PET and EUS done

E. got his PET scan done yesterday. Barely. Because of cancer, chemotherapy, radiation, stress, life, etc., his blood sugars have been all out of whack and running high. Had he been one point higher, he wouldn't have been able to have the PET done. Though it took awhile, the actual PET was pretty uneventful.

Very frustrating is the fact that while the results should be available in 48 hours, we're headed into a three-day weekend and the first available appointment with his oncologist is June 4th. Yes, JUNE 4TH!!! I called and talked to several people, pleading our case. How is it possible that after a major test like this, you have to wait TWO WEEKS to get the results? That just seems ridiculous to me. In the end and in desperation, I begged for at least a phone consult. Heck, an e-mail would work at this point. We'll see if anything comes through. I did go ahead and call his radiation oncologist to see if she could squeeze us in any sooner. So, if nothing else, we'll meet with her on May 28th to hopefully go over the results.

EDITED TO ADD: E.'s oncologist left me a voice message late this afternoon indicating that he had already received the results from the PET scan. He stated that it looked like E. responded to treatment and that no areas "lit up."

Today, E. had his follow-up Endoscopic Ultrasound. The doctor who performed his first EUS did this one as well. Best case scenario would be that the tumor was gone, all lymph nodes looked healthy and there was no evidence of disease . . . probably unrealistic to even hope for short of a miracle. Worst case scenario would be that the tumor had grown, that more lymph nodes were affected and that the cancer had metastasized to other organs.

We learned that E. has in fact responded well to treatment. The tumor has shrunk some (how much we're not sure of yet). And instead of 10 lymph nodes being involved, it appears only 4 lymph nodes are involved now. Because lymph nodes are still involved, E. is still diagnosed with Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer. BUT . . . if the biopsy of the lymph nodes comes back negative, E. will be re-staged to Stage 3. In that case, the doctor said he would be a surgical candidate. (Now remember, local doctors and those doctors we spoke with at UCDavis all follow the philosophy that Stage 4 patients are inoperable. Other doctors at other facilities don't necessarily follow that same philosophy.) Unfortunately, the biopsy results won't be back for about a week.

We're feeling positive about the progress. While not GREAT news, it certainly wasn't bad news. In the whole scope of things, we consider it good news.

And here's hoping for more good news, or even great news, in the weeks to come!