Day 349 - Brass Tacks & Eeyore



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 So the PET Scan results. I asked for a recount but the tech my medical oncologist's office was very clear that the electorate from Florida did not in any way vote on my scans results. Too bad, because I'd pay some nice long $$ for a recount.

Brass tacks; the scan showed activity up near my jaw which if there had to be activity this is where they would have expected it as that is the area where the lymph node my forehead drains into. So while that news was unwelcome, the scan cannot determine where just a single node is infected or more than one. And just how infected; just a tad of initial infiltration, or more than a tad (I think the medical term for more than a tad is TAD aka big-tad). That won't be known until my surgical oncologist gets in there and see what I have in there for her on April 13th.

Brass tacks pt.2, the scan also showed activity in my left knee. Now I wondered going into the scan if this might happen. Some of you who have been with me here for a while may recall I get gout flare ups 2-3x a year. For about 10-days now I have been fighting such a flare up. I chose not to mention in any recent blog posts as it was just another dose of sorry news and my posts have been gloomy enough.

My medical oncologist feels that this activity certainly could be gout related, but is not willing to rule it out on my word; smart! He has scheduled me for an MRI for this Saturday and also a blood test and consultation with him next Thursday.

The MRI will hopefully rule in/out whether it is gout, arthritis, a chicken wing bone, or melanoma that is causing the angst between my knee & I.

The blood test will be the usual battery I take annually as follow up from my 2001 colon cancer, and it will also include a LDH level test. This specific test is supposed is run for many reason but for patients with melanoma, it is used to determine if the cancer has metastasized (spread) to organs beyond the skin or lymph nodes. Sounds like a winner; I'll take one! I kind of thought that is what the PET Scan was supposed to do too, and I believe so and if so I should feel good that the scan only showed activity in the jaw area and knee. Right?

That is just one of the zillion new questions I have in mind. I look forward to seeing my medical oncologist earn his pay next Thursday when I hit run him through my gauntlet.

ENOUGH...
Enough cancer news for now. There will be plenty more to come in the comings weeks, I'd like to move on to something non-cancer related & more positive. However this post is long enough as it is and I do not write long posts for a reason. Therefore I will share that more positive hunk of my day yesterday for tomorrow's post.

Until then, remember...
When stuck in the river, it is best to dive and swim to the bank yourself before someone drops a large stone on your chest in an attempt to hoosh you there.

-Eeyore


Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 348 - From Cats To Waffles

The PET Scan itself was conducted well yesterday. I won't hear results until today at the earliest and more likely tomorrow. The waiting game continues on here.

Wednesday April 13th is my surgery date for the sentinel node removal/biopsy and as well removing more tissue on my forehead where the melanoma was removed nearly a month ago. So it'll be a couple of weeks yet before I know with a good degree of certainty whether I can breathe a sigh of relief of brace for a more involved battle.

But enough about the waiting for tomorrow or two weeks from now. Today is here, what is on tap today.

Waffles; my wife has caught a spring cold and wanted waffles for breakfast so I made her waffles. I also made waffles for the kids too. I chose to abstain from the waffle quorum call, instead went with a high-protein omelet.

College; as it is spring break we have time to work the tomorrow's of the kids. Two of my boys and I will head off to Northern Illinois University shortly for a college visit. One is a high-school sophomore and the other a junior. I don't think either really wants to spend their spring break time this way, but since the school is on both of their lists today is the day. Speaking of their lists, they include 69 and 9 colleges respectively. Our senior who selected her college a few months ago never had more that 6 or 7. When we ask our freshman (yes we have 4 in h.s., one in each grade) about his list, he jokingly says he is going to live at home and play xbox for a living. Thus his list is still a blank sheet of paper.

Cats; one of our cats is sick (yeah, our house is a sickly place at the moment). Nobody else is brave enough to give the cat is medicine so I have that chore twice a day now. It is just a cat; it's not like he has eyes that fire lazers! Even though it weighs a stout 14 pounds holding it down, wedging the medicine dropper between his teeth, squirting the medicine down his throat, and then holding his jaw shut for a few seconds to ensure swallowage (is that a word); it is not that hard. Meow!

