Dr. Duffy called us at home tonight. He asked how I was and I said that depends on how Cooper is.
Dr. Duffy said "I have pretty good news".
We started with the bad news - the neck tumor is thyroid carcinoma which typically spreads to the lymph nodes and lungs. (The lump on his leg was benign).
The good news or to quote Dr. Duffy "The best news we could have hoped for" - the tumor appears to be fully encapsulated, which means that it all was removed during surgery. Also, the x-rays of Coop's lungs were clear!
What does it really mean ? Dr. Duffy said it is possible that the cancer has spread and it is just too small to see or it may reappear in the future. He will contact an oncologist to see if there is a standard protocol that is typically followed.
We will need to have chest x-rays every few months and check for swelling in his lymph nodes.
Dr. Duffy said these tumors are usually found too late and invade the jugular vein, so we are lucky. At least we know Coop will be with us for a while longer (think months, not days).
We should know more later this week after Dr. Duffy speaks with the oncologist.
To everyone who said a prayer, emailed, called or just thought about us, we THANK YOU!
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