On Tuesday we went in for my PET scan. I'm not sure if I have explained what that is before on this blog, so I shall do so now to the best of my ability. The way it works is a glucose-fluorine compoundy dye is injected into you. Cancer cells are very active, and so the glucose is taken up by those cells over the course of an hour sitting still in a chair. You then go lie in the machine and get slid back and forwards through the length of the machine so it can take pictures of different parts of you. I think its the flurorine that the machine sees.
So, this was all a bit boring but not as unpleasant as it was the first time round, as I was somewhat sicker then. The worst part was
naturally getting the catheter in. They had trouble finding a vain as always. The first person to try was a lovely and incredibly chatty lady. She tried putting one in my left wrist just near my palm. I'd never seen anyone have any needles go here and it was actually incredibly painful- as bad as having the stem cell collection tube removed last week. Anyway, this didn't work, the needle found the vain but punctured the wall or something and she took it out. I was crying, I think I made her feel pretty bad. I do hope nurses know I dont hate them, that I realise its not their fault I have tiny and invisible veins and that I realise they are doing their best. Anyway, another fellow came in and managed to get one in the back of my hand relatively painlessly. AND it was an adult sized one instead of the usual paediatric ones they usually use for me. Its a shame they only use the portacath for PET and CT scan dyes if there is no other option (the isotopes get stuck in the tube or something which is baddd).
But yeah that all went ahead fine. Its strange how exhausted you can be after 4 hours of just sitting or lying still. I suppose it to be the stress and the concern, the wondering what the radiologists are seeing on their screens. However, the day improved for dinner. Some relatives from Perth are visting, one of whom I haven't seen since I was very young and they came over for dinner which was lovely.
I dont really remember what I did yesterday. Actually, I dont think i did anything. I think I sat on my bed just about the entire day, feeling a bit gloomy and anxious about what the results would be. I think I've mentioned once or twice the pain I occasionally still experience in my left humerus where one of the tumours are; naturally it crosses ones mind that this may be continued growth despite the chemotherapy. So, this was a concern.
Today we went in to see my oncologist to find out the results of the PET scan and further discuss surgery. The results were great! Significant reduction in the size of all tumours. "Surgeons are keen" apparently and everything seems good. So thats all wonderful- relief to know that everything really is responding well to the chemotherapy and the primary site is now operable.
So surgery will be probably in about 4 weeks, at the end of the next chemo cycle basically. Just gotta get an appointment with the surgeon, give him the disc with all my scans and xrays etc on it and work things out from there... but yeah, wonderful news!
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