PET SCAN PLEASE HELP!!

Isabella99 · January 2016

Hello Everyone,

My husband was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago.

He just had a mastectomy to remove the primary cancer and

lymph node dissection. Doctors said that he will need

PET scan and does anyone know anything about PET scan?

Does it mean his cancer is advanced or it is just a normal

procedure?

Thank you all very much.

Puffin2014 · January 2016

petscan

Petscan will determine if cancer went anywhere else in body, hope hubby's comes back clean and gives him some peace of mind.

joannstar · January 2016

I've had 2 PET scans...

The first after I finished chemo before starting radiation that showed all was clear. The second was 2 years later--still clear. They gave me intravenus sugar water which would interact with (and light up) any cancer cell activity. That took about an hour to spread through my system. Then I was in the "tube" for 26 minutes with my arms crossed over my eyes as the machine moved me back and forth. Staying still was a bit difficult (but the threat that they would need to start all over if I moved, kept me motionless).

Good luck to you both.

Hugs,

JoAnn

Isabella99 · January 2016

Puffin2014 said:
petscan
Petscan will determine if cancer went anywhere else in body, hope hubby's comes back clean and gives him some peace of mind.

Thank you so very much for

Thank you so very much for your reply.

It is really difficult time for us...

Isabella99 · January 2016

joannstar said:
I've had 2 PET scans...
The first after I finished chemo before starting radiation that showed all was clear. The second was 2 years later--still clear. They gave me intravenus sugar water which would interact with (and light up) any cancer cell activity. That took about an hour to spread through my system. Then I was in the "tube" for 26 minutes with my arms crossed over my eyes as the machine moved me back and forth. Staying still was a bit difficult (but the threat that they would need to start all over if I moved, kept me motionless).

Good luck to you both.

Hugs,

JoAnn

You are lucky and I am very

You are lucky and I am very glad yours came back clean.

Thank you so much for your reply.

Isabella99 · January 2016

Puffin2014 said:
petscan
Petscan will determine if cancer went anywhere else in body, hope hubby's comes back clean and gives him some peace of mind.

My husband is planning to

My husband is planning to exercise all through his chemo.

We still do not know yet how long his chemo would be.

Do you know anything about exercising during the chemo?

Would it help him to recover quickly? We are worried

about him feeling not good during the chemo, so

I would very much appreciate if you tell us what you know

about it.

He is the most healthy person I have ever know except this

cancer. He stays in good shape, eats healthy and

exercises every day. I still can not believe he has

cancer!! His grandma had breast cancer 40 years ago,

so I guess he inherited the faulty gene:-(

Thanks.

Pixie Dust · January 2016

Isabella99 said:
You are lucky and I am very
You are lucky and I am very glad yours came back clean.

Thank you so much for your reply.

Waiting is hard when you have to wait for results

Isabella99, praying that all will be alright with your hubby's scan Wednesday. He is lucky to have you for his wife because you are caring enough to be on here asking questions about him. Also you have to take care of yourself being the caregiver. Blessings to both of you and hope all goes well. HUGS Pixie Dust

Puffin2014 · January 2016

Isabella99 said:
My husband is planning to
My husband is planning to exercise all through his chemo.

We still do not know yet how long his chemo would be.

Do you know anything about exercising during the chemo?

Would it help him to recover quickly? We are worried

about him feeling not good during the chemo, so

I would very much appreciate if you tell us what you know

about it.

He is the most healthy person I have ever know except this

cancer. He stays in good shape, eats healthy and

exercises every day. I still can not believe he has

cancer!! His grandma had breast cancer 40 years ago,

so I guess he inherited the faulty gene:-(

Thanks.

exercise during chemo

Everyone reacts differently to chemo. Your husband will need to listen to his body and do what he feels up to, and that will vary from day to day, and often from morning to afternoon. I could wake up feeling great at 8 and by 10 AM I'd be asleep in my recliner. You quickly learn you can't really make plans, you do what you feel up to on that particular day. Ask if your cancer center will be providing a chemo class and if they do, go with him.

I was told to do what I could for activity, but to not over do it. His body will be fighting a battle, needs enough exercise to maintain muscle strength but you want energy going to fight the cancer battle.

Isabella99 · January 2016

Puffin2014 said:
exercise during chemo
Everyone reacts differently to chemo. Your husband will need to listen to his body and do what he feels up to, and that will vary from day to day, and often from morning to afternoon. I could wake up feeling great at 8 and by 10 AM I'd be asleep in my recliner. You quickly learn you can't really make plans, you do what you feel up to on that particular day. Ask if your cancer center will be providing a chemo class and if they do, go with him.

I was told to do what I could for activity, but to not over do it. His body will be fighting a battle, needs enough exercise to maintain muscle strength but you want energy going to fight the cancer battle.

Puffin2014,
Thank you so much

Puffin2014,

Thank you so much for you the message.

You are soooo nice!! I really never expected

to receive any reply when I posted firsthand.

Thanks very much.

I have another question:

When you say ''a round of chemo'', how

many days do you mean? 1 round is 1 week?

