Dodged another bullet - at least for now

Certain symptoms I experienced last week indicated that my CLL (leukemia) might have advanced out of stage Zero. Had lab work last week and saw my Oncologist this morning.

Lo & Behold, my CLL counts are still normal (for me). She is going to order a PET scan (whatever that is) that will give her more information that will indicate whether or not I should have a biopsy in a certain lymph node. One of my lymph nodes is sore, but she said that is common in patients with CLL.

Nice to have a specialist that is really knowledgable and that I feel comfortable with.

That's great news.

Hope all comes out well.

It's nice to have a doctor you can put faith in.

Best wishes.

Greg

Dick, Great news !

And may the Good News continue.

Bill

Good news.
Rick

great news Dick

Ron

YAY!!!

Keep us posted.

Dick,
I hope you get equally good news on the scan too.

I will pray, or more correctly, talk and then listen to God for you.

That's great news.

My brother came down with stage four colorectal cancer about a year ago. With an oncologist that treated him with real aggressive chemo, he is currently cancer free, although he is told that he will always have cancer, just that its inactive right now. He was given that pronoses on my birthday this past February, although he is still going through four additional rounds of chemo. Tomorrow begins his third of those four, and then if all goes correctly, I assume that he goes into maintenance. I don't know what a petscan is per say, except that my brother has been through four of them over the past year, and they gage the size of tumors, I understand. The first petscan told the how big the tumor was, and I don't know what else. The second petscan showed that with chemo treatment that his mass had decreased in size by 56%. The third petscan showed a reduction by 73% overall, and the fourth one showed no growth existing. He is due to go through a fifth petscan after this additional treatment ends.

Dick, keep them fingers crossed. Cancer treatment although not perfect and far from it, has improved over the years. Keep them fingers crossed, and so will I.

Good, good, good luck.

Mark

Good for you, God has more plans here for you yet.

Positron Emission Tomography.
A slightly radioactive material is injected which migrates to the intended target. Thin image slices are taken from emitted positrons (the antimatter equivalent of electrons which are negative) and the slices are computer assembled into a 3D image of the area of interest. Very cool. Not problematic in terms of radiation dose, and a powerful tool for diagnostic purposes. Jim

Great to hear that! Just stay focused and surround yourself with good people and good doctors. Prayers sent for continued good health.

My Dad is fighting cancer again. Going to Lewiston, ID to see him early June. It is all good and he is a tuff bird. Talk to him weekly.

good for you, i wish you the best.
unfortunately i understood every bit of what you said. i learned a bunch of words i'd rather had not in the last 6 mo's. last august i started coughing up blood, so i go to the dr and he ex ray's me and tells me i have cancer. well after 5 surgeries they can't find any cancer. i've had limp nodes taken out and bio-ed and samples taken of what they call a lung mass tumor and bio-ed and cut open and had cameras put in me. they say the tumor is interoperable because it is to close to blood vessels. i guess they were convinced i had cancer because i smoke, but i proved them wrong. so now i don't know whats next, tomorrow im gonna ask my dr if he can get me sent to Stanford and see what they can or can not do. walking around with a collapsed lung ain't no fun.

Wishing you the best. Wife had cancer - surgery, chemo two years ago. Her chest ain't pretty, but reports, other side is clear, and she's doing well. Still taking some anti-cancer drugs, but apparently missed the bullet, too. We always hear of the bad results, rarely the good ones.