PLEASE HELP ME!!!! PET scan explained?

melissaleebrown123

Anybody out there tonight?? I am desparately devastated and not certain if I should be yet...and ---I am losing my grip and my sanity. No other way to explain it. Long story short..I had my PET scan and CT scan and bloodwork and such as part of my "annual" checkup. I have only been 2 years cancer free..well maybe not. Today was my second year checkup. I havent met with the oncologist yet--I will see him tomorrow. I did hear from the tech that my PET scan showed "a hot spot on my L3 of my spine at a level of 2.1". I have no idea what this means except for in my mind my cancer is back and I am crying as I type. I am in a hotel lobby and people are looking at me and I dont even care. I need someobody to help me!! I have had two PET scans in the last two years which were "clear". I have not injured my self of had any back pain...just the normal aches and pains from my chemo pill. I dont know if a PET scan will ONLY show cancer or will it ever show "other" ??????? Please...can anybody help explain this to me?? I wont sleep tonight fearing the worst case scenario....Sincerely, Melissa

morgamed

Calm down and deep breath

PET scans shows all sorts of different things.  For example I have a blood disorder that produces protein and the scan just loves showing off all my little protein deposits in my body.  Only your oncologist can tell you that something is wrong.  Not a scanner that never made it through med school.  Stop freeking and see the Dr tomorrow and he is the only person that can tell you if something is there or not.  Sending positive vibes your way.. but stop freeking!

VickiSam

morgamed said:

Calm down and deep breath

PET scans shows all sorts of different things.  For example I have a blood disorder that produces protein and the scan just loves showing off all my little protein deposits in my body.  Only your oncologist can tell you that something is wrong.  Not a scanner that never made it through med school.  Stop freeking and see the Dr tomorrow and he is the only person that can tell you if something is there or not.  Sending positive vibes your way.. but stop freeking!

Melissa - how you doing?

worried about you - can you call your doctor and get an appointment ASAP ... Or try and get your physician to give you a call at home or on your cell?

we are thinking and sending out positive thoughts 

Vicki Sam

Cindy Bear

Hi Melissa

My mother had uterine cancer.. and on the day we got her official diagnosis of Stage IV, her gyn/onc. a smarmy little A** who reminded me of Woody Allen but without a sense of humor, kept talking about SUV ... at the time I was like.. what? he explained it to me later like this.. the Pet scan measures how much of the radioactive glucose your cells take up...and the SUV , standard uptake volume, is the measurement lingo.. he equated it to a geiger counter. He said anything over 2.7 (or maybe 2.9) my memory is a little faulty, was deemed cancer. I can imagine that a lot of things might cause that number to be higher...inflamation etc. .but a 2.1 isn't high...

Sending big hugs your way.

GlowMore

Cindy Bear said:

Hi Melissa

My mother had uterine cancer.. and on the day we got her official diagnosis of Stage IV, her gyn/onc. a smarmy little A** who reminded me of Woody Allen but without a sense of humor, kept talking about SUV ... at the time I was like.. what? he explained it to me later like this.. the Pet scan measures how much of the radioactive glucose your cells take up...and the SUV , standard uptake volume, is the measurement lingo.. he equated it to a geiger counter. He said anything over 2.7 (or maybe 2.9) my memory is a little faulty, was deemed cancer. I can imagine that a lot of things might cause that number to be higher...inflamation etc. .but a 2.1 isn't high...

Sending big hugs your way.

Feb 9

Melissa joined Feb 9 and has not been back............   If when you do come back Melissa I hope and pray that you will have the news for us..........we are praying for you.