Incoming!

Hi folks! Just wanted to give a quick update on what's coming in the next two weeks. Between the treatment on Thursday and the next, I'll be getting re-stated. What's that, you ask? Well, loyal readers, I'll tell you.



When this fun adventure started, I received a bunch of tests: A chest x-ray, a CT scan, a PET scan, a PFT and a MUGA scan. I'll run through these for those of you who don't know what they are (thank Melissa for pointing out that I may have picked up some medical lingo).



Chest x-ray: If I need to explain this, feel free to leave me a comment so I can ridicule you with the rest of our friends, haha.



CT Scan: CT stands for Computed Tomography. In my case, they will check me from neck to hips, looking for any enlarged lymph nodes. This may pick up some scar tissue on the scan, but is important in seeing that everything that was normal... Still is.


PET Scan: This is the big one. This is a VERY sensitive test that involves me getting a radioactive dye injected into me. This dye is actually a sugar, and cancer cells apparently gobble this up at a higher rate than regular cells. Areas of "uptake", or where the sugar is eaten quickly, are usually cancer areas (or the bladder or brain). This is a VERY sensitive test, meaning its also prone to false positives. We want this one clear though, its the most important one for trying to predict how treatment is going.


PFT Test: This is my lung test. One of my drugs in the chemo cocktail can cause pulmonary fibrosis. This would be a bad thing too, so they want to make sure my lungs are still functioning right. I breathe a few times in a big tube, and they tell me how good my lungs are.


MUGA Scan: Another of the drugs can cause problems with my heart. Similar to the above, they want to make sure the ticker is still going strong.

Its going to be a busy two weeks. I'm really hoping for a CR based on the scans above (Complete Remission). Best chance at cure, should we get that now.