Life Saving and Life Giving Images!!

After our doctor appointment yesterday I wanted to share my scan results with you, but also as Sarah mentioned it needs an explanation so please dont just look at the picture. Read this, look at the picture, and read this again so you can understand what is actually going on.


They weren't able to give us a good print-out of the pictures side-by-side so I took a picture with my phone. It could be a clearer picture, but it's better than nothing right?

The first image was the one taken back in November (11/5/09). Not a good day in our life. The second image was the one taken last week (2/25/2010). One initial thing that is neat to look at is just the overall contrast resolution of the two images. The treatment has done so much that in the second image there is a much stronger contrast as the radiologist was really looking for anything - nothing found!!!!

Now for some explanation (especially so you dont worry about what you see on the right hand side). For the PET scan they inject you with radioactive glucose. The PET scan then can show what portions of the body are more quickly metabolizing the sugar. Some parts of the body naturally metabolize the sugar faster than others. These include the brain, the heart to push the energy around, the kidneys, and then much of the sugar comes out in your urine, so you can also see both areas are darkened by the bladder.

Now to compare each of the pictures. Of course we can see the massive amounts of cancer on the right side of my neck, which not only grew in that area, but then made its way down into the mediastinum and also included the tumors that were pushed up against my lungs causing the coughing. As you head down into the abdomen you can see some other increased darkening of the nodes and also some swelling and darkening of my spleen.

In the second image we see no tumors in the neck or chest cavity, the spleen is slightly smaller, and even with a stronger contrast there is no darkening in the spleen. Also the darkening that we see in the abdomen is from my kidneys, rather than the spattering of cancer we saw in the first image.

Now its time to start looking at post treatment. Dr. Chen said that 2 weeks after my last treatment I'll be in for a CT scan which will be my new baseline. Surprisingly, at this same 2 week time period is when he is going to recommend that my port (starboard) is removed. I didn't think it would be that soon, but I dont mind at all. Some people have recommended keeping it in for 6-12 months in case the cancer comes back but it's not going to. Then I will get CT scans after 3 months and then either another 3 or 6 months because the biggest chance that anything would return would be sooner than later. Beyond that will likely just be yearly physicals and keeping an eye on my health - which I really see mostly as what I eat and how much I exercise.

Feel free to ask any other questions - I can answer most but I'm sure my answers can also be refined with some added medical terminology by the resident nurse :-).

I must say, these pictures are 2 of my favorite pictures I've ever seen!!! New life!!!