Tuesday, May 20, 2008

good news? bad news? no news?

Mary came over around 11 yesterday for coffee, snacks and to take me to my oncology appointment. After an hour wait, we got in to see my oncologist, who didn’t have Friday’s CT results ‘in the system’. My ‘birth number’ was changed when I got insurance and had caused some sort of compu-bureaucratic snafu.

While we waited for the results, she checked out my lymph nodes. After quite a lot of digging, poking and prodding, she said that she could no longer feel anything tumor-wise under my armpits.

Both she and Mary were very excited about the prospect that my tumors had completely and magically disappeared since I began my treatment. I, however, took it all in with a raised eyebrow, hardened and skeptical from so many recent disappointments. She saw another patient while we waited outside.

The results, but not the scan itself, came and we went back in. Not having the original CT scan from February with me, we had nothing to compare it to. She sent me home to look for it and I was to drop it off the following day.

I finally found it at home and checked it out myself. Not the best of news: lung tumor went from 26x20x22mm to 38x30x33mm. I SMSed my oncologist to let her know (that I needed a day off) and we agreed that I should come in tomorrow before my PET scan at Homolka to compare and contrast and discuss further treatment options.

"Hey! Where’s the good news?" You ask. Well, there’s been no further metastasis: liver, pancreas, kidneys, etc. are clear, but that won’t be confirmed until after the PET scan tomorrow.

I also have an enlarged prostate and a gall stone! = the least of my worries. Stay tuned.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh poo. Sorry to hear that honey. Keep us posted

Maie

Jake Doyle said...

Sorry to hear that your lung tumour has grown. You may wish to consider what you're feeding it. I don't know how much fats and sugar you're eating, but cancer purportedly loves it.

A testimonial you might want to check out:

http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Testimonials/Testimonial0001.html

Anonymous said...

Don't forget the other good news - that you are now the hero who saved my life. Speeding Prague taxi driver's homicidal aims thwarted by quick thinking of US local. Camera-artist, Fest-bringer and cancer-sufferer Mike Gisondi moved swiftly to avoid carnage, Monday. We talk exclusively to Gisondi and his toothless co-habitee about risk, courage and cheese.
Thanks, darlink.

chihuahua lady said...

Thanks for the organ by organ breakdown, there is some good news here.
buy bloody nicotine patches mikey.
gall stones are do=able and prostate i always get mixed with prostrate, one of them you do before god, and one i read about in ' the multi orgasmic man'.
that book by the way was a bit complicated for what seemed to be one line of advice.
keep on not metastasing, i had to write a description of your character for ukrainian homework, like the one i wrote abotu maire, i will send it soon!
jane and johnny