Very Preliminary Scan Results

Adrienne had two scans this week: a PET/CT and CT with contrast. The PET scan shows metabolic activity in cancer cells while the CT scan shows enlarged lymph nodes. The CT with contrast is more detailed, showing more about lymph nodes as well as the other organs.

I got preliminary results over the phone on Friday afternoon. At first, it sounded like there was increase activity on the PET and a new enlarged lymph node on the esophogus. However, I went back and read the previous scan report from March and it sounded very similar. So, rather than spending the weekend in a panic, we're trying to have a good time and wait for an explanation on Tuesday. Adrienne's doctor was out of town this week and doesn't return until Wednesday so another attending will talk with the radiologists on Tuesday. We wanted to do the scans the previous week while the doctor was here but he wanted them last week when Adrienne didn't have chemo.

Some good news: Adrienne's liver is better after the scare last year. It is actually a bit smaller and the congestion in the lower lobe is gone.

Some bad news: Adrienne has avascular necrosis (AVN) in her hip. AVN is a disease resulting from loss of blood supply to the bones, causing the death of bone and tissue, and eventually collapse of the bone. She had hip pain several months ago while training for TNT but an xray was normal. She was advised to stay off her feet and take Naproxen (Aleve) on a regular basis, which made things feel better. Apparently, an MRI is needed to correctly diagnosis AVN. The problem is caused by all those steroids she took with chemo, and for pneumonitis and graft vs. host disease, and will probably require surgery.

Daniel drove to Santa Barbara with a friend this weekend to visit his dad so it's quiet here with just Adrienne and I. His senior picture proofs came in Saturday's mail and they're great. I can't wait to have matching pictures of the kids. Curt is still in Vietnam and will be back around the middle of July.