Are We Confused Enough Yet?

For any ( or should I say both) of my loyal readers, I have an update:
Went to the pulmonologist on Monday. He said he had good news from the biopsy report...NOT CANCER!!! We were in shock (you should have seen Gerry's face). The dr. said that it surprised him too, as the CT and PET/CT reports showed a very strong arguement for cancer. The dr. told us that it wasn't 100% conclusive, though, as the needle in the biopsy could have just gotten samples from dead cells. He told us to keep the appointment with the surgeon for the next day, and made an appointment for Wed with an oncologist. Then they would all confer.
We left there cautiously optomistic, but Gerry did feel a whole lot better! We spent a few hours with my sister in law and brother in law (he's actually my ex's brother....divorced the man, not the family). We had a really good lunch...I made the salad, Pat made the entree - I am including the recipe at the end of this post, because it was easy to make and SOOOO good!
The next morning, before the appointment with the surgeon, we took a drive south to The Villages, a huge senior CITY. Gerry's brother and wife were at their house there, on vacation from NJ. We got to spend a few hours with them. Then....to the doctor...
The thoracic surgeon was really nice (he even trained with Denton Cooley, known for his work with the aritificial heart). He told us that he relied more on the scans, which lean toward a postive for cancer. But, no matter what, he felt the mass must come out. We talked a bit and then he asked why we were having the surgery in Ocala and not S. Florida. We told him our hurricane story, and he then told us that he used to live and work in SFLA and that his former partner is an excellent thoracic surgeon in Pompano....about 25 minutes from where we live. He immediately got on the cell phone and called Dr. David. Dr. D heard the story and told us to come in Thursday. We did see him today and after looking over all the reports and films, he is setting up surgery for next Wednesday. I know that Gerry is scared, but he is more afraid of NOT taking care of this. The biggest plus is that Gerry has taken care of himself and is in perfect health. We know that this will all come out ok and that in 9 months or so he will be diving with me again.
As for me....Monday I called for the culture results and was told that it was negative....and I was STILL hurting. The dr prescribed a medicine to treat a virus. She said that given the stressful situations we have been going through, my immune system is out of whack and so I can easily pick up any one of a number of viruses. I do feel quite a bit better, though burning and some soreness is still an issue. I also have another problem....and would like to hear if any of you have had this....I have areas on my skin that are VERY sensitive. It's hard to describe, but have you ever slept with your hair going the wrong way, and when you try to comb or brush it the correct way, your scalp feels sore...not an OUCH, PAIN soreness, but a sensitive soreness? I have gotten that now and then on my skin, in small areas, and it goes away fairly quickly. This time I have had it for days....on my left arm, around my watch...my wrist, two of my fingers, part of my palm, my middle back and across my belly. I have come to think, after talking to several friends, that it's possibly shingles under the skin. Now I know that shingles is supposed to be a blistery rash, but several people have said that they have had it as I described it. Not much I can do about it, though....the medicine I am on is also for shingles, so hopefully this will go away in time. I feel fine otherwise....not nervous, worried, or anything like that, but I guess my stress is popping out in it's own way. OY....like I needed this now?
I returned to work today and got such a great reception from my students. They are SO cute and such a good class. I really missed them, but thank goodness I had a great sub this time. Sometimes you get a person who is barely a warm body....my students could teach the class better than some subs. Kate, who had my class the past three days, is the sister of one of our teachers, and she's great. I will be out Wed and Thurs for the surgery and day after, and feel so confident leaving Kate in charge.
We had planned to go to Key West this weekend, but we are both SOOO tired. Ocala is a 4 hour drive...we did it twice in 10 days. KW is also 4 hours, the other way, so we figured we'd just stay home, do whatever needs to be done here, bond with our dogs, catch a movie, relax! Living in S. Florida, you don't feel as if you've been cheated if you can't get to the Keys....it's tropical all around us.

OK - I promised a recipe and here it is...it's from a magazine that is called (I think) Quick Cooking Ideas (or something like that)...

Sausage Stuffed Squash

Prep/total time: 20 minutes

2 medium acorn squash

1 pd bulk pork sausage (we used Jimmy Dean ground sausage, a 12 oz roll - you can substitute ground been or meat substitute, but the sausage is SOOO good)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery (we left this out)

1/2 cup low fat sour cream

(I would also add about 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms)

Cut squash in half; remove and discard seeds. Place squash cut side down in a microwave-safe dish.
Cover and microwave on high for 10 - 12 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, crumble sausage into a large skillet; add celery and onion(and mushroom). Cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream. Spoon into squash halves. Cover and microwavefor 1 minute or until heated through. Yield: 4 servings. Editor's note: This recipe was tested in a 1,100-watt microwave.