Friday, November 2, 2007

Good News and Radiation Time

Great News! We received the PET/CT results yesterday and they show no signs of abnormal cell activity!

Ema started radiation treatment yesterday. That's going to be five days per week for 6 1/2 weeks. We are prepared for anything, but so glad that all we have to do for now is radiate the leg, start physical therapy and keep our eyes focused on the future.

We just made reservations for next summer's vacation at the Santa Barbara Family Vacation Center. Same as this past year. So, yes, we are literally 'banking' on Ema being well.

Thanks for all your prayers and kind thoughts. The next few entries will contain excerpts from Ema's personal cancer journal.

Today's word of the day: Persevere

- Tom

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Waiting for Tests

We’re waiting for the results of Ema’s PET/CT scan done Monday. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the gravity of these tests. In the time frame of one phone call from the radiologist, our future will be disclosed. If we hear “All clear” – then we take a deep breath and continue as planned with the radiation treatments this week, and schedule another full-body PET/CT scan for a few months from now. If we hear “We see some areas that concern us” – then our hearts sink into our guts and we succumb to the inevitable shock while frantically phoning our team of oncologists.

Yes, these are very stressful times, but somehow we persevere. As much as I hate having our future hinged on the results of a test, I’m glad we opted to get this test done. It wasn’t presented as an option by any of Ema’s oncologists. She heard about it from the lab tech who performed her last CT scan. Turns out the oncologists all agreed the test was a good idea, just not something they usually prescribe. So, thank you lab tech guy. As agonizing as it is to wait for the results, we are grateful to you for recommending it.