I had my first post-treatment PET scan Saturday and met with my ENT and Chemotherapy doctor yesterday.
The overall report on the PET scan was very good news. I am responding well to the treatment. The tonsil where the cancer began is completely gone. The PET showed no sign of activity and no remaining tissue in that area. Originally, we thought only one lymph node was affected but it was actually two that had grown together. They are both significantly reduced and appear to still be shrinking. I was hoping they would be gone completely but both doctors felt >90% sure that they were dying and would continue to die. I will have a CT scan in a couple of months to confirm that is what is happening. Assuming they are correct, they should be able to give me the ‘all clear’ at that point.
The only downside to the report (other than having to wait for the ‘all clear’) is that I am apparently a very slow healer. I still have a very significant amount of inflammation in my throat and neck. It looks like that could persist for a couple more months. Also, my blood work is significantly better across the board buy my hemoglobin is still not back to normal. Trending in the right direction but, like everything else, moving slow.
All-in-all a very positive report.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the update. I am thrilled that you are on the mend. Hugs to you and your beautiful family. xoxo
Nancy Massey, Jul 26 2018 on www.dredgemyhead.com