Tag: cancer

Does this radioactive dye make my skin glow?

Today was an interesting day.  I had a CT scan and a PET scan.  The CT scan was preceded by a barium ‘very berry smoothie’.  I guess that is better than a barium enema at least.  The scan was not too bad.  I had to wait an hour between drinking the smoothie and the scan.  That would have been nice to know.  We were worried about time not knowing how long the scan would take.  It took only about 15 minutes or so.  The geek in me learned something new today.  CT scans are based off of x-rays.  I was not aware of that.  I did not know they uses x-rays.  I also learned that my tummy did not like the iodine contrast solution.  Debbi grabbed a quick breakfast then we were offa different part of UT Southwestern for the PET scan.

This is the fun one.  The nurse injects you with a radioactive dye then quickly leaves because it is not safe for her to be in there.  Uh…hello?  I am in here!  I also got to take a Valium, have about an 80 minute nap, then actually do the scan.   PET scans look for metabolic activity, that is the reason for the 80 minute rest time.  You are not supposed to move, read, do anything.  No stimulus.  The worst part of the day was them ripping off my hair taking the tape off my arm.  I actually did want to shave it off first.

The shocker of the day was returning a call while I was napping.  Tomorrow surgery was moved up in time, by some 9 1/2 hours!  Yes, I got the pre-op call and instantly went into problem solving mode.  We had the kids handed off for a surgery at 4:30 in the afternoon.  Now it is at 7:00am, with us arriving at 5:30 in the morning.  Yikes!  Kids under 12 are not allowed in the waiting room as well.  Grandma was available to come sleep over tonight and will get the kids off to school.

Tonight is a short night, so I will leave you with the pic of the day

Radioactive Matt

Name that Tumor!

Okay, I have this big honkin’ lymph node in my neck.  I found out that this one node is over three inches long.  That is pretty big.  I also found out it is not solid, like a real tumor.  It is actually liquid.  Lymphoma is not cancer of the lymph nodes as it is more cancer of the lymphatic fluid.  That said, it still deserves a name.  So would all six of my readers please comment and suggest a name?  I also learned, from the oncologist, today that it may not be Hodgkin’s, they don’t know what it is.  They are pretty sure it is lymphoma though.  If you are confused, good!  So am I.

Now I used to watch Jonny Quest as a kid, and Trey has watched a couple of episodes as well.  Who was Jonny’s best friend?  Hadji!  So my vote is for Hadji, the Hodgkin!  What are yours?

D-Day + 8 weeks, South Beach Beachhead

***RED ALERT***RED ALERT***RED ALERT***RED ALERT***

Intelligence reports show enemy activity within our camp.  We have been compromised and betrayed.  They have infiltrated us,’mass’ing inside us.  The only way to rid our troops of the enemy, is to actually attack ourselves.  Treason is only punishable by death.  After a surgical strike, we may have to resort to using radiologic and biologic weapons.  It has been said that, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”  Well, even if they help with weight loss, they are no friends of mine.  We have met the enemy, and the enemy is us.  My own body is attacking itself.  The beachhead is in disarray right now.  We are gathering more intelligence to see what the best course of action now is.  We are awaiting information from top advisers in this matter.  We hope to have this information by mid-week.  We can then hopefully make better decisions about diet, exercise, and nutrition.  Even with this information we have maintained weight loss and are still down 27.5 (oops, my bad) 25.5 pounds total.

I got my new Star Trek ornament!

Today I finally remembered to go out an get the new Start Trek Keepsake ornament.  why?  Because nothing says Merry Christmas like Klingons and phaser fire.  It is the USS Reliant from “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.”  Only the best Star Trek movie ever!  That is the good news.  I got my new ornament.

Did I tell you I got my new ornament yet?  Did I tell you I have cancer too?  Whoops, must have slipped my mind.   I went in for an FMA, Fine Needle Aspiration, 13 days ago.  That is the preliminary biopsy.  They do not get a whole lot of tissue with that, but they are between 60-70% I have Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  The final diagnosis will have to wait for a complete surgical biopsy.   That will more than likely happen within a couple of weeks or so.  This biopsy will give them all the tissue they could ever need and help them to figure out exactly what form of Hodgkin’s it is, then decide on the best treatment plan.  Treatment usually involves something called chemotherapy.  Uh, call me silly, but what is therapeutic about that.  Chemo is usually worse than the disease itself?

I have already done some research online, just preliminary stuff from wiki.  The five year survivability rate is over 90%, but 20-25% of patients still end up dying from in later on.  There are also other problems that it can cause, but I will not delve into that now.   I do not have any of the classic symptoms and the diagnosis is stuff for another post.  Until then…count each day………