Chain of Hope: PET results

We received Mom's PET scan results on Monday. They found no new evidence of cancer :) Best news ever! The way they interpret PET scans is to have the scan read and then the Doctor's make comments on what they see. You get a print out so the Doctor reviews the scan results aka the print out with you. A PET scan really scans your whole body so they see what is going on everywhere. Well, I met the Doctor with Mom and Dad as we were read the results on Monday. The Doctor was a Resident and bless her heart I don't think she has delivered many results before because her delivery was super confusing. Let me explain.

She started by saying that the scan showed lesions on Mom's thyroid. I don't know about you, but I don't really like the word lesion and I had know idea what that really meant. Pause here...she's telling you the results of a PET scan to see if you have cancer, where it is and how big it is, so when they bring up a body part-ANY body part-you think they telling you they found cancer there. So imagine if you will my cute Mom sitting there with big eyes trying to hear the Doctor but just hearing, "Oh no I have it on my thyroid now!" So then the Doctor talks about the probability that they will order an ultrasound for her thyroid as soon as she finishes Radiation. She then starts asking if Mom's been too hot/too cold, overly tired, loosing weight/gaining weight and spends some time explaining hypo and hyperthyroidism...um...she just finished CHEMOTHERAPY so yeah...she's had all of that plus she lost her hair and she can't taste well...so pretty sure you are not going to get a clear picture on that one my friend.

(insert disclaimer: writing about this meeting in a sarcastic tone and inserting humor helps me 1) because it really was that ridiculous of a delivery and 2) because a meeting like this is one of the scariest meetings of my life and I didn't realize how long I wasn't breathing until I started breathing again)

Okay back to the PET results. After telling us about Mom's thyroid the Doctor started talking about the 1mm spot on Mom's lung they found on the PET scan in June. In June, we were told it looked like part of the way Mom's lung looks and not to worry.  So this Doctor said the spot had not grown, it looked like it was calicified BUT (with very serious eyebrows) they would continue to watch it closely. Of course I'm glad they will watch it but if it hasn't grown, doesn't light up like cancer and doesn't look like cancer how about you say-"Hey GREAT NEWS, this spot is behaving like what we believed it was back in June!" I'm sure Doctor's can't be overly optimistic but some optimism in your delivery is okay I'd think?!

The real news here is Mom's abdomen where they found the cancer initially. The cancer was not discovered in the initial biopsy they did of the tumor in Mom's uterus. It was found once the tumor was removed as they tested it following her hysterectomy. Because it wasn't found in the initial biopsy they elected to do a vaginal hysterectomy and cut up the tumor, which means the Doctor's are unaware of where the tumor was located (entirely inside or partially outside of her uterus?) and in taking it out cancer cells could have spread.

So, long explanation later, Mom is doing treatment because we don't know what's going on in her abdomen where the cancer was found. The PET scan in June showed "metabolic activity" in her abdomen but they felt confident that it was because of post surgical healing. This scan showed a "decrease in metabolic activity" in her abdomen which leads us to believe that it was most likely post surgical activity. HALLELUIAH!!

After all of this explanation we all kind of sat there in shock. I restated what we heard and asked for clarification on the thyroid issue. Apparently the lesion's were there in June, we just didn't know that and from what I can make of it, it can be pretty normal for Mom's age. I wish the Doctor would have smiled and demonstrated some kind of humanness about how the results could have made us feel. I'm a social worker, obviously I like processing feelings, and I've become accustomed to great bedside manner from Huntsman Doctors, I'll just chalk this one up to a rookie. 

Mom started Radiation treatments on Tuesday. They are focusing the Radiation treatments on her abdomen and she'll go everyday for 28 days, except Saturday's and Sunday's. So far the medication she's been given to manage nausea has helped manage any side affects she's had from the radiation. She has been working everyday and enjoying getting back into her routine.

Today when she arrived at work she found that one of her co-workers had made her a paper chain to count off the days of radiation. She told me that she cried when she saw it. The gesture just filled her with so much appreciation and hope. I'm so thankful for all the people that love my Mom too :)