Great news...but I'm not done yet

My post-chemo PET scan showed no evidence of metastatic disease! The two smaller nodules in my left upper lobe are gone. Gone!

The larger nodule in my lower right lobe went from 2.2 cm in the previous scan to 0.9 cm in this scan. But, the big news is that it took up none of the radioactive glucose, which means the cancer cells are dead. Dead!

However, you might remember I had an appointment with a thoracic surgeon this morning who specializes in malignancies in the lungs. After reviewing my records, he made a very strong case for going in and removing what's left of that remaining nodule and have a look around the rest of that lobe to see if there's anything that the PET scan missed.

He doesn't advocate doing the surgery laparoscopically or robotically because he can't explore the lung nearly as thoroughly. So, we're talking about an open incision on my right side, closest to the affected lobe. That being said, he will support whatever my wishes are for surgery...open, laparoscopic, or none.

He also said he'd recommend some more chemo after the surgery, sort of as an insurance policy. He wants to order an MRI of my head...just to be sure there's no cancer there. The PET scans only went as far up as my ears. And, he wants to do a pulmonary function test to see how healthy my lungs are. My pulse-ox today was 97. Can't ask for much better than that.

All in all, what he said today made sense to Paul and me, but we haven't made a definitive decision. We've got to think about it a bit.

We left the surgeon's office just in time to sit in my oncologist's waiting room for two hours, until called back at 2:00 pm for my 12 noon appointment. But, once we got in the exam room, things went rather quickly, for a change.

My thoracic surgeon had already called my oncologist to discuss his recommendations. My oncologist concurred with the proposed plan. Now, Paul and I just need to decide.

We're also reevaluating our plans to go to MD Anderson next week, after finding out I had such a great response from my chemo. I have to admit, I like the assertive suggestions from the surgeon. I've got a lot of living left to do, and I want to be as aggressive about my treatment as possible.

As far as the oncology practice closing goes, the details are still very sketchy...they don't dissolve until mid-May. However, each of the partners is still staying in the Atlanta area, but they will likely be affiliated with a different hospital. That's all I know. So, I'll have to decide if I want to stay with my current oncologist, wherever he ends up, or if I want to use this transition as an opportunity to make a change. You might remember, for the most part, that I like and respect my oncologist...I just think the practice is very poorly run.

So, great news! With some complicated decisions to make.

More soon.