Friday, February 19, 2010

Getting a PET scan

With a PET scan, they are able to detect cancer activity nearly anywhere in your body. When I was first diagnosed with lymphoma, that's the first thing they did in order to figure out where all the cancer is in my body. Of course, it saw the big spot in my guts, but it also saw a spot along my esophagus, and another under my collarbone.



I got my second PET scan today, and hope to hear results by Monday.

Know how they do a PET scan? For 48 hours before, they don't want me to do any exercise. The night before, they want me to eat a high-protein, no-carb supper. (Last night I had fried egg and mozarrella cheese, fried salmon, and Brussels sprouts.) This morning, I was at CCI at 7 a.m. with iPod in hand. I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since last night. Turns out, I could drink water, so the nurse gave me a cup of chilled water. Ahh.

By 7:15, I'm back in a very comfortable, powered la-z-boy recliner, and the nurse is starting a line in my arm. She took my weekly blood samples and disappeared. They test your blood to see if you're diabetic, too. Being diabetic can throw off PET scan results.

At 7:30, nurse #2 comes in with a thick (lead-lined?) box holding the syringe of radioactive sugar. She injects that into my line and disappears for about 70 minutes. I was to be as relaxed as possible while the sugar went around looking for cancer cells to stick to. I listened to the entire "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat" album.

The nurse came in, let me take care of necessary business, and escorted me to the PET machine. The PET machine is a vertical donut with a stretcher I lie on to go in and out of the donut hole. After 20 minutes in and out of the machine, I'm done.

I'm at work by 9:15.

The radiologist is in and should read the results today, but I have no promises that Dr. McGee will get the results today, or that he'll get them to me today. Of course, the sooner the better, because if there's more chemo ahead, I'll want to get a port installed.

Monday, February 15, 2010

So, there's this new twinge I've never felt before...

UPDATE 2-15-2010

I've had a few days to live with the new state of things after four chemos. My whole insides are being assaulted. The twinge in that one spot comes and goes, and has a few friends throughout my abdomen. I'm going to say that it's side effects from the chemo. I'll know for sure after Friday.

ORIGINAL 2-8-2010

It's near where my first tumor was, only not behind my stomach, but sort of on top of it. Sounds scary, right? I'm doing that on purpose. It's not really that scary, but it does give me pause.

So, there's this sort of a pinch feeling at a spot I can put my finger on, just south of my ribs on the left hand side. It's been there the last 24 hours, I think. When I touch it, I'm pretty sure I can feel a bump there. Bummer. How can there be a new bump when I'm already getting chemo for lymphoma? Suggestions? A different kind of bump? Maybe this is some Hodkins? Or a side effect of chemo?

Whatever it is, I'm having a scan done on Friday the 19th. If it's anything, it'll glow, and that'll mean that I get to have more chemo treatments. Woohoo.

I've already told Dr. McGee that if I have to have additional chemo, I really need to get a port.

In the meantime, I'm going to live like I'm living. The life I've been granted is too good to miss.

Love,
-Andy