Now we have a plan!

So, do you want the good news or the bad news?

Good news - we began the process of a capsule endoscopy. This involves swallowing a capsule with a camera in it that takes thousands of pictures as it travels through Lauren's intestinal system. Once it comes out the other end, we get a souvenir and the docs analyze the pics. They are looking for any abnormalities in the area of her pain. She just swallowed a monster-size fake capsule first. It is the same size as the camera one but dissolves if it gets stuck. This one takes up to 24 hours to go all the way through, then the real one takes about the same amount of time.

Bad news - this is the step before she goes into surgery. The MRE shows a thickened section of bowel, so the capsule test helps determine if the problem is just that one section or if there are other damaged areas of bowel. The MRE and CT also shows lots of enlarged lymphnodes, so we are back to suspecting PTLD (cancer). The oncologist isn't convinced that it is cancer, but a biopsy is the only way to confirm a diagnosis. None of her symptoms or blood work are consistent with her last episode.

The question remains - What day will the surgery be and when the surgeon goes in to take the biopsy, does she just do that or remove the section of bowel as well. Meanwhile, Lauren hits the pain button, sleeps and doesn't want to eat. She is frustrated and just wants the pain to go away, even if it means surgery.