keith’s new self

[See my post hodgkin’s lymphoma - a journey begins for context.]

My name is Keith Grennan, I’m a 27-year-old caucasian male living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I grew up in a middle class home in the suburbs, went to university and got a degree in computer engineering, and have been a professional software developer for about 5 years.

A couple months ago I started experiencing some strange symptoms - heavy night sweats (waking up in a puddle, literally), swelling and pain in my knees and ankles, a hard lump behind my left nipple. I went to a walk-in clinic, and the doctor there, Dr. Dwyer, ordered a whole battery of tests - extensive bloodwork, a chest x-ray, an ultrasound of my lump, and an ECG.

After getting the tests done, I returned to see Dr. Dwyer. The lump turned out to be gynecomastia, a non-harmful swelling of the breast tissue. He didn’t tell me anything besides that, but immediately booked a CT scan of my chest. The CT scan was pretty straightforward - “contrast” (a dye, essentially) is delivered by IV, and you lie down on a bed that moves back and forth through a large ring.

It was around this time that I started to think I had something really wrong with me, and started to feel scared and upset that this was happening. It was good to let these feelings come up - they’ve been my only really upset moments so far - since then I’ve felt really positive and happy, and somewhat fearless.

I returned to Dr. Dwyer several days later, and he said “there’s something in your chest, but we don’t know what it is” (Dr. Dwyer is a man of few words). He sent me to see an inside medicine specialist, one Dr. Keebler, who did a further physical examination, and explained a bit more of what they thought might be wrong with me, although not getting very specific. Dr. Keebler then made an appointment for me to see Dr. Kenneth Evans, a thoracic surgeon, about getting a biopsy of the mass in my chest. However, that same day, Dr. Evans called and told me that he wanted me admitted to the hospital immediately, so that they could start right away.

So I admitted myself at Vancouver General Hospital, with preparations for an extended sedentary period: laptop, stack of DVDs (including Lord of the Rings and Matrix sets), a few books, pajamas and slippers, etc. Despite a recent shift to a healthier diet, on the way to the hospital I stopped by Tim Hortons and ate two donuts - what the hell!

posted: 9:02 am