I had my second PET-CT scan yesterday. That is when they load you up with radioactive shit and send you through a tube similar to an MRI. The PET-CT is supposedly better able to pick up tumor activity though.
Remember – first scan showed pretty massive bone destruction, especially in the left hip area where the Iliac bone (top of the hip) was totally destroyed to the point that Dr. J wasn’t sure how I was able to walk. Also it showed a plasmacytoma (soft tissue tumor) in that exact area. This is where the pain for me was unbearable to the point that I went to the doctor in the first place.
We are hoping that the results from this PET-CT show similar progress to the MRI which showed that the bone lesions are shrinking.
I left Mt. Sinai with a ginormous headache and felt nauseous beyond belief. I muddled through a lunch meeting but had to go home afterwards and lay down for the rest of the day/night. That sucked. I can’t even describe how badly my head was pounding all afternoon and evening. I tried everything – Percaset, Zyrtec (thought it might have been allergies) and Helene made me crushed grapes in a blender – supposedly good for migraines.
This morning I feel a little better. Traces of my headache remain but I need to get out the door and get working.
Does having cancer make you more vulnerable to other sicknesses? Yes – my immune system is down from the chemo, my stress level is high (although not as high as it was two weeks ago) because of the disease, work, etc. I don’t sleep nearly enough and I am constantly pushing myself to work harder, be at every one of my kids games and spend q time with Helene. I have a million things going on at once. So is it the cancer that makes me vulnerable to sickness or the lifestyle? Answer is – I don’t know. I have many thoughts on vulnerability – too many for this post – but I had an interesting discussion the other day about it. I will write a full post on it this week.
Until then – feeling better today – even if its not 100%. Keeping positive thoughts for good results from the scan. I probably will get results at my check up on 4/15.
It’s good to keep a positive attitude and keep busy with your lifestyle and i applaud you for it. But perhaps slowing down just a little would be a good idea.
Looking forward to seeing you later.
Sam
Way to hang in there and battle, Big Cuz. You are #bradstrong!
Stay positive, keep fighting and remember you have company and we are all sending positive energy your wayl
Stay strong my friend. Had a great time with you and Vic at the draft on Sunday.