Decisions, decisions

Well I'm getting an MIBG scan this week. On Monday, I will go to Penn, and they will give me some iodine drops to protect my thyroid. Then, they will inject me with a tiny amount of a radionuclide tracer. Then I go home. Then I go back on Tuesday and lay on the table for a few hours to see where the MIBG goes. If my tumors are MIBG "avid", then I will be a candidate for MIBG therapy...where they inject me with lots of the radionuclide tracer. Then the tracer will go to my tumors and beat them up.

But Kristin, what about chemoembolization? I thought that was the next step? Me too, sista, me too. But apparently, we need to take a more systemic approach at this point, and not worry exclusively about the liver.
Apparently I have this "seeding" on the outside of my intestines. According the the path report "innumerable tumors" on the outside of my intestines. And my last Oscan report referred to this as "peritoneal carcinamatosis."

Back when I was first diagnosed, and having cancer seemed glamorous, I used to spend hours reading my MRI and CT and Octreoscan reports. "Hmmm. 2mm nodule in the lung? Better keep an eye on that." "4mm round hypodensity in the kidney? That doesn't sound good." "Sigmoid diverticulosis? Better look that one up."

But lately, when I get a scan result, my Onco says...."everything looks stable" and we move on. I glance at it when I get home, but push it aside and don't think about it. I had really been ignoring this whole peritoneal carcinamatosis thing.

But last week, I had to compile some scan reports to send to Kenner for a second opinion. In doing so, I had to read the reports so I could formulate a question to ask Dr. Woltering. You see, at my most recent visit with my program coordinator (known as Dr. Doom and Gloom), he pulled some unexpected punches. I'd been ignoring chemoembolization for the last 4 months, but this visit was about discussing next steps...chemoembolization being the next step. Chemoembolization was the drum these guys had been banging. Imagine my surprise when Dr. Doom and Gloom said he "was not sure there was a benefit in that right now." Um.....okay.

So, that leaves us at MIBG, and if my tumors aren't avid, it leaves us at PRRT. So at least I've already been accepted into Houston if MIBG is a no go.

Decisions, decisions.

And wait til I post the procedure for getting the MIBG therapy...5 days in the hospital til my radiation levels go down?!?! OY!