Tuesday, January 30, 2007

For want of PET scan results

I suppose the future will be full of pendulum-like mood swings. Sunday night I was so fearful and nearing depression about this cancer thing. After the oncologist visit yesterday, I am once again hopeful, but that is all contingent on the findings of the PET scan.

The fact that the hospital hasn’t seen fit to share the results of the PET scan is really angering me at this point. I thought the whole idea was that I would have it early on Friday so that the results can be available my Monday afternoon. Well . . . I won't even go there.

The oncologist was very poitive, but then that’s their main business. I mean who wants to go to a physician who is going to poison you and emit to you a persona full of doom. I don’t think they could very well convince too many people to go through four or more rounds of being poisoned, hair loss, possible heart damage, and perhaps leukemia with no hope of being able to pick up with a good life after that.

The oncologist said that even though my tumor is not considered small, it is not large. That could be a problem or not. I love a definitive answer! The next step, which he and the surgeon agreed upon, is surgery. After looking at the tumor, doing a test which includes genetic testing, and looking at the lymph nodes will give us the definitive next step.

At the very best, I would be considered a low risk for metastasis, and that would mean no chemotherapy. I would be placed on hormone therapy for five years. The worst cast would involve two rounds of chemotherapy and the hormone therapy for five years. Intermediate would be one round of chemo, and then the hormone therapy. Radiation would be in each of those.

So now my tennis match of doctors is back with the surgeon. As soon as he gets the PET scan results, we will meet to arrange for the surgery which will be a lumpectomy and studying the sentinel lymph nodes. Then in two weeks the ball and I return to the oncologist.

I feel somewhat like a mushroom who is exposed to a little sunlight!

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