious around crowds and sick people so that she did not expose herself to possible infections because her immune system was temporarily compromised and would not be able to fight infections well.

Mary Jo was able to get in and be seen by Dr Cross, her primary care doctor this morning for an examination. The diagnosis confirmed that Mary Jo has Bronchitis. She was given Lavaquin 500mg, a prescription antibiotic perscribed to people exposed to Anthrax.   Mary Jo is trying to rest at home this evening. Her throat continues to be very sore tonight and her voice is almost completely gone making it very difficult and painful for her to even try to talk.

We had been pretty confident that we wanted the suspect lump surgically removed but with the postponement of the surgery and the diminishing size of the lump, we are seriously reevaluating the surgery decision and may follow Dr Gall’s advise to not have the additional surgery.