Anyway, back to the biopsy...it turns out that one of the only places in your body that a nerve intertwines in your fat is in the side of your neck. Because of this, it is slightly more difficult for a surgeon to see the nerve. And ironically, the lymph node the doctor was taking out happened to be right next to that nerve. And that nerve controls the motor function of your arm and shoulder. During surgery, if the nerve is even slightly bumped or touched, Donny could have a droopy shoulder and arm for 3 to 4 months. If the nerve is cut he could have a droopy arm or shoulder for the rest of his life. So, Donny's surgeon made a slightly bigger than necessary cut to ensure he could see the nerve at all times during the surgery. Scroll to the bottom to see the incision. Of course Donny loves his new wound...he was joking that he can be Frankenstein for Halloween. At least he has a good attitude about it all!
When the lymph node was successfully removed and Donny was in recovery, the surgeon went out to talk to Donny's parents. At this point we were still hopeful that Donny didn't have cancer and that instead, it was a virus that attacked his lymph nodes. But the doctor said that based on the way the lymph node came out he was 95% positive that it was lymphoma.
Thankfully, the surgeon told us this ahead of time because there was a large part of me that was holding onto the hope that it was just a virus. When the surgeon said this, I immediately changed my mindset to thinking it was cancer. Hope is a powerful thing that can get you through almost anything, but hope can also be a hindrance to moving forward. Hope can hold you back from looking at the truth. So I am very grateful the surgeon told us this ahead of time because all signs pointed to cancer, but I was hoping it wasn't. With the surgeon's insight, I was able to get rid of that false hope and prepare for battle.
WARNING: Semi-graphic pictures below. We counted about 15 stitches. How many can you see?
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