Iron Pol

Eight years ago, I sat in a doctor's office as he threw around words like surgery, biopsy, and non-Hodkin's lymphoma.  Though somewhat stunned at the urgency with which the doctors were considering options, I was fairly stoic about the overall discussion.  There was little to be gained from wigging out over "possibly" and "potentially."  A minor bit of surgery and some time with a microscope was all that was needed for concrete information.

Those results and the doctor responsible for my care thrust me onto the endurance scene.  Well, to be fair, the doctor accepts no responsibility for my becoming an endurance athlete.  He says that's all on me.  I blame him.  He's the one who told me to start running.  Who knew that like Forrest Gump, I'd still be running years later.

It seems I have now gone full circle.  Biopsies performed nearly a decade ago were the starting point in my journey from out of shape sailor to marathoner to triathlete to Ironman.  Recently, while preparing for a training swim, I noticed both a "bump" and blood in my ear canal (I wear plugs and routinely clean the ear to ensure a secure fit).

A visit with the ENT identified a couple things.  First, I seem to have yet another (or still existing) rupture of the tympanic membrane (eardrum).  Given the lack of any real symptoms, the doctor is fairly unconcerned with this.  He'll keep an eye on it and see if any reasons to treat it develop.

He was a bit more concerned with the bump in the ear.  Eight years after surgery for lymph node biopsies, I sat in a doctor's office as he removed a sample from my ear.  It will be sent to the lab for testing.

The doctor had two positive comments.  First, he is fairly certain this is a fairly common and routinely benign growth.  If so, we'll add it to the "wait and see" pile along with the ruptured eardrum.  Second, he was amazed at how quickly I identified the new growth.  While it seemed huge (in ear terms) to my wife and me, he said it is relatively small and is most likely a recent development.

In the event it isn't benign, we are ahead of the curve with the quick discovery.

Who knew that one biopsy would so directly result in another.  That was one big circle.  Next Tuesday I will know if I'm once again dealing with a minor inconvenience or if it's a bit more serious, this time.

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