The Waiting is Over Again - Update on Bert

Well folks, I've read and re-read both the Cat and Pet Scans that were done on Bert August 5 and I'm so extremely happy to say, and I quote here, the Pet "Impression: Negative whole body Pet scintigraphy for reccurent/metastatic disease." Hip, Hip Hurray!!!! Rah, Rah, sis boom bah!!!! Doing the happy dance. However, I will admit that if one really reads the CAT scan, there are so many things that show up that could be worrisome that it's a good, good thing that PETs are done to rule them out.

Bert's Cat scan shows several scattered calcified and non calcified pulmonary nodules which are small and stable from the previous exam (they have been that way ever since the first Pet/Cat scan) and they are not "felt to represent metastatic disease". Then it goes on to say that the liver is normal in size but that there is a small subcentimeter low density lesion in the right lateral lobe that is two small to characterize (has been there since his operation...surgeon said it was a cyst) but has gone unchanged...several spots of calcifications (kidney, gall bladder, etc.) but all normal. Finally, at the area where Bert had his surgery, there are two enlarged but stable lumph nodes (so they must have been there before even though none of the previous scans mentioned them) measuring 1.5 cm "in the region of the anastomosis (huh?????) in the mesentery" and a PET was definitely recommended to scan for metabolic activity of these nodes. Well, they didn't "light up" on the PET, as a matter of fact, all findings on the CAT, while not bad as a whole, but again worrisome, didn't light up on the PET so my Bert remains No Evidence of Disease. Amen!!! I wonder if they were to do a Cat Scan on me what they'd find. I didn't mean to go on and one about Bert's findings but I can't get over how truly scary this continues to be.

As far as the CEA goes, guess what, it's up again to 8.5. Onc thinks it may be attributed to the chemo or to some excess fat being produced by the liver...remember, it was 9.0 in May, off chemo six weeks, down to 6.0, back on chemo, up to 6.5, then 7.5, and now 8.5. His last chemo treatment was three weeks ago. In short, when Bert went back on chemo, CEA rose again. Hasn't been off long enough to compare but we'll know more about that next time he gets his blood work, which will be in 6 weeks. Next scans are now going to be done in three months. If in 6 weeks CEA stays up or rises, scans will be done immediately.

So there you have it. One heck of a looonnnngggg update, huh! Probably more than you wanted to read but you guys know me by now....I'm just long winded (sorry) and I'm very, very happy that a year after surgery, the love of my life remains No Evidence of Disease!!!! Pray to Dear God in heaven that it remains so for many, many, many years to come.

One more day of waiting and we'll know more about my mom too.

Hugs to all,
Monika & Bert, who were happy dancing all the way out of the doctors office...even had him going.