Hi friends,
My check in at Martha Jefferson was postponed. The doctor is making final assessments as to the nature of the cancer. Is it mediasteinal? is it diffuse B-cell? Stay tuned for details. Tomorrow, same bat time -same bat channel :)
At any rate, I got a heart sonogram today, which allowed me to see that incredible machine at work - the one that allows me to run and breathe and do all kinds of hobbies. The heart is an interesting piece of equipment. This was all done to verify that the chemicals used to treat the cancer will not cause this super pump to stop working properly. It was interesting and not painful in the least.
I then got an interesting injection with some short-lived radioisotopes as part of my PET scan. Strangely, neither of my dogs, cats, or miscellaneous wildlife from my yard were invited to what was ostensibly a view of their innards. I suppose the 'pet' in PET scan is a misnomer.
Nothing unpleasant there, except for the extreme precautions the technicians took to shield themselves from the chemicals which were subsequently injected into my body. I'm sure I'd want the same precautions if I had to handle radioisotopes all day long.
No word yet as to the outcome. Both were designed - in concert with the marrow and bone biopsy - to determine the extent of the cancer. I await their conclusions with bated breath. :)
We'll see tomorrow. 8 am, I'm scheduled for a port to be placed into my chest, to facilitate injections of the chemo drugs. I've requested USB, or at the very least PS2, but I think these Luddites are going parallel.
I check in for chemo - hopefully tomorrow! I cannot wait!
A quick shout out to all of my PRA buddies who have offered assistance and prayers and help in the coming weeks. Also all of my school buds giving prayers, etc - this stuff helps a lot.
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I'm glad you were finally able to experience something interesting rather than extremely painful!
ReplyDeleteI think that medical equipment creators have just as much fun thinking up acronyms for these scans as our industry does for systems (and everything else). I remember one of my friends conscientiously helping her cats prepare mentally for their scan...only to find out the CAT scan was for her!
By the way, thanks so much for doing this blog, Patrick. This will be a good way for all of us to keep up with how you're doing without constantly annoying you. I know I was going to feel like asking you how you're doing far more often that you would've wanted to respond!
Good luck this week!