I am now officially, probably, in remission. Yesterday, I had a PET scan and a CAT scan and discussed the results with Dr. Zuckerman. The good news is that there is no indication of the lymphoma from either scan. For good measure, he did a bone marrow biopsy today, the results of which should come through on Friday. Now for the not so good news:
- The PET scan showed a “…moderately intense focal uptake of tracer [in a location that corresponds to] the sigmoid colon. The report says it’s probably spurious, but since I haven’t had a colonoscopy for a while I’m now scheduled for one next week, with an endoscopy thrown in for good measure.
- I managed to fracture some of my ribs since they last checked me in November. This is curious since I’d have thought I’d have remembered doing so –it may have happened when I was vomiting one time. Either that or I did it in the excitement of watching “Cinderella Man.” No immediate cause for alarm though.
- There are patchy sub-centimeter blobs in my lungs which are probably indication of an inflammation, but perhaps not. They’re just going to monitor it for now.
My next set of tests is scheduled for three months from now.
o The PET scan stands for Positron Emission Tomography, and involves being injected with radioactive glucose, relaxing for an hour, and then being slowly scanned though a donut tube. The worst part of this is having to keep still for so long.
o The CAT scan stands for Computerized Axial Tomography, and involves having to drink Crystal Lite spiked with a dye for an hour and a half before the scan, and then being injected with more contrast dye during the procedure from a huge syringe. Unlike the PET scan, the actual scanning is over in seconds.
o The Bone Marrow Biopsy involves being stuck with a large bore needle with such force that it penetrates the bone. You lie on your belly and the doctor numbs the area with lidocaine. It hurts a bit but only for a few short periods.
My neuropathy is no better. I’m perhaps getting used to it, but it still hurts a lot at times. I’m very unsteady on my feet and have very little lateral stability. Exercise however seems to be paying off in giving me some increased agility and it has been nice to have some good weather recently, allowing me to take Diggory for two-mile walks in the town forest. I’m not much good on upgrades, but can basically manage to stagger my way around the “short walk” (red-orange-white-blue) and have so far managed to survive the hazards of tree roots, mud, and the like. Maureen walked with me a couple of times, and today, Miranda walked with me. I begin a new medication today, Neurontin, (aka Gabapentin) which Dr. Zuckerman prescribed. It’s supposed to help with the pain.
I’m also allowed to drink in moderation, and I just finished off a scotch and ginger, which tasted pretty good. That also helps with the pain, though not at the same time!
Cedric and Ginny are totally at home now and playing with Diggory, and Diggory with them. We had our scares with Ginny – for a while she was having a hard time keeping her food down, but she seems to be over that now. She’s a little shy, but once she settles down on your lap she’s perfectly content to stay there. Cedric is much more rambunctious, he likes to explore and investigate whatever it is you’re doing. It’s nice having cats in the home once again!