Angela Wright, thank you for the response.
I truly admire your strength and your willingness to help by reading and writing such exhaustive replies.
I have visited two dermatologists, and both concluded there were no changes to my skin. Just to be safe, they removed three moles and sent them off for pathology. There was something suspicious—poorly differentiated—but they were removed in their entirety. Perhaps it was just a false alarm; who knows? Regardless, it hasn't been proven that those moles contained melanoma.
I had an extensive discussion with an oncologist specializing in the digestive tract. I answered all his inquiries with negatives, so he requested only a colonoscopy, which came back completely clear. Consequently, they concluded the tumor is not in that area.
By the way, the initial pathology report suggested "metastases from an epithelial adenocarcinoma tumor." I am aware that a PET-CT has its limitations, but the only things showing up as "active" on that scan were two lymph nodes in the retroperitoneum, which were subsequently removed while we wait for their pathology results.
With the urologist, I insisted several times on a testicular exam and a color Doppler ultrasound, but I was told that at 55 years old, I shouldn't be having these kinds of issues!? Through self-examination, I cannot find any irregularities.
Unfortunately, I am not in a financial position to travel to neighboring countries to seek a second opinion. My insurance covered the PET-CT, and in Sarajevo, there is only one oncology center. Therefore, I am essentially "stuck" receiving treatment from them. On another note, are there high-quality, expert, reliable, and experienced oncologists for poorly differentiated tumors in Chicago, or perhaps in Ljubljana? Any recommendations?
All that remains is to wait for the pathology result and see what the oncology board decides. As soon as I know something, I will check back in. Perhaps I can help someone else facing similar problems.
Thank you for the help and suggestions. I am fully aware that I cannot afford to waste time and that treatment needs to begin as soon as possible. The question is, what exactly am I treating? All this time, I have been haunted by one thought: I waited a year and a half for a lymph node to "disappear on its own"; what if I hadn't consulted a surgeon? Would only that lymph node still be enlarged, or would the tumor have appeared? I will never know!
I truly admire your strength and your willingness to help by reading and writing such exhaustive replies.
I have visited two dermatologists, and both concluded there were no changes to my skin. Just to be safe, they removed three moles and sent them off for pathology. There was something suspicious—poorly differentiated—but they were removed in their entirety. Perhaps it was just a false alarm; who knows? Regardless, it hasn't been proven that those moles contained melanoma.
I had an extensive discussion with an oncologist specializing in the digestive tract. I answered all his inquiries with negatives, so he requested only a colonoscopy, which came back completely clear. Consequently, they concluded the tumor is not in that area.
By the way, the initial pathology report suggested "metastases from an epithelial adenocarcinoma tumor." I am aware that a PET-CT has its limitations, but the only things showing up as "active" on that scan were two lymph nodes in the retroperitoneum, which were subsequently removed while we wait for their pathology results.
With the urologist, I insisted several times on a testicular exam and a color Doppler ultrasound, but I was told that at 55 years old, I shouldn't be having these kinds of issues!? Through self-examination, I cannot find any irregularities.
Unfortunately, I am not in a financial position to travel to neighboring countries to seek a second opinion. My insurance covered the PET-CT, and in Sarajevo, there is only one oncology center. Therefore, I am essentially "stuck" receiving treatment from them. On another note, are there high-quality, expert, reliable, and experienced oncologists for poorly differentiated tumors in Chicago, or perhaps in Ljubljana? Any recommendations?
All that remains is to wait for the pathology result and see what the oncology board decides. As soon as I know something, I will check back in. Perhaps I can help someone else facing similar problems.
Thank you for the help and suggestions. I am fully aware that I cannot afford to waste time and that treatment needs to begin as soon as possible. The question is, what exactly am I treating? All this time, I have been haunted by one thought: I waited a year and a half for a lymph node to "disappear on its own"; what if I hadn't consulted a surgeon? Would only that lymph node still be enlarged, or would the tumor have appeared? I will never know!