Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

PET / CT Results today

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    PET / CT Results today

    Last week, I went in for my bi-yearly imaging, as prescribed by my oncologist.
    By now, these scans have become quite routine. It is always the follow up doctor
    appointment which puts the smallest of knots in my stomach. I am
    happy to report, though, that all is clear (still), and that my next set of imaging
    is scheduled for May of 2020. If you've read this far and don't mind reading
    a little further, the following is the background. I've only shared this with
    Michael and a few others from TBH, and honestly, I don't know why I've been
    so secretive about it.

    In May of 2016, I had noticed a new mole had appeared on my upper right
    shoulder, just above my scapula. It was not in an area I could see, though
    I could feel it by reaching over with my left hand. It was a little concerning
    at the time, so much so that I had my wife take a picture of it, which I will
    not share here. Sometimes it would bleed a little, though at the time I had
    no idea of the severity of the situation. I had meant to make an appointment
    with a dermatologist, but never got around to it. I have lived most of my
    life with several moles scattered about my torso, and to me, this was just
    another. By July of 2016, it had disappeared completely.

    As the summer waned, school began, and I started my 3rd season of coaching
    baseball in the Little League arena. We got through September and the first
    couple of weeks of October quite short of the .500 mark. Dove season was
    pretty much a bust as the landowner had cleared the entire 30 acre patch
    of vegetation in August, even filling in the pond! On the bright side, my
    daughter had just started with a new dance studio and my son had joined
    a new select baseball team, playing in conjunction with the fall Little League.
    Life was busy, but at least we were able to get away to the lease every
    once in a while.

    By mid October, I began noticing an enlarged lymph node in my right arm pit.
    Again, I was concerned, not overly, though, as I attributed it to allergies. I
    made an appointment with my primary care physician, who also was very
    conservative in his diagnosis. He told me to come back in 10 days or so if
    it had not resolved itself. Two weeks later, I was back in his office. He
    referred me to a breast cancer office where they would do an ultrasound and
    biopsy the lymph node. Still, I was not worried, thinking at this point that
    due to an allergic reaction, my lymph node ducts must have clogged.

    On November 18, 2016, I donned the pink patient smock and waited for the
    technician to begin the ultrasound. She found several nodes under my arm
    had swollen, and the doctor handled the needle for the biopsy. I was in good
    spirits when I left the office, even telling my wife that everything had gone
    pretty smooth. Besides, it was Friday, and Thanksgiving was just around
    the corner.
    (more to follow)
    (I need to eat lunch!)

    #2
    Glad to hear all is well.

    Comment


      #3
      Mom and dad were coming over for the holiday meal on Thursday, and by Wednesday,
      almost all of the side dishes had been prepared. Green bean casseroles, pumpkin pies,
      and cranberry sauces, packed the refrigerator, all around the turkey, which was waiting
      for it's turn, it's big day. I hadn't been home 45 minutes when my cell phone rang to
      life from the depths of my back pocket. I recognized the number. We had been anticipating
      this call all week, and now, Thanksgiving eve at 6:00 pm, here it is.

      Metastatic Melanoma was the diagnosis. I had no idea what that meant, but in the same
      breath, the on-call doctor tasked with the dreadful phone call, mentioned Stage 3,
      apologized, then went on to say that there were certainly trials underway that I could
      look into. I think I was in shock, still not quite comprehending what I was being told.

      It sounded as if he had just read me my last rights, giving me a death notice with maybe
      6 months to live. Could this be right? I put my wife on the phone with him. She began
      crying. At that point, my life changed forever. My kids were 10 and 12 at the time.
      Thanksgiving dinner took on a whole new meaning. I did not get discouraged, though,
      and had decided to fight this thing called cancer with EVERYTHING I could.

      In the ensuing months, I met with an oncologist, a surgical oncologist, began MRI's,
      PET scans, and CT scans. I started and immuno-therapy regimen as at my stage,
      I was considered in-operable. The first drug combo I received did not help, though I
      became so violently ill I was convinced they had worsened my condition. I was then
      switched to another combo. I suffered night sweats, extreme chills, vomiting, and
      continued weight loss. By May of 2017, I was at stage 4 with tumors in or on many
      different organs and a couple spots in my spine.

      My oncologist decided to take me off of the oral medications and I began a series of
      immuno-therapy IV infusions. It was a series of 4 over an 8 week time frame. Most
      patients, I was told, can only handle 3 of the infusions before becoming too sick to
      continue. I lasted through all 4 treatments. After these, I began a 1 1/2 year infusion
      schedule of one of the drugs from the last series. I was pronounced in remission in
      March of 2018, retro-active to December of 2017, which was the date of my first clean
      set of scans.

      This year, for Thanksgiving, we are celebrating 2 years cancer free! I do not take it
      lightly that God, through the power of prayer of my church and those in my circle, and
      His mercy healed me in such a miraculous manner!

      Thanks for reading, if you made it this far!

      May His peace be with you, always,

      Todd

      Comment


        #4
        Thats amazing and congratulations! God is good brother and I pray that he continues to keep you PET scans clean!

        Comment


          #5
          God bless you, brother. Thank you Jesus for clear scans. Give that worry over to someone that can handle it and carry on!

          Comment


            #6
            What a mighty God we serve! I too have a family member who was healed by the grace of God. She had stage 4 cancer and was told she didn’t have a lot of life left to live. She told the Dr. that she served a God bigger than cancer and that she had the faith that her God would heal her. She is cancer free and the Dr. couldn’t believe it. He said it’s nothing short of a miracle. She told him the God I serve is still in the business of making miracles. She is one of the Godliest persons I know and I believe her faith is a testament to why God chose to heal her.
            Glad to hear that God has touched and healed you as well! Keep the faith brother and God Bless!
            Last edited by parkchief100; 11-14-2019, 04:58 PM.

            Comment


              #7
              God is Good! Thanks for sharing your story and prayers of continued negative results.

              Comment


                #8
                Amazing story. May God continue to bless you and your family.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Thanks for sharing, I know it is hard to deal with such a diagnosis. I am glad you are doing well and prayers for you and your family. Keep your faith and stay positive. God bless.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Thanks for sharing your story with us and yes the power of prayer is amazing. Continued prayers for you and your Family.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by DarrellS View Post
                      Amazing story. May God continue to bless you and your family.
                      Ditto

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Wow what a story and very glad you have a clean scan! Sincere thanks for posting.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Halleluja! Great news, Todd!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I appreciate the kind words! I'm looking forward to many more years here. It is just
                            crazy how something so small can change your life forever. I had no idea that "skin
                            cancer" was so very deadly! Some of the medications I took into my body had only
                            been approved over the last several years. I think I am one of the fortunate ones in
                            how my body reacted with the drugs, while others have only been able to prolong their
                            lives for sometimes as little as a few months. Once you have experienced cancer, it
                            seems as if any new pain, itch, or runny nose could be a symptom of a new tumor.
                            It is very scary, even 2 years out.

                            Todd

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Praise God for miraculous healing!

                              I won't question your decision to keep such an ordeal under wraps, but, as you are well aware, there's a lot of prayer warriors on the GS. Prayers for His continued blessings over your health!

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X