The Results are In

I am sorry that is has been over a week since I posted any information but it has been a good week leading up to today's chemotherapy session. Last Wednesday they drained some more blood and determined that I didn't need immunotherapy shots. My white count was at 2.7 and the doctor felt I was ok without the shots. I think there is another blood level they look at in conjunction with the cell count and I think that was in the acceptable range. I had a pretty good week last week and enjoyed having Randy here with us so we could celebrate Sophie's and Tara's birthdays and Father's Day. They were all fun days.

Thursday I went for a chest x-ray and everything was clear. The doctor checks it every month to see if the "B" drug is damaging them. I haven't had any coughing or wheezing and nothing showed up on the x-ray so that was good news.

Thursday I also had my PET/CT scan. If you recall this is when they inject radioactive sugar and look to see what parts of the body attract it with high metabolic activity. My oncologist said, "PET scan does not show cancer. This is good." We reviewed the pictures today and sure enough the only glowing, active parts were my brain, liver, kidneys, and bladder. These should all be functioning in a normal body. I am glad they are since it is nice to be able to pee and think on occasion.

The chemotherapy session went well today though we got a bit of a late start since every chair was full. I was one of the first ones there at 7:30 this morning and I'd say half of them left before me. They also do infusions for arthritis, anemia, and other types of patients who require IV medications. They just get normal IVs and don't have to stay as long. I am beginning to recognize a few faces that are on the same rotation as me though we don't have a lot of opportunity to talk. However everyone loves Sophie and thinks she is the cutest (which I would have to agree with). Tara stepped out for a minute to make a phone call and all of the nurses offered to take Sophie when she started to get antsy. I am very sleepy today and will probably get to bed plenty early. I already feel a bit nauseous and don't feel like eating much so we'll see how the next few days go. I anticipate not eating a lot, resting quite a lot, and trying to forget my numb, tingling extremities. That seems to be the pattern after chemo - the nauseousness should be gone by Saturday, the sense of taste returning Monday or Tuesday, but the numbness lasting indefinitely.

WARNING: Medical terminology used below for those interested in excerpts from the official reports regarding my scans.

Chest x-ray: The lungs are clear with no infiltrate, effusion, or masses seen. The cardiomediastinal contours and bony skeleton are unremarkable for age. Negative PA and lateral chest unchanged from prior.

PET/CT: Resolved anterior mediastinal, subcarinal, pretracheal and left neck base hypermetabolic activity compared to prior study. Residual non-avid lymphadenopathy in the anterior left upper parasagittal mediastinum, largest node with an oblique AP caliber of 27 mm. (The doctor explained that this meant the lymph node was still enlarged as it takes the body a while to dispose of it. However there was no metabolic activity that signals cancerous growth.)

Things are good. The chemo has worked but must continue to make sure any lingering cells are killed. The tumors are gone but the scan would not show individual cancer cells that may still remain. The radiation will wipe out the rest after chemo is done. I can manage the side effects knowing that it is working to help my body heal.