61 - The Results

I just ran into a buddy from my volunteer-at-the-thrift-store days. It is great to see her but after a few minutes of chatter, we have to go our separate ways. I am turning toward my car when I hear her call, “Oh, wait! I have something for you!”

She grabs a huge backpack. It is so stuffed it looks like the next day she plans to start hiking the 2200-mile Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Katahdin, Maine. But after only a few seconds of rustling, she pulls out her gift.

It is a pair of new socks. They are patterned with this lettering: Bad Ass.

Perfect, I exclaim. And they are. Based on my most recent PET scan, I am afraid I may need some serious bad-ass mojo and good sock ju-ju.

My PET scan in December was kind of amazing. Under FINDINGS it had this:

HEAD/NECK: No suspicious hypermetabolic lesions.                                                  

CHEST:             No suspicious hypermetabolic lesions.

ABDOMEN:      No suspicious hypermetabolic lesions.

PELVIS:             No suspicious hypermetabolic lesions.

SKELETAL:      No suspicious hypermetabolic lesions.

A brief online article by A. Mendelson, MD, states:

Hypermetabolic on PET scan means that the tissue lights up or is hotter because it is more active than the background tissues.  PET scans most commonly use a glucose molecule attached to a radioactive molecule which is then distributed throughout the body. Cells which use more glucose are then called hypermetabolic…. This is abnormal and can mean there is inflammation, infection, trauma, or cancer.

The first six rounds of chemo and immunotherapy were so beneficial, I figured Rounds 7 – 12 would also result in a happy ending.

But according to PET scan #3, this may not be the case. Under CHEST there is a whole paragraph of findings, most of which I do not understand. But I get this: There is now hypermetabolic activity in my thyroid, esophagus, and lymph nodes.

It does not take an online search to know this is not good.

Dr H, my oncologist, tells me: It might just be inflammation.

Mmm, I respond. I do not believe this is just inflammation. I do not believe Dr H thinks it is just inflammation, either. But I do not push back. Even as we are talking, Dr H is ordering an ultrasound of my thyroid and texting a GI colleague to arrange for an endoscopy – STAT. When he has more information, we will discuss what it signifies and what comes next.

I mean, it could just be inflammation.

So, Peeps, I need some bad-ass mojo and good sock ju-ju. Not to mention prayers, positive vibes, and – obviously – no limitations on the number of Pepperidge Farm Dark Chocolate Milano Cookies eaten in one sitting.

As for those intercessory Saint dudes and dudettes? Even though they are not part of my faith tradition, if they are a part of yours…bring ‘em on!