Hello Friends & Family
I recently had a Pet Scan & CT Scan after being off for 2 months, from my stint of radiation for one month.
Dr. Badias my oncologist reviewed the results of the scans.
It appears the diameter of the mass has NOT changed in size. But has decreased in it's intensity. Which is the measure of the heat within the mass. It went down from a 7 to a 5. Which means it's NOT trying to grow. YAY!
After reviewing my options. Dr. Badias decided to give me the next 4 months off from any treatment. He said I was OK for 2 months, that I would be fine for 4 more months. After that time I will have another series of scans which will be in September. Depending on the results of the scans, we'll determine what direction to go in.
If it comes back that it is still an active Lymphoma, I will have a bioposy, and depending on those findings.
If positive, I will be going to Moffet Cancer Center in Tampa Florida. There they will extract my bone marrow by pherisis & store it. Then give me a very intense chemo. More powerful than any I have had. (Yes my hair will fall out again but quicker) Monitor me for 2 weeks, then return my bone marrow to me.
I would be staying in Tampa @ a hotel next door to the hosiptal so they can monitor me daily.
If the biopsy comes back as negitive, which would be no signs of Lymphoma we would leave it alone and just monitor it from there with scans several months apart.
Dr. Badias thinks it could be scar tissue accumulated after the radiation was completed. Which is unlikly being that the cancer was 4 cm & the scar tissue is also 4 cm's. If the cancer has shrunk & the scar tissue had taken it's place with the same size.
But my take away from this meeting with the doc is that it had infact decreased in it's intensity. And that to me says it's going to keep dying in the next 4 months & will eventually lie dormet & no further chemo will be necessary.
That is my prayer.
And with that said I thank each and everyone of you for your continued prayers. Have a great summer. I am! Both our neices have had beach weddings and we've stayed at each for the whole weekend and enjoyed being around family. Kevin's neice was in Cocoa Beach in April and my neice was in Daytona Beach this past weekend. The weekend before my last scan we stayed at Kevin's sisters condo at Satalite Beach. And I went away for a girls weekend with my sister Lori and a dear friend Theresa to a friends condo in New Smyrna Beach. Other's were invited but couldn't make it at the last minute. So we now are stuck in "beach" mode. I'm getting a deep wonderful tan. And the color is making me look even healther. I'm playing a lot of tennis, which I LOVE! I have an adorable short blond hair cut, which is SO easy and fun to take care of I don't know if I'll ever grow it back out again. My weight had gone down due to no more drugs!
Work has slowed for the summer which is normal. But the increase of houses is way up! And that is a blessing for sure.
I'm living life like I don't have cancer and come September I will have good news and continue to love and appreciate the wonderful life I'm blessed with.
So enjoy the gift you've been given and live life to the fullest......
And....
Make it a great day!
Patsy
