A Pain in the Neck

Well, I still have that pulmonary embolism. But my doctor called today to say that after the radiologist took a look at my PET scan, there’s a chance I might be lymphoma-free after all!

This is good news. Overall, the doctors are pleased. However, I have a glowing orb in my abdomen. I have an MRI scheduled for Thursday so they can get a better idea what’s going on. I don’t know much about MRIs, other than they’re boring. Someone I know said it’s like listening to Nitzer Ebb while being still for a long time.

My pancreas has been mentioned. I’m not sure what its problem could be.

Maybe the MRI will find an ingrown twin. Or discover why I have an extra rib. (After more than a year of endless appointments and tests, no one has mentioned it, so I guess it’s not a big deal. Maybe I’ll finally ask about it.) Maybe it’s the source of my power. Maybe it’s untapped potential. Maybe it’s my tiny, shriveled soul. Or gum I swallowed, though I’ve swallowed maybe only a piece or two over the years.

This does possibly change the course of my radiation treatment, so everything is on hold for a bit until Thursday and Friday, when the doctors go over what they find.

So I’m still not sure when my hospital stay begins. I am meeting with my doctor on Friday to go over the MRI and ultrasound results. (I’m also going to get leg ultrasounds to look for more clots, and I forgot to ask if a possible filter placement would delay anything.) If everything goes as they think it will, then I’ll probably meet with the transplant doctor on Monday, and it’s possible I’ll start radiation later that week. So we’ll see.

Odds for staying cancer-free are better if you go into the transplant with a clear PET scan. The best-case scenario is that it is not Hodgkin’s lymphoma anymore, and I just have a glowing belly orb.

UPDATE: A friend says it’s probably a glowing heart light, like E.T. This would also explain why I love Reese’s Pieces. I’ll alert the MRI technicians.