Hey all!! As some of you know, I had a PET scan done last week. I went in this morning to see my NP and get the results. I wasn't really looking forward to the appointment, because I've been having little "twinges" around my tumor site for the last two weeks or so... so I was kind of expecting my scan to light up like a Christmas tree. Well, apparently I was wrong... kind of. My scan report stated first off that the main mediastinal mass is primarily DORMANT. Say what?! The mass only had an SUV uptake that was less than 2. SUV uptake ideally should be under 2 or 3. I don't think I've ever seen the word dormant in one of my scan reports, lol. So, that was exciting! However, there was that little word "primarily" in there. So there are two very small sites that have slight activity. One measures 1.3mm and had an SUV uptake of 4.2, and the other measured 7mm and had an uptake of 3. At this point, were just going to keep an eye on things to see if the new spots continue to grow or increase in activity. The scan also showed some esophagitis, which was surprising because I've had no issues or symptoms to indicate a problem. My NP said it's most likely a side effect from the steroid that I'm on for the adrenal insufficiency. So, I get to add another another med, this one for acid reflux that I don't really have, lol. And I just have to say, I'm totally ok with the steroid for the time being because it's suppressing my immune system enough to start to get my alopecia under control, but not so much that my white blood cell count has been affected. So yay for a teensy, tiny bit of hair growth! LOL
Now on to the third thing we saw on the scan... apparently it's normal for your heart to light up on the scan (same for thyroid, kidneys, bladder, etc.) due to the metabolic activity. Well in my case, I had more uptake than normal in the left ventricle of my heart, which may indicate hypertrophy. Oh goody! So, Monday morning I will be getting an echocardiogram of my heart so we can get a closer look at things to make sure there's nothing funny going on. On another note, aside from my twinges, I feel great. I've got a ton of energy, I got cleared to return to work, and I can function like a normal human being, lol. Overall, I feel better than I have in years!! So hopefully the heart thing is just a little bump in the road. If the two slightly active spots continue to grow, I'll most likely look into starting treatment again. But I'll cross that bridge when I get to it! Thanks again to everyone for your positive thoughts, well wishes and prayers. I really appreciate it!!! I'll update again when I have my echo results. XOXO
-Briana
***Edited to add, my echo came back fine! Phew! :)
