Today I am going in to get my PET scan. This is a big deal, because it will be the first real indication of how well I am responding to the chemotherapy. The scan will take a look at my spleen, and will be able to tell, more or less, how much cancerous material it is harboring. It is still pretty large. If I went in to the hospital today, and they did not know my previous condition, they would be running around in serious concern. However, compared to what it was, WOW, it is looking good. My stomach looks human - without weird lumps and swellings, and my belly button has moved back to the center. So, is it just taking some time to shrink because it was larger than twins, or is it still pretty sick? No-one knows.
Of course, I hope that it is just taking time to shrink, and that my "A" and "B" cycles are done, and I can move on to round 2 of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the Rituxin reaction is often an indicator of there being quite a bit of cancer left, so I do not have my hopes set on "high". Better living through lowered expectations. I was originally told that there would be 8 treatments total, and I have only gone through 4. I will let everyone know what we find out as soon as we hear. I will probably have a preliminary report on Monday or Tuesday, but I won't hear the final report until about the 20th, because of Dr. Meehan's schedule in Dartmouth.
For those of you wondering what a PET scan is, it stands for positron emission tomography. It uses a small dose of radioactive material which is injected into one's bloodstream. It then uses a CAT-like scanner to read the flow of the radiotracer, and the uptake rate by different organs give good indication of how the organs and tissues are functioning in real time and in 3-D. Pretty cool.
Of course, I hope that it is just taking time to shrink, and that my "A" and "B" cycles are done, and I can move on to round 2 of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the Rituxin reaction is often an indicator of there being quite a bit of cancer left, so I do not have my hopes set on "high". Better living through lowered expectations. I was originally told that there would be 8 treatments total, and I have only gone through 4. I will let everyone know what we find out as soon as we hear. I will probably have a preliminary report on Monday or Tuesday, but I won't hear the final report until about the 20th, because of Dr. Meehan's schedule in Dartmouth.
For those of you wondering what a PET scan is, it stands for positron emission tomography. It uses a small dose of radioactive material which is injected into one's bloodstream. It then uses a CAT-like scanner to read the flow of the radiotracer, and the uptake rate by different organs give good indication of how the organs and tissues are functioning in real time and in 3-D. Pretty cool.
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