Alright, so I'm kind of rested from yesterday. It wasn't like I did very much to make me so tired, I think it was just all the anxiety build up and crash. The doctor appointment was running two hours behind which also wasn't helpful for both my anxiety and exhaustion.
The doctor read through the PET scan report which said that all the previous spots from my last scan (back in Dec) are negative. I have a spot in my right lung but it's negative so could be scar tissue or inflammation. All the spots on my spleen, liver, and stomach are all gone.
The report said I have a 'suspicious' new spot on my right hip which has a medium risk of being lymphoma. However, the doctor was highly skeptical of the reading as she thinks it would be very strange for a new spot to have developed while everything else disappeared. The scan picks up inflammation and as my hip was hurting a lot from after my face-plant and felt inflamed that day, the doctor thinks that was the cause. My hip is feeling better now and she couldn't feel any lumps (not that I ever had any external lumps) so although she thinks it's inflammation, she's going to schedule a PET scan in two months to be certain. In normal circumstances, I would have a CT in three months so it's really not all that different.
When she was reading the report, she kept saying stuff like, "it all looks negative, it's so good compared to your last scan which was very, very positive. You had spots everywhere, I can't believe the difference and how well it responded to the chemo." The amount of times she said, "it was so positive before" or "the cancer was so aggressive" gave me residual anxiety for how bad my cancer was. I mean, I appreciate hearing how well the chemo worked and how everything is great now but I don't need to be reminded that many times of how wide spread the cancer was. Not exactly a highlight of the day.
Some people with lymphoma take an small dose of chemo every three months to keep it from coming back but when I asked, the doctor said there was no evidence that helped with aggressive, large cell lymphomas like mine. If the Toronto team thought it would be a good idea, she would do it but otherwise she doesn't recommend any active follow up treatment.
The follow up plan is to go to Toronto next week for my 18-month (really 19-month by that point) assessment and PET scan in two months with follow up appointment.
I'm now off to PEI for the weekend to celebrate Amy's birthday (today), Father's Day, and to move some of David's stuff off the island for him. Have a good, sunny weekend, everyone!
2 comments:
Also that sort of 'oh now i can tell you how bad it was because its gone' adds to future anxiety about sugar coaters... which i feel are everywhere especially since experiencing transplant and connected heart issues. As horrible as it is to hear the truth, the sugar coating is terrifying to a greater extent. Happy weekend. I'm still liking the full story with hip possibility and everything. I think the simple explanation is gonna be it for that. I wish you the power to live in the moment like you always fight for.. like we all do. Happy birthday Amy!
I just wish that all service providers could be honest and upfront about stuff, whether they are plumbers, doctors or mechanics. If you can do the job, great and if you can't then just tell me. Fudging and dancing around the tough stuff doesn't help much in the long run. I'm glad that things are working in your favour - now you can get on with gardening and bike rides and crafts. Just try to avoid the face plants.
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