Misty Mesentery

Hopefully, today I find out if I might have lymphoma. I’m not hopeful I have it, only that I’ll hear.

I had a cat scan yesterday on the recommendation of a radiologist who had diagnosed me as having a “misty mesentery”, an incidental finding based on a cat scan I had late last year when I threw a kidney stone. The pain associated with that episode was roughly equivalent to what Carol Burnett said childbirth felt like: “Imagine pulling your lower lip over the top of your forehead.” Some fun.

My scientific side went directly to the relevant literature. I was reassured to find one study that concluded: incidental findings of lymph node inflammation on CT scan < 10 mm, with no other lymphadenopathy detected, were associated with a benign course. If I recall correctly, while my nodes registered as “misty” they were in the 6-8 mm range. Benign. Like that word. A lot.

My non-scientific side dismissed the diagnosis as an acute finding, associated with what must have been considerable commotion in my lower bowel related to the nearby stress in my kidney.

Regardless, the finding motivated the recommendation I have a follow-up CT scan in six months. Yesterday.

Happy Wife is demonstrably concerned. I can’t blame her — if this were her I’d collapse into a worrisome mass, doing nothing all day but taking up space until I heard she was in the clear. I’m more sanguine about it, and isn’t this always the case, concern for ourselves is less than that of those who love us?

Just called my primary care physician who I asked to receive the report, which I expect is complete by now.

The line was busy.