Ok, off now to get in some exercise before getting gathered and setting out to NIU.

Final thought: Impossible and possible, the difference is measured in determination.

How determined are you today?

 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 347 - PET Scan Day / Odd Thoughts



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Today is the day for my PET Scan. Not until 2pm so I have plenty of time to chill and relax this morning. I am off work for the rest of the week as it is spring break here. The kids are all over the place with either sports stuff or friend stuff to keep them busy.

I've been mentally 'off' the past couple days. A mix of anxiety and boredom I suppose. No real reason for me to be bored, lots going on at work, home and all places in between. Maybe it’s the lingering cold weather that has me in a rut too. LOL/OMG, just a steady stream of excuses flowing from my fingertips here; sad - sorry.

I need some exercise. This morning I can get a walk in and tomorrow morning would be a perfect day for a trip to the YMCA to twist some steel.... there, presto; a plan.

Some random oddball questions have been flip-flopping through my mind lately, let me share….
When does a person's status elevate them to being considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

Are you destined to wear the clothes you were buried in for eternity in heaven (or…) ?

Why are toasters made with a setting that burns the toast into charcoal?... as if anyone really likes to eat their toast that burnt.

Why does Goofy stand on two legs and wears groovy clothes, while Pluto remains stands on all fours and is buck-naked? (yes I use the word 'groovy' in two consecutive posts!)

Why do they call it an asteroid when it's in outer-space, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?

Have fun today folks!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 342 - Good News & More Waiting

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THANK YOU for the continued well wishes via comments, tweets, emails, facebook, etc... very very much appreciated!

Yesterday's appointment with the surgical oncologist was positive. The doctor gained my confidence which was on my checklist. Being a doctor in a specialty where the majority of your patients are there to seek hope for grim situations cannot be easy labor.

The good news, she did a full physical in search for other candidates of melanoma on my skin, head to toe; found nothing warranting concern. So big sighs of relief were in order with that news.

The waiting game continues however while I wait for some procedures to be scheduled. Next up is a PET Scan, the picture up there is of a random image I found. So what is a PET Scan, I did not know before this discussion. Long story short this procedure will help illuminate anywhere in my body where cancerous cells may exist. I should hear today from my medical oncologist, different person than my surgical oncologist, when that scan can be performed.

Then within a few days or so after the PET Scan is complete & results read I'll go in for the sentinel lymph node biopsy. Long story short this procedure will result in a very specific lymph node being identified and then removed for analysis to determine if the melanoma that was removed from my forehead had a chance to spread via the lymphatic system. If it has, it will show up in this specific node. Obviously were are hoping this node is clean which would mean the cancer has not spread that way.

At the same time the oncologist surgeon is hunting down that lymph node (can take 2-3 hours) the plastic surgeon will go back to work on my forehead and remove more tissue around the original scar as a precaution to ensure any rouge cells from the melanoma site had not deposited in that area; another ugly characteristic of melanoma. Hence when you see pictures of very advances melanoma tumor sites they are spread out in irregular patters, they spawn rouge cells that move out a few millimetres to a centimeter from the original and get nasty there.

For all of this I will be knocked out, which was a bummer; I asked if I could be awake for it all as I am a science geek; they said nope, this is not something you want to be awake for. I think the real answer is that THEY don't want me awake through it asking questions.

There are two ways melanoma spreads (metastasizes), the via the lymphatic system or via the blood stream. Hence why the PET Scan, that procedure is primarily being used to see if this has spread via the blood stream.Obviously were are hoping this scan looks as clean a fresh sheet of canvas.

So thats the nut-shell version of where I am at. In an hour I will call the scheduling desk at the hospital and schedule the PET Scan, and we'll go from there.

Please tell me you have more exciting happenings go on in your lives today!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!