2nd opinion from Doctor Hwuang

I picked up Randy and we headed to Overlake to see Dr. Hwuang, scheduled to give Randy a second opinion.

It was 45 minutes before the doctor could see Randy. He had been in the middle of surgery, and was headed for another surgery right after Randy's visit. A busy man.

This visit, Randy and I were shown a set of impressive scans on the computer. Hwuang scrolled up and down through seemingly thousands of scans of Randy's torso such that it gave a distinct 3-d impression and convincing mental picture of what was going on.
Thankfully, there were no big surprises, although as the doctor was thinking out loud, he let the term "3B" slip, which of course sent a chill through Randy.
Hwuang backtracked from that comment (and later apologized to Randy for overstating the problem).

The images showed exactly where the tumors were situated and, if I read the charts right and understood, the coughing up of blood came from a rupture in his bronchial passageway due to a lymphnode tumor putting pressure on the bronchial wall.

In the end, his observations matched Randy's prognosis from the previous day, and his recommended course of treatment was also the same. So it was with some relief that there was no extra bad news to be learned.

The good news is that Dr. Hwuang said Randy had a 50% chance that imminent round of chemotherapy would cure him of the disease. That's up from the earlier doctor's estimate of 20-30%.

And so, the battle begins. Tuesday next, Randy goes for his chemo, an all-day, one-day session.

more to come...
Liam