June 15, 2006 Thursday – THE RESULTS ARE IN

 11:10 PM – Results are IN

Got the results today for my PET scan, the first one done since treatment began three months ago. Had one done when diagnosed. Also my June blood work results. So lets start there. CE and CH levels are normally between 1 to 38 for the average person. Cancer causes substances that calculate in your blood to reflect the severity. In April my numbers were 769. In May they were 646 and for June they were 24.9. Yes you read that right. They are normal. A very positive sign everything I am doing and the meds and all may be working. Thought that was the beginning of more good news to come, but not so fortunate. My PET scan results showed mixed changes. For every good there was a bad it seems. My breast tumor and main effected lymph node have decreased in size, however they both showed an increase in FDG uptake. (FDG being the radio tracer stuff they inject in me that shows the cancer in the scans). So the cancer has become slightly more intense, more active. That appeared elsewhere as well. Many of the uptakes compared to the original scan showed higher values. But some were lower, and in a few areas much lower. YEAH! The fluid in my right lung in still there but has decreased. The cancer around that lung has decreased significantly. And some of the bone cancer areas have started to repair themselves, by developing regions of calcification. Including my severely damaged L1 vertebrae, sacral and sternum. Even though in some of the areas the uptake of FDG was just slightly higher, the improvement was still there. And over all the results say the osseous disease (bone cancer) is stable. It’s almost like the cancer became more intense, fighting for it’s own survival. Where there was improvement and some cancer was killed, it (the cancer) in turn became more aggressive. Does not matter I refuse to let it win.

I do however show signs of cancer in my ovaries. From this comparison it appears it showed in the last scan for my right ovary, yet no where in those results does it even mention it. And the new scan now shows some activity in my left ovary as well, to include a cyst that will be watched for now. Radiologist stated there is a possibility of progressive ovarian cancer, yet it appears stable for the interim. Might have to have them removed. I also have fluid in my pelvis. Have no idea where it has come from, and it is causing no pain. So little more stuff here and there but all this is boring. It has only been three months of treatment, can’t expect anything drastically different at this point. But over all I am happy with the results.

Doc changed my meds today. No longer on Tamoxifen. Put on a med that will completely put me into menopause (UGH), think it’s called Luprin. It is an injection given monthly for the time being then will go to every three months. It is to completely stop my body (ovaries, etc) from producing all estrogen, so there is nothing for the cancer to feed on. In conjunction with that also another one called Femara. Doc said this will work stronger then Tamoxifen. Hope so since my hot flashes and sweats are about to get way worse. I might have to wear a scuba suit to bed at night, or I just might drown.

Going to try the Zometa therapy one more time next Wed. She is going to administer a slightly lower dosage. If I have similar side effects as last time, then she said I am def allergic to it. Also discussed having a mastectomy. She said there was not enough evidence to prove it might prolong my life or not. Just to consider it as a cautionary measure. Nothing I have to decide on immediately. If I do decide to have it, she is going to send me to Moffit Cancer Center to see if they will do it and re constructive surgery at the same time. No surgeons in this area will do anything that aggressive. Well, guess that is about it for all the boring stuff. This girls gotta get some grub up in my stomach.

Taa Taa