Saturday, February 1, 2014

Kind of worried….

Well, another PET/CT scan is back.  I am learning to hate these things.  So far we have the radiologist report from Utah Valley but not from Mayo yet.  I expect to hear back from them on Monday or Tuesday.

To be honest, the results were not what we were hoping for.  First I should explain what a PET scan is. Basically they have you fast then you come in and they inject you with radioactive glucose and then have you drink something that I think is radioactive as well.  Then you lay in a dim room for a while while your body uptakes the radioactive glucose then you lay on a table for about 2 hours while these scanners look to see where the glucose went.   The idea is that cancer is a glucose pig and so more uptake is more likely to be cancer.

Well, the PET scan showed increased uptake along my right skull base compared to last time.  This might mean that I have cancer in the skull base.  That was the conclusion that the radiologists came to.  In their words, "Likely metastatic disease around the skull base and soft tissue on right side"  Having said that, the CT scan didn't show any changes.  I can personally think of alternate explanations for increased glucose uptake.

We met with our oncologist yesterday, Dr. Wallentine.  He is a fine man and I have a lot of respect for him.  We are all worried, of course, but he wasn't anxious to jump to conclusions yet.  He felt the same as we do, basically, let's wait and see what they think at Mayo before we jump to conclusions.

So, here we sit, worried and prayerful that other doctors will read the images differently.  I know that tomorrow is fast Sunday for most of you.  I would hope that you might mention my name to Heavenly Father while you are fasting.  We are grateful for the prayers and faith of anyone who feels so inclined.

I wish we had better news.

9 comments:

  1. I will fast and keep you in my prayers.
    I am sorry you are facing this again. I remember a talk that was given in sacrament, when we first moved back. This man was giving a talk about Christ and the rough waters, and men that were frightened. He said that often times, Christ is a fourth watch Christ. I listened, and he said that Christ comes when we have done what we can do, and faced what we have needed to face, I hope and pray that you have done all you needed to. I hope that you can feel peace, relief and love at this time. You are really loved by many, especially Heavenly Father and Jesus.
    We love you and your family.
    Let us know if you need ANYTHING!
    palmer family

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    1. Thank you for your kindness. We have our moments but mostly we are still hopeful. It's in God's hands and we trust Him.

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  2. We will absolutely keep you and your family in our prayers. Thinking of you!

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    1. Thank you Elise. You are always SO nice. I appreciate you.

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  3. Our hearts are heavier since reading your post. Of course we will continue to pray for you, actually we have never quit :) We sure love you and Jolynn. P and R

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  4. So sorry to hear of this new worry. You continue in our prayers and thoughts. Blessings to you. Much love, Nancy and Rob Dyer

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  5. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Thank you for teaching us how to face adversity with courage and grace.

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  6. As we have throughout your entire ordeal, all of us at the Coalition will be thinking of you, praying for you, and hoping for the best! Hang in there my friend.

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  7. I'm just getting updated on things and I'm so sorry to read this. PRAYERS & HUGS your way, Vogel family!!!

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