Wednesday, November 25, 2009

PET Scan Results

We got the phone call from Maureen Long, the director of Camelot Cancer Care, at about 6:40pm this evening. Now..this was just a phone conversation, I have not seen the PET Scan pictures myself...and I was listening in on the conversation with my head up against Derek's head, while his ear was to his cell phone...and I do not know or understand all that there is to know, more will be explained when Derek and I travel back to Tulsa next week.

Good News!~
1. The cancer has not metastasized into Derek's torso or anywhere else.
2. The center of the cancerous tumor is DEAD!!

What this all means and then the slightly negative part...
The cancer has not spread...self explanatory. Tumors die from the center or inside-out...so we know what we have been doing IS WORKING!! With PET Scans they measure SUV's (?? I think that is the correct term) and anything with a value of five or above is considered cancerous. The center of the tumor is dead..the cells surrounding the center measured an 8.8 (I believe). Also (here is the slightly negative part) there was an upward streamline towards a lymph node that measured a three point something and then (and I apologize to family that when I spoke with you I did not know this part, this is the part I missed and Derek had to explain to me later.) there is a place near the lymph node that measures 4.1. Now, again...anything 5 or above is considered cancerous, so these numbers are low enough that they are not even considered cancerous...we will keep plugging away and they will not have the opportunity to become cancer!! Maureen said that as cancer is dying it can try to recolonize and move else where...and she believes that is what is happening...or it could be that before we got to Camelot, that the cancer was trying to move. Whatever the case...what we are doing is working and we cannot stop!! We just got to keep hammering away. Maureen said, "We can beat this! We know that what we are doing is working." Because the cancer is trying to move, we may have to tweak things in our game plan slightly...BUT PRAISE GOD!! It has not metastasized and IT IS DYING!!! I cannot tell you how I love to hear it and I love to say it...the center of the cancer is DEAD... PRAISE GOD!! THANKS for all the prayers... we will beat this! God is good.

3 comments:

  1. God is SOOO amazing!!! You have an EXTRA something to be thankful for tomorrow!!! Love you Misty and Derek!!!

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  2. wahhoooo!!!!! lots to be thankful for. Seeing progress is awesome. love you!

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  3. Oh wow. What a relief! God, let it continue to die!
    Deborah

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