Blessed o8: I'll try to answer you ?s in the order you asked:
1. The diagnosis was done on the tumor removed and it took three weeks for the pathology report.
2. No biopsy before hand.
3. On a Monday morning I started vomiting. By Friday I stopped. I attempted that Monday to go to ER after visit to PCP but after vomiting for four and a half hours with no attention except a blood work done twice. I decided to tough it out at home. Went home.
3b. That Friday I said I would try a different ER at a small local hospital. They saw me immediately ( cause they weren't busy) and within Forty minutes I was on my way to have a non contrast CT scan.
3c. I had a bowel obstruction of the small intestine caused by a tumor the size a a youth football. 16x18x12 or so. And I was informed they did not have the equipment or personnel to do the necessary surgery and I would be transferred to either the Cleveland clinic or the university Hospital Seidman cancer center. The pre diagnosis at this point was a GIST, sarcoma or lymphoma. Which hospital would depend on who had a bed open. I selected first available. 3d. I met my surgeon that evening about a half an hour from when I arrived. The surgery would be scheduled for Monday morning. The weekend would be filled with having a CT scan with contrast ( I have to be prepped with steroids since I am allergic to the contrast dye). Meeting the five surgical teams that would assist with the surgery. 3E. The surgery was performed on that Monday using a full abdominal wall incision... A very large tumor as removed 982 grams. Negative margins. It had crushed my small intestine near the entrance to stomach but was free from involvement of the other organs, the bowel was resected. The tumor did fragment but surgeon did a great job cleaning up that mess as best as he was able. Luckily I did not get a stoma. The tumor was sample and sent to pathology.3F. At Seidman you are given an oncology team once the diagnosis is complete. Seidman is a sarcoma center in Cleveland, Ohio. I asked for the genomic and receptor analysis.
4. Post op symptoms; slow post op recovery but fine now; slow recovery from anesthesia but okay now;

Question for you: how did you pick a surgeon? I assume since you are on the watch and wait surveillance.. they got it all and no metastasize has occured.

Since mine was an emergency removal my surgeon was " selected" for me.

Books: ". No cure for being Human" by Katie Bowler. Do you want to communicate directly. My email is jeshaw6801@gmail.com. I live in the Akron area. there is so much to share with you who is on a similar path... How to talk to family; how to grieve;how to not get overwhelmed with all the info and lack of info about LMS. I climb down too many rabbit holes looking for answers.

If I need a second opinion I will either use Mayo or the James ctr at Ohio State....I will get one if there is a reoccurrence or a met.