Meridian Health

Because of her lung disease, Megan Bell will probably never be able to scuba dive. “But that’s OK — I don’t swim,” says Megan, always looking on the bright side.

The 47-year-old registered dental assistant from Brick says she’s just grateful to have a diagnosis that explains the strange symptoms she started experiencing in January 2011, including trouble breathing and swollen legs. The answers came thanks to doctors at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and an advanced diagnostic procedure: endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS).

A Dramatic Medical Tale

It all began one morning, when Megan noticed her ankles were puffy. Over the next few days, the swelling got worse. Eventually, she developed chest pain, nausea, fever, and a rash that stretched from her ankles to her thighs.

Megan spent nine days at Jersey Shore, where she had to be revived once after her heart stopped. Her doctors — including pulmonologist Mohamed Elsawaf, M.D. — were unsure what was causing her symptoms. Because a CT scan showed swollen lymph nodes, they suspected lymphoma or lung cancer.

“To determine if it is cancer, you have to do a biopsy, where you sample a small piece of tissue,” says Dr. Elsawaf.

This type of biopsy often means surgery to remove a lymph node. However, alternative procedures are offered at Jersey Shore. The EBUS procedure allowed Dr. Elsawaf to sample the lymph nodes in a less-invasive manner.

During Megan’s EBUS procedure, which took place in February, Dr. Elsawaf inserted a long, narrow tube called a bronchoscope through Megan’s throat into her lungs. Using ultrasound, he could see through her airways and visualize the lymph nodes. “It’s similar to how a baby can be visualized using ultrasound,” he says. He removed a small sample using a tiny needle.

The same procedure can also be used to determine cancer patients’ disease stage and treatment options. “In Megan’s case, we avoided surgery and identified her disease,” he says.

A Path Forward

Thanks to sedation, Megan doesn’t remember the procedure. But she does recall Dr. Elsawaf’s smile when he shared the results.

“He said, ‘I have good news — you don’t have cancer. But you do have a lung disease,’” she says. Megan’s condition, sarcoidosis, can affect many organs, including the lungs, leaving her short of breath.

Today, Megan takes medication and does breathing exercises. She
checks in regularly with Dr. Elsawaf and the rest of the experts at Jersey Shore to monitor her progress. She’s back to work part-time, and soon she will go back to coaching her daughter’s basketball team.

Meet the Doctor

Mohamed A. Elsawaf, M.D.
Board certified in Pulmonology, Internal Medicine, & Critical Care Medicine
Ocean | 732-775-9075