No, it is not a furry fourlegged one....it stands for Positron Emission Tomography, and it is a way of assessing the glucose uptake, oxygen use, and vascularity of individual cells. A nuclear medicine is added to glucose which is injected as an IV and then pictures are taken in what can only descibed as radiology donut machine smaller than an MRI donut.
Dennis and I have just returned from Seattle, where his latest MRI shows areas near the old tumor site that appear to have dye enhancements called flares. While some have come and gone, and many appear to have disappeared because they were scar tissue from past radiology treatments, this area is suspicious. The P.E.T. scan will determine if these cells are scar tissue or cancer.
In general he feels good. He was sad to see his nuero oncologist Dr. Lynn Taylor leave for Tufts University. She has been heading up his medical team and is one of the finest readers of brain MRIs ever-but Thursday is her last day so today we wished her well with a little Alaska salmon and jam, and then spent the rest of the appointment discussing his treatment options for the future-including how to work avastin treatments around his hunting trips and visits to the lower 48. We both got home to Alaska exhausted, but glad to be home.
Stay tuned, we'll let you know what we hear in a week or so. Keep those prayers and good wishes coming in, Faith and Dennis
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Hope you have survived all the tests once again and are home to enjoy a bountiful Thanksgiving. We have sold our home and will be moving to Oregon City, Oregon area in December. Know you both are daily in my prayers.
Pamela
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