Thanks again!

Isabella99 · January 2016

Pixie Dust said:
Waiting is hard when you have to wait for results
Isabella99, praying that all will be alright with your hubby's scan Wednesday. He is lucky to have you for his wife because you are caring enough to be on here asking questions about him. Also you have to take care of yourself being the caregiver. Blessings to both of you and hope all goes well. HUGS Pixie Dust

Pixie Dust.
yes, I really,

Pixie Dust.

yes, I really, really love my husband. he is everything I have.

I deeply, deeply regret not dragging him to doctor since he

had this painless lump about 3 years now.

I did not know man can have a breast cancer.

I will do everything I can do. He is very positive and strong.

You are very nice! Thank you very much. God bless you.

Puffin2014 · January 2016

Isabella99 said:
Puffin2014,
Thank you so much
Puffin2014,

Thank you so much for you the message.

You are soooo nice!! I really never expected

to receive any reply when I posted firsthand.

Thanks very much.

I have another question:

When you say ''a round of chemo'', how

many days do you mean? 1 round is 1 week?

Thanks again!

chemo rounds

The actual chemo infusion is done in one day to the center. I'd go in they'd infuse an IV steroid and IV antinausea meds, then I got 2 different chemo bags. Would have been done by noon, but I had a reaction to the taxotere and they had to infuse all subsequent bags very slowly so after that I'd get done about 3 pm. 24 hours later I'd go back to get an injection of neulasta which stimulates the bone marrow to make more white blood cells to keep my blood counts from dropping. 3 weeks later I'd go back and repeat the process. That was one cycle for me, and I did 4 cycles. It depends on what chemo they give him, some chemo is given every week, some every other week.

It also helps to keep a journal, not just of how he's feeling emotionally. As I developed side effects the doctors would ask "when did this start" or "how many stools are you having a day". I was supposed to drink 64 ounces of fluid every day to rinse the chemo out of my system, I'd use my journal to record my fluid intake, how many stools I had each day, when my mouth sores started, how much energy I had, etc. It also helped as I progressed through the cycles to look back and see when I could expect to start feeling better. I knew I was in trouble between cycles 3 and 4 when it was time for #4 and I was still weak and unsteady enough that I was still using my cane. When I told my onc that she decreased my chemo dose for #4. Very important to keep onc informed along the way of how he is doing.

Isabella99 · February 2016

Puffin2014 said:
chemo rounds
The actual chemo infusion is done in one day to the center. I'd go in they'd infuse an IV steroid and IV antinausea meds, then I got 2 different chemo bags. Would have been done by noon, but I had a reaction to the taxotere and they had to infuse all subsequent bags very slowly so after that I'd get done about 3 pm. 24 hours later I'd go back to get an injection of neulasta which stimulates the bone marrow to make more white blood cells to keep my blood counts from dropping. 3 weeks later I'd go back and repeat the process. That was one cycle for me, and I did 4 cycles. It depends on what chemo they give him, some chemo is given every week, some every other week.

It also helps to keep a journal, not just of how he's feeling emotionally. As I developed side effects the doctors would ask "when did this start" or "how many stools are you having a day". I was supposed to drink 64 ounces of fluid every day to rinse the chemo out of my system, I'd use my journal to record my fluid intake, how many stools I had each day, when my mouth sores started, how much energy I had, etc. It also helped as I progressed through the cycles to look back and see when I could expect to start feeling better. I knew I was in trouble between cycles 3 and 4 when it was time for #4 and I was still weak and unsteady enough that I was still using my cane. When I told my onc that she decreased my chemo dose for #4. Very important to keep onc informed along the way of how he is doing.

hello

hello, Puffin2014,

I just wanted to let you know my husband finally got his Pet scan and it came back

clear!!! I cried like crazy as soon as I heard it from the doctor and doctor and his nurse looked

at me very surprised:) But his cancer is still stage 3 as his 10 nodes were cancerious

of 12.

He is now waiting for his chemo which should start in about 2 weeks. the doctor

said that he will have 12 weeks of chemo and 11 weeks of radiation. Chemo will

start with the chemical /I can not remember the name right now/ which is bad for his heart.

I will very much appreciate any advice you can give us for his chemo, escecially about

managing the effects. He is fit, exercises every day and eats healthy. The doctor

said that he will be fine since he is healthy, robust young man. I am very much

hoping he will do fine.

I study in canada and I am leaving my husdand with his parents in USA

where he will be receiving the treatment.

I am worried right now about leaving him, but I will be back

in just 6 weeks after I finish my study.

Thank you very, very much for everything.

Isabella

Isabella99 · February 2016

joannstar said:
I've had 2 PET scans...
The first after I finished chemo before starting radiation that showed all was clear. The second was 2 years later--still clear. They gave me intravenus sugar water which would interact with (and light up) any cancer cell activity. That took about an hour to spread through my system. Then I was in the "tube" for 26 minutes with my arms crossed over my eyes as the machine moved me back and forth. Staying still was a bit difficult (but the threat that they would need to start all over if I moved, kept me motionless).

Good luck to you both.

