The answers only sparked more questions - PET scan results in

Kathryn_in_MN

So, I finally got the call at 6PM with my PET results. I was thinking the worst when no one would tell me the results, and I had to wait for the oncologist to finish his day and personally call.

The reason for my PET was a spot on the backside of my liver that was picked up on a CT scan prior to my dx. That one didn't light up at all - good news. I had a spot the surgeon saw on the front side biopsied and it was benign.

But on the PET I had one small spot show increased activity on my liver - lower left lobe. But the surgeon's notes don't say WHERE he biopsied on my liver, only that he took the biopsy when he saw a little spot on it. He didn't think it looked suspicious at all, but knew of my concern about my liver because of what showed on the CT. Since I had the lap surgery, he couldn't see the backside of the liver. Anyway, the spot they see now could be where he did the biopsy, and it is just still healing up. But we'll have to wait till Monday to find out.

And one lymph node in the middle of my abdomen lit up. It is normal size, but showed increased activity. Once again, he says it might just be surgery trama at this point (just two weeks out from surgery).

So now I don't really have anything more definitive than before the PET (other than the one suspect spot on the liver is clear). So, Monday morning they are scheduling an MRI to see if they can figure anything more out about these two spots. More tests, more waiting.

If the MRI is inconclusive, we'll ignore them, start chemo, and rescan in two months to see if they've gone away or grown or what has happened.

I am recovering well from surgery, but have to say all these appointments are wearing me down. I HATE doctor's offices. This week I had oncologist on Monday (over 3 hours), post-op on Tuesday, PET on Thursday, and chemo education class today. Next week I have mammogram and female annual on Tuesday (two different locations), dietician on Wednesday, dentist on Thursday and oncologist on Friday. And now I have to fit in an MRI too.

The question is, when do these people think I'm supposed to have time to work to make the $$ to pay them all!

Buzzard

Yep its a whirlwind.........
You have to understand though that these people have thousands of people to treat and paying them will eventually be done but they stay in a constant whirlwind themselves to keep up the gentleness that "most" cancer Dr and Nurses have. I do give them a lot of credit to persevere through what seems to be a very non- rewarding job and I once asked my Onc how he did this for a profession and kept his sanity. He told me that his main goal was to direct the family down the right path for that particular cancer regimen and to make it as easy as possible for them during that journey. He told me that if he made it easier for them to travel the road through treatment then he felt he had done his job. I agree, he has no control over whether it will work for that person or not but only to do the best possible for that individual. I know I am getting off the subject and I apologize for that, I too and Im sure most all the others have been in the same whirlwind, when given our type of DX then it gets rough to accomodate all the appts all the time because everything seems to be put on hold. It will slow down for you after the post op chemo, promise, then they will give you some time to work so you can pay them......Keep up the smiling...that will go a long way in recovery...Good Luck and many blessings to you.......Clift

tootsie1

Sorry
I'm sorry you still don't have a clear answer about this. I know it worries you. Can't wait to get the report that you're all clear!

*hugs*
Gail

dixchi

tootsie1 said:

Sorry
I'm sorry you still don't have a clear answer about this. I know it worries you. Can't wait to get the report that you're all clear!

*hugs*
Gail

Similar Story
My surgeon and oncologist had me in anxiety for several months
because a spot kept lighting up on scans in the surgery area
on my liver.....turned out to not be cancer but the way the
tissue was and had healed......also I had node in the pancreas
area lighted and that turned out to be nothing but reaction
to surgery....so the surgery can be very traumatic to our
systems and the reactions may appear on scans for a long
time afterward; it takes time for them to figure out what
they are......so think positive and I'm sending you supportive
thoughts and positive vibes that all will be well.

Huggs,
Barbara

Kathryn_in_MN

dixchi said:

Similar Story
My surgeon and oncologist had me in anxiety for several months
because a spot kept lighting up on scans in the surgery area
on my liver.....turned out to not be cancer but the way the
tissue was and had healed......also I had node in the pancreas
area lighted and that turned out to be nothing but reaction
to surgery....so the surgery can be very traumatic to our
systems and the reactions may appear on scans for a long
time afterward; it takes time for them to figure out what
they are......so think positive and I'm sending you supportive
thoughts and positive vibes that all will be well.

Huggs,
Barbara

Thanks Barbara - it is
Thanks Barbara - it is reassuring to hear that someone else has had these two things just be stress from surgery. It is just kind of funny that I was worried about the spot that the CT scan picked up before I even had the colonoscopy, and that turned out to be nothing. I wasn't expecting anything else to be an issue. And probably nothing else is an issue!