PET Scan Results: Are we progressing???

It was Friday, April 13th, that I had my PET scan scheduled at 8am at Kaiser Santa Clara.  My sister and her boyfriend came over that morning to drive me down to my appointment.  I had to fast but that was ok because I was so anxious.  We had just gotten done with 3 chemo infusions and endless amounts of Xeloda (chemo pills).  This was the test that was going to tell us if we were killing the cancer.

We arrive in Santa Clara and check in.  I'm called to the back and taken in to a little room.  Jenny, my tech, checks my blood sugar level and it's normal.  She then proceeds to inject me with radio active solution.  She tells me to kick back for 55 minutes.  I lay on the gurney and she covers me in blankets.  I try to nap but I had one eye open the entire time.  When my time was up, she wakes me up and I make a quick stop to bathroom.  I'm then met by another tech who has me lay on the gurney attached to the PET scan machine.  She straps me in, puts a blanket over me, and instructs me to lay my arms over my head.  I know the drill.  I try to relax and close my eyes.  The bed moves in and out of the donut shaped whole.  The scan itself doesn't take too long.  My tech comes back in when it's over, unstraps me, and has me wait in the waiting room while she takes a look at the pictures.  She comes back to tell me she got all the pictures and lets me out to the front where my sister and her boyfriend are waiting for me.  I know the tech can't say anything about what they see and this scan has to be compared to my initial scan anyways.

We head on out to Starbucks and then back home.  I stop by the lab at the Kaiser in San Mateo since I have to get my INR test done.  This test will determine the clotting tendencies of the blood, in the measure of Coumadin dosage.  Ideally we want my level to be between 2-3.  Later on when my blood test results came back, I found out that it was at 8.2, meaning my blood was way too thin.  I'm instructed to stop the Lovenox shots (YAY!!!) and also to stop Coumadin for the next 3 days.  I need to go in for another INR test on Monday.

That Friday evening, two of my sisters from Seattle fly in.  We had planned a girls weekend.  There are 5 girls in my family and 4 boys.  Yes, 9 of us and I come in at number 8.  Then Saturday morning, another sister from Seattle flies in.  We are all together again.  We each pack a light overnight bag as we're headed out to the Carmel/Monterey area for the weekend.  We drive on over taking the scenic route.  We arrive and pick something up at a cafe and head on over to the beach where we explore and take pictures.

Beach at Carmel, CA.

The next day we head on over to Monterey and walk around the Wharf. We also stopped by at the Mission in Carmel which was really gorgeous.  In the afternoon we decide to head on back home.  Tomorrow is the day I get the results from my PET scan and I am still anxious.  I couldn't sleep that night.  I had a million things going through my head.  I had a fear that my doctor was going to tell me that my cancer was spreading.  I was afraid she was going to tell me that it was now in my lungs, too.  

My appointment wasn't until 2pm the next day.  My sistesr and I woke up and I had the awesome privilege of doing 3 of my sister's make up.  Make up is one of my passions and I learned it all on my own by watching plenty of YouTube tutorials.  One by one, I made over my sister's faces and I must say, I was really happy with the end result.  Eyeshadows are my favorite and it took me a while to learn how to blend like a pro.  

Waiting for the PET Scan results.

We head on up to South San Francisco and arrive 20 minutes early.  I check in and only after about 10 minutes, I get called back. They have a new medical assistant today who is taking my vitals.  He had problems getting my blood pressure, so after trying 3 times, he let the other girl do it and she was able to get it.  I had one of my sisters come back into the room with me and we waiting patiently for my doctor to come in.  There's a knock on the door and she enters, saying hi to my sister and then me.  She sits down and asks me how I'm doing.  I say I've been feeling better since I started the Coumadin.  She says she has my results from the PET scan which we will go over in a minute but first things first.  She asks me the basic questions she asks every time I see her.  Any nausea? Any vomiting?  Any mouth sores?  The list goes on.  Then we go over my medications and refill the ones I need.  Now it's time for the big reveal.  She hands some some papers, which is the radiologist report.  She tells me, "I have some good news." My heart melts...in a good way.  The cancer in my lymph nodes and omentum is gone.  The cancer in my bones is still there but has improved, same as my stomach.  Now the pelvic mass that originally measured at 22cm has now shrunk down to 14cm.  I start to cry.  Chemo is working.  Losing my hair, being constipated, being in pain, feeling nausea....it has all been worth it.  This is what we are trying to achieve.  I ask my oncologist what the next step is.  We do another 3 cycles of chemotherapy just like the first round.  An infusion for 6 hours, every 3 weeks, and 2 doses of Xeloda the entire time everyday.  After we get done, we'll do another PET scan to see the progress.  Hopefully we see more shrinking but there's always that risk that cancer outsmarts the chemo.  My doctor allows me to take a holiday from chemo for the week since I deserve it, and I also want to be completely drug free and not have any nasty side effects while my sisters are there.  I'll start chemo #4 on Tuesday, April 24th.  I ask my doctor the questions I've complied in my iPhone and then we say our goodbyes.  I see my sisters in the lobby waiting for us and I hand them the radiologist report, telling them I'm kicking ass.  I'm winning.  We head on over to the pharmacy to pick up my meds for next week.  I'm super excited and we decide to go celebrate by getting our nail done.  

I spend the week with my sisters enjoying out time together.  We eat lots of food and go shopping.  I can't begin to explain the dynamics between my sisters and I.  We each have very different personalities and when you put us together, there are tons of laughs.  It's alway hard to say goodbye at the airport when they have to leave.  There are always tight hugs and tears in my eyes.  I wish they lived down the street from me.  At this point, I wouldn't relocate back to Seattle.  I've been in the Bay Area for 11 years now and have created a little home for me here.  And I'm extremely pleased with the care I've been getting at Kaiser.  For now, we'll just have to fly back and forth and visit.  

Tomorrow is Tuesday, April 24th, and I'm going in for my chemo infusion.  I had my blood work done this morning and my doctor said she reduced the Epirubicin dosing by 15% since my liver was a little toxic, probably caused by the chemo.  I also had another INR test done this morning and my blood was too thin again so I'm off of Coumadin and will retest on Wednesday.  Today when I had my blood draw, I cried.  I didn't cry because the needle hurt.  I cried because I was tired.  I had developed a cough over the weekend (which my doctor said sounds like the virus that has been going round).  Codeine has not been helping suppress my cough and I've been vomiting when I wake up.  I get nauseous a lot and my body feels week.  I just feel crummy.  So as the tech was drawing my blood, tears rolled down my face.  He asked me if I was ok, and I told him yes, I was just tired of this...tired of being sick. I can't be expected to have a smile on my face and to be strong at all times.  I'm human.  And I'm emotional.  And when you feel sick, you get irritated.  I'm just hoping that I wake up in better spirits.  I've got my soldiers ready and we're going to kill some cancer tomorrow.  I plan on taking Ativan and just sleeping the entire time.  Cross your finger for me, everyone!  I need all the physical strength I can get. 

I love my sisters so much.  

They have been there every step of the way for me.