PET Scan #2

It was on March 11, 2019 that I had my first PET Scan

To determine whether or not the "circular mass" in my left pleural cavity

Was malignant or not.

A Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scan) works in the following way:

The night before the scan I am directed to eat a high protein, low carbohydrate meal

And then go completely without eating for the eight hours leading up to the scan.

Then, an hour before the scan, I am injected, through an IV,

With a radioactive form of glucose which is used as a "tracer"

To reveal any cancerous areas in the body

By "lighting up" the cancerous areas with a bright glow.

It was on that fateful March day that the circular mass was clearly revealed as malignant

And my cancer treatment process began.

Now 18 months later it was time to ascertain if what remained of the tumor

Was still malignant or was now merely a benign mass.

I received a summary of the PET scan from the radiologist on Monday, September 14th,

Four days before I was to meet with my oncologist to discuss the results.

It was discouraging.

"Persistent left pericardial PET positive mass, consistent with the known mesothelioma. There are multiple small pretracheal lymph nodes at the level of the aortic arch that show prominent PET uptake and are highly suspicious for metastatic spread."

The tumor had metastasized!

It was a tough week waiting to discuss the results with my oncologist on Friday.

My first comment to him when he walked into the exam room was

"It looks like pretty bad news"

To which he immediately responded

"I wouldn't say that"

And then went on to explain his reason

Which, to put it simply, was that there was always the awareness of cancerous spread.

It was why at the UW and SCCA I was diagnosed as stage four,

Declared incurable, and switched to palliative care.

The important thing was to remember how bad I had become in January of this year,

On the brink of death

And how far I had now come

To where we are talking about next steps in the treatment process.

So, what are those next steps?

1. Having a CT scan with contrast

Which involves iodine injected via IV

In order to show whether or not the tumor has infiltrated my heart

Which the tumor "laps over"

Or is distinct from the heart.

NOTE: Mesothelioma cells tend to penetrate organs rather than remain distinct from them.

If the tumor has not penetrated my heart

The options are to do one of the following:

2. Surgery to remove the tumor, followed by radiation.

3. Radiation to burn out the tumor.

4. Continue with chemo and immunotherapy as we are now doing.

That's where things stand as of now...

That's the latest on my cancer journey!

It is certainly a day by day by day adventure:)

The good news is that with your prayer and encouragement

I am at peace...today!

In fact, when meeting with the doctor on Friday

When typically I have high blood pressure

Due to what they call "white coat syndrome"

Or, in other words, I am anxious for having to be at the doctors:)

My blood pressure was good

Despite our understanding of the PET scan results and our impending conversation.

That was a miracle!

The words in Isaiah 26:3 are very true which say

"God will keep in perfect peace the mind that is fixed on Him!"

That is the challenge for which I constantly covet your prayer.

I appreciate you all much,

Dave