PET SCAN, Part 2

Yesterday, I had my second PET scan. This is the one that will tell me if there is any cancer leftovers from the treatment.

First I was given some radioactive injections, the syringe sheathed in a protective metal sleeve. Then I drank some nasty 'berry' flavored liquid. I think that's the glucose that they monitor thru the scan. And lastly I got another weird injection that made me feel all hot.

After that I was scanned to bits.

Later, I got radioactive cramps and couldn't go to my dance class. BooHoo.

Awaiting the results next week. Stay tuned.

Poo-Tine

I just got back from a trip to Canada. I had to fine tune my diet carefully. It seems the Canadians put cheese on everything....even snails!

But I did find what should be the official food for Anal Cancer. What else but...POUTINE.

It's a mixture of french fries, brown gravy and, of course, cheese. They use Cheese curd. I'm not sure why except it's as tasty as cheese but doesn't glue the fries all together.

As for my diet while I was there, I got into the habit of eating prunes everyday. Plus my sister brought along an interesting product: chia seeds. The kind you put on the head of your chia pet. When soaked in water for about a minute they formed a mucilaginous blob. It didn't taste bad and it did the trick.

What trick is that you ask? Well, I'll leave it to your imagination.

Ditto

Hi there, Remember me? Everything has been going hunky dory for quite a while. But soon things will be heating up: visits to the surgeon, Pet scans, Port removal (hopefully)

Speaking of Ports, I went back to the oncologist to have my port flushed. We discussed the rash I got last time. So everyone was EXTRA careful.

The results? Well, you can see from the picture that the rash has returned. Itchy, red and ugly. Grrrrrr.

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS....Until....

I've had nothing to report for weeks. Which is a good thing. Many people thought it meant disaster had struck. But disaster would have been interesting to write about. So I've been quietly, unwritingly, healing and enjoying life.

Then I went to the chemo doctor last week. A routine visit. The nurse drew blood thru my port, as she always does. But over the weekend, for reasons unknown, an ugly rash began to form around my port.

I paid another visit to the chemo doc yesterday so he could check out if my port was infected or I had shingles. He said the rash didn't look like either of those things and told me to use some over the counter creams for the itch. He did tell me to get back to him about it.

Today I woke up and the rash was worse. I'll wait till this afternoon or tomorrow morning to call him again. I have a feeling I'll be making another visit.

Weird Fingernail Changes.

I used to have normal pink fingernails, but lately they have changed. At the bottom they are an eerie white color. Not nice little white moons...no, just a ghostly fade out, like a reverse french style nail. I think it's left over residue from the chemo.

Online, there are a lot of sites claiming to be able to identify disease from the looks of your fingernails. But having had all that poisonous chemo injected into me, all bets are off on what is going on. I think it will fade as time goes by, but of course, I'll check with the doctors.

Working at BWAC

I'm feeling better although sitting for any length of time is still quite uncomfortable. So I decided to so some volunteer work at BWAC. That's the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, located in Redhook, that I am a member of. My volunteer work usually consists of stuffing envelopes and I like to stand while I do it. The BWAC office is currently working out of OHM Acoustics, owned by John Strohbeen, BWAC's intrepid president. As I stuffed and stamped, those weird hoots and wails of the speakers are constantly playing in the background.
Afterwards I went out to dinner with Jane, BWAC's Arts Administrator. It was a lovely outdoor place on Smith Street: Bar Tabac.

Checkup with the Surgeon

I hadn't seen Dr. M., the colorectal surgeon, since he did my biopsy back in May: The Biopsy
It was time to see him again. Dr. Who had suggested to me that the surgeon would be able to get a good look inside, using the 'illuminated dildo', to see if the tumor was really gone and to do any necessary biopsy follow-ups.
Dr. M did examine me, but only on the outside. He said it didn't look like I was ready for any probing exams with the anoscope. There was still the results of the radiation burns in. The odd protuberances that Dr. Who thought were hemmoroids, were just more trauma from treatment. He told me to keep on using the silvadene for the burns and to use lidocaine too for the pain.
I had wanted to have the exam, to know if everything had worked as promised. But I also was very relieved NOT to have it, cause yeah, there IS a lot of pain still.