Hugs,

JoAnn

Hello Joann,
Hope all is

Hello Joann,

Hope all is going well for you!

I just wanted to let you know my husband's pet scan

came back all clear!! He is going to receive chemo

which will start in about 2 weeks from now.

Thanks!

Isabella99 · February 2016

Pixie Dust said:
Waiting is hard when you have to wait for results
Isabella99, praying that all will be alright with your hubby's scan Wednesday. He is lucky to have you for his wife because you are caring enough to be on here asking questions about him. Also you have to take care of yourself being the caregiver. Blessings to both of you and hope all goes well. HUGS Pixie Dust

Hello Pixie Dust, i just

Hello Pixie Dust, i just wanted to let you know my

husband's pet scan came back all clear!!

Thanks very much for everything.

He is going to recive chemo and radiation.

Hugs and love.

Isabella

Puffin2014 · February 2016

Isabella99 said:
hello
hello, Puffin2014,

I just wanted to let you know my husband finally got his Pet scan and it came back

clear!!! I cried like crazy as soon as I heard it from the doctor and doctor and his nurse looked

at me very surprised:) But his cancer is still stage 3 as his 10 nodes were cancerious

of 12.

He is now waiting for his chemo which should start in about 2 weeks. the doctor

said that he will have 12 weeks of chemo and 11 weeks of radiation. Chemo will

start with the chemical /I can not remember the name right now/ which is bad for his heart.

I will very much appreciate any advice you can give us for his chemo, escecially about

managing the effects. He is fit, exercises every day and eats healthy. The doctor

said that he will be fine since he is healthy, robust young man. I am very much

hoping he will do fine.

I study in canada and I am leaving my husdand with his parents in USA

where he will be receiving the treatment.

I am worried right now about leaving him, but I will be back

in just 6 weeks after I finish my study.

Thank you very, very much for everything.

Isabella

great news

I'm so happy for you and your husband that he got a good Petscan result! Definitely improves his expected outcome.

As for the chemo, find out if his cancer center offers a chemo class. Mine had a 1 hour class and gave us each a big 3 ring binder of what could happen, how to try and prevent issues and how to deal with issues as they came up. Everyone has different side effects and everyone deals with them differently. Some men can't handle the flu and others wouldn't complain if their finger was turning purple and ready to fall off. My onc told me to call with ANYTHING I was experiencing for side effects and not wait until the next appointment so they could get on top of it right away.

button2 · February 2016

Isabella99 said:
Hello Joann,
Hope all is
Hello Joann,

Hope all is going well for you!

I just wanted to let you know my husband's pet scan

came back all clear!! He is going to receive chemo

which will start in about 2 weeks from now.

Thanks!

Isabella, That's terrific news

I remember crying like a baby when my CT scans came back clear. (I don't cry when I hear bad news, only good news.) I just wanted to let you know that I had 9 lymph nodes, one with a 2cm tumor growing on it (besides a 5cm double entwined main tumor) That was 3.5 years ago and I'm doing great. I just ran a 17K mountain race, and am training for a marathon. So please tell your husband that he can get thru this and be just as active as ever if not more. (During my very tough treatment, the runs became walks for a couple of months) Keep coming on this site and I hope you encourage him to post as well. He is lucky to have such a caring wife! Hugs, Anna

Isabella99 · February 2016

Puffin2014 said:
great news
I'm so happy for you and your husband that he got a good Petscan result! Definitely improves his expected outcome.

As for the chemo, find out if his cancer center offers a chemo class. Mine had a 1 hour class and gave us each a big 3 ring binder of what could happen, how to try and prevent issues and how to deal with issues as they came up. Everyone has different side effects and everyone deals with them differently. Some men can't handle the flu and others wouldn't complain if their finger was turning purple and ready to fall off. My onc told me to call with ANYTHING I was experiencing for side effects and not wait until the next appointment so they could get on top of it right away.

Hi, Puffin2014,
thank you

Hi, Puffin2014,

thank you very much for your message.

We are very happy about the news.

We would very much appreciate, if you tell us what kind

of side effects you had during the chemo and how you managed

them.

His chemo center has a class and he is going to

attend. Also he is going to have port set in the next week.

Thank you very much.

Isabella99 · February 2016

button2 said:
Isabella, That's terrific news
I remember crying like a baby when my CT scans came back clear. (I don't cry when I hear bad news, only good news.) I just wanted to let you know that I had 9 lymph nodes, one with a 2cm tumor growing on it (besides a 5cm double entwined main tumor) That was 3.5 years ago and I'm doing great. I just ran a 17K mountain race, and am training for a marathon. So please tell your husband that he can get thru this and be just as active as ever if not more. (During my very tough treatment, the runs became walks for a couple of months) Keep coming on this site and I hope you encourage him to post as well. He is lucky to have such a caring wife! Hugs, Anna

Dear Anna,
Thank you so much

Dear Anna,

Thank you so much for your message.

Your story is very inspiring to us and we are very

pleased to hear you are doing very well.

I will keep posting!

Hugs and love!

PET SCAN PLEASE HELP!!

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