129. 5 and PET scan results

Chemo 5, made me feel really yuk, pain and sicky feelings. Was glad to get home. Slept for a few hours and we couldn't face cooking. We got a domino's. I ate it sooo slowly, but it made me feel better. I watched the Philharmonic Orchestra on the BBC red button and it was fab. They did Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Batman. Loved it.

So...the scan results.
I had been in the day unit about an hour and half and my consultant came through to chat to me about the results. Good news she said.
We went through to the counselling room where I had first been told I had cancer. Creepy lion paintings again.

My consultant explained the first scan I had. How the tracer they inject - which is sugar/mildly radioactive -goes into the body and is shown on the scan as dark marks, where the sugar has been absorbed by the cancer cells.
(The word tumour was used for the first time in conversation today and that felt weird.)

I must have started to look puzzled or as if I was intently listening because she got some paper and a pen and drew something like that looked like this.

Excuse my Paint skills on the computer, hehe...



So, there in the first diagram you can see the black dots in my neck and chest, these are my lymph glands that have absorbed the sugar /mildly radioactive tracer. They have done this because of the cancer.

The only other place in the body that has absorbed the tracer is the kidneys and bladder, as that is where it is leaving the body. I don't have cancer there.

In the second diagram, it shows there are no glands absorbing the sugar. Which means there is a big significant change! The chemo is working. Me and the chemo are winning!  The results mean there are no active cells any more but the rest of the chemo is to make sure there are no more cells left in the body and that they cells don't change.

So, 7 more sessions of chemo and to be honest even though I am happy to have got some positive news, it's still sinking in.

 It feels like a dream, just like it did when I was first getting my head round the fact I had HL.

It's so bizarre. My trust is still a bit iffy with it all. I asked my wonderful friend Jackie about her experience with this moment.

 I met Jackie through the UK HL group on facebook. Which is so helpful and I have a lot of new friends from it.

Jackie's son had stage 4 HL, more advanced than I have. 

His 2nd PET scan was before Christmas when he had HL. His results showed that the chemo was working. Amazing news for stage 4, and a 2nd PET scan. The best Christmas present Jackie said.

It's wonderful to have such support online - Jackie has helped me make other friends too.

One special lady called Lynn who is on the bone marrow register and is going through a very tough time feeling very poorly. I chat to her a lot too and she sent me a stunning card in the post the other day. Amazing. Need to put recent photos on.... maybe tomorrow if I feel up to it.

Well, I need to post this entry and get something to drink before bedtime.

I am going to sleep feeling less sick and a bit more at ease which is good. I will still be mulling over the scan results and trying to get my head round it. Jackie says thats normal, so I feel a bit more normal about it all - not like I am being negative  - but that I am trying to process it all. Thank you Jackie! xxx Much love xx