Thursday, December 06, 2012

PET SCAN-- Results

Sorry I am so late in posting this, but this has been a tough day. We got the results and they were not what we had hoped for at all. The good news is that her blood work was the same as it always has been--even when the cancers were raging---and her thyroid remains stable. That means there was no increased thyroid activity from the last scan so it is not ramping up so far.

What is very troubling is there was an "anomaly " in the center of her chest on the chest wall and slightly behind Sandi's heart. It measures about two centimeters in size across and has a significant heat signature to it. While the cancer doctor won't commit to it, in all likelihood this thing that has suddenly showed since her last test is cancerous.Whether this cancer is related to her previous cancers or something new that has arisen for whatever reason we do not know yet.

With Sandi's history of having two very aggressive lymphomas we can't sit back and check it again in three months to see what has developed. Time is of the essence not just because on January 1 her Wal-Mart insurance changes to a new carrier with a mandatory 3500 dollar deductible. They have to get in there now as fast as possible and get it out of her so that she can start chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment. The longer it is in her, doing whatever it is doing if it is cancer, the worse it is for her.

It also is difficult to reach. It can't be biopsied with a needle and a CT Scan like they did her thyroid. The only way to get to it is a cardiac surgical procedure. How involved that procedure is and what it would entail we don't know yet. Obviously, messing around the heart is not good for anyone and with Sandi's history of heart attacks and strokes the risks are considerably higher. We should know more after we meet with the cardiac surgeon next Thursday morning at 10.

In the meantime, we have her foot doctor tomorrow morning to find out how bad off her right foot and leg are. Obviously, if surgery is needed--as everyone involved expects at this point---that will have to take a backseat to the new issue in her chest.

Sandi remains positive that if it is cancer she can and will beat it again. December 5th marked the one year anniversary from her first round of chemo and I can't believe we might be doing all of it again.
 

Kevin

7 comments:

Shalanna said...

I will keep praying. God is in control! I hate surgery, but sometimes that is the only option.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

Thank you, Shalanna.

Randy Johnson said...

Keeping my fingers crossed and you folks in my prayers.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

Thank you, Randy. We need it!

Terry W. Ervin II said...

Prayers continue, for all in your family.

Unknown said...

Glad you had some good news today to sort of help offset this. I hope the doctors can take care of this soon.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

Me too, Bill. I really expected there to be the prognosis of serious damage also requiring surgery. Fortunately not.

Now, at this point, unless something else happens, we just wait for Thursday to see the cardiac surgeon who should have the CT results by then. They seriously expedited getting that done today as they called her late this morning around noon and then had her in about two hours later doing the test.