PETs and scans

First an update on the lungs.  Since I last wrote, we have done four drains.  the first of the four was at a previously scheduled appointment with Dr. Boltax at Huntsman.  He took the stitches out and said everything was looking good . . . but while we were there they just as well do the draining that was needed.  This time it was about 250 ml before I started to feel the vacuum bottle sucking my lungs inside out.  So, yes, I can still tell when we should stop the procedure.  The instructions this time were to drain every other day, regardless of how much came out last time.  Eventually, they said, we will get "caught-up" with the fluid generating process, and there won't be any more fluid to drain.  They use as a guideline three times with less than 50 ml in the bottle, and they will take out the catheter . . .  assuming my body will be able to handle the situation on its own.  The first drain after that produced 230 ml.   The next one was just a little dribble, then everything stopped.  No pain, just no fluid.  Less than 50 ml. to be sure.  Same thing on Wednesday.  Today (Friday) we did the fifth drain and got four drops. I think that is a good sign, and on Monday we will call for an appoint to remove the catheter.  Good news, and we are grateful.  LaRue will no longer have to fuss with an impatient patient and I can take a soaking bath whenever I want to.

Now for a little trip down memory lane:  During the time I was in the second through the sixth grades we lived in Denver, Colorado.  There was a war going on, and things were tight.  For part of that time my Grandmother Stucki would come and stay with us.  She was a very frugal sort, and managed to help Mom make really good meals from not very much.  Dad made arrangements with a neighbor to use a vacant lot for a garden, so in the summer we had fresh vegetables, Mom and Grandma canned some of the produce, and we shared with others what was left over.  Either on that property, or in our back yard there were some red current bushes.  Grandma gathered enough currents to make a big batch of current jelly.  It was really good.  It had a beautiful pink color, and it looked as good as it tasted.  We had a PET rat with a beautiful white coat and big pink eyes.  They were the exact same color as the jelly.  His name was Oscar, so we started calling it "Oscar-Eye Jelly." This did not please Grandma.  She did not appreciate references to our PET, even though it never once got into her room.  Nevertheless, at the dinner table, it was not, "Please pass the jelly." It was always, " Please pass the Oscar-Eye Jelly (giggle). Shame on us, but we were only kids.

Fast forward to today: We finished the prescribed number of infusions and oral chemo about a month ago, so it is time to take some more pictures.  My Oscar scan (as I choose to call it) was Tuesday. They give me some radioactive stuff that cancer cells really like, and then look at my body with gamma ray detectors.  It is supposed to show any cancerous activity anywhere from the top of my head to my knees.  That is good; I have had some pain in my right knee lately and it doesn't want to go away, regardless of the pain killer I take. This scan told me why.  A new lesion (tumor) showed up in that area.  The best way to describe the results of this scan is that the tumors are increasing in size and number.  The big one in my lungs has grown a little, and there are several more little ones up and down my spine.  We will begin the new chemo on Monday.  This time it is all oral, including the anti-nausea medicine which I must take 30 minutes before the chemo pill.  The expectation is that the growth of the tumors will be arrested, and maybe even shrink.  We continue to accept what life hands us with gratitude for all the good stuff that comes along with the other.  The more we experience of life, the more we are amazed at the strength and faith of others who have endured much more than we will ever see of the "other stuff."    We have deep appreciation for the struggles of the early saints and for all that our ancestors (both blood and cultural) went through so that we can enjoy the lives we have today. And deep appreciation for the tender mercies that our Lord and Savior has granted us.  At this time when we celebrate His birth, we admire and appreciate even more what the "Babe of Bethlehem" accomplished with His life.

Here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.