No news, no plan B

Every day is a new adventure on this cancer journey.

Due to a last minute cancellation, I was able to have the four-month PET scan yesterday, rather than Thursday, when it had originally been scheduled. The scan techs told me to expect the results in 24-48 hours. Today was chemo. I gave the nurses a heads up about the change and asked them to alert Dr. Asik to be looking for the results, in case he hadn’t already received them.

I hadn’t been in the infusion chair a half hour, when Dr. Asik walked in. He told me the scan still showed normal lymph nodes in my chest cavity, which confirmed what the two-month scan had shown. The spot in my lower back was still there however. Reviewing all three scans, he confirmed no significant difference in its size. “This is not how lymphoma’s normally react to chemotherapy,” he told me.

He said he had consulted with my oncologist at Dana Farber and they concurred that a biopsy should happen next. It’s not acting like cancer, so maybe it’s not. PET scanning technology is very sophisticated, expensive medical equipment, but it can’t distinguish between cancer, infection, or inflammation. The biopsy will provide more information, including whether its cancer. If it’s not, things get a little trickier again. More investigation may be needed to get answers.

No good news. No bad news. Now I wait to hear when the biopsy is scheduled, so we can learn more. I will keep you posted. Thank you for all of your positive thoughts, prayers, and love. I feel a very real, supportive hug and am very grateful for having all of you in my life.