Short notice

At 5.30 last evening my phone rang and a strange number appeared on the display. A doctor spoke.
' we need to take a sample from one of the suspicious shadows from your CT scan'. Can you be in Kirkcaldy for 8.30 tomorrow morning?
There only seemed to be one possible answer, so after a call to Clare's work. And the help they have given us to adjust Clare's diary has been immense, there we were at the entrance to the endoscopy suite bang on 8.30 this morning.
Another calm, confident, competent nurse met us. She was even prepared to smile when I suggested to Clare that she was just dropping me with a beautiful woman to do some drugs. Too much humour I think.
Questionnaire filled in, another cannula painlessly inserted, a little waiting and I was ready to meet my first consultant in this process.
But first the drugs. A good armful of Valium. Then a good deal of explanation about the procedure. Lots of info about anaesthetic gel up a nostril and a variety of tools making their way up that nostril and down into my lung where samples would be taken. A broncoscopy
I can't pretend that it was an enjoyable experience. Not because of any pain or real discomfort but because the medical people and I had clear differences on the acceptable level of coughing and spluttering. I badly didn't want to make their life more difficult but did, or felt I did.
At least steel pipe up my nostril can be crossed from my bucket list.

Home now, around half past four. Valium wearing off. No beer tonight, apparently the mixture with the V would be too much .

So the results of today's test and the scans will be assessed by a group of skilled and clever people early next week. Clare and I will be invited to hear the results of their deliberations possible next Thursday.
Today's doctor thought we would find it was either lung cancer or lymphoma. We are being strict about not being tempted into google research until we have the diagnosis but nearly there now.