Disappointing MRI Results...

Good Morning and Happy Monday!

I hope you had a great weekend!  I got to watch my sister's daughter, Brooklyn, and she wore me out!!  We danced, decorated halloween cookies, went to the park to play, and had a wonderful time!  I love her kids so much, it's hard to imagine the love I'll have when I have my own!

I had my "High powered" MRI completed in Sacramento on September 30th.  The next day, Nate and I went out of town for my State Farm Agency convention.  The convention is held in Las Vegas every three years.  There were 12,000 Agents and guests in attendance!!  State Farm did a really good job showing the financial strength of state farm and getting us really excited for what the future has in store! It was a much needed distraction because I was in Vegas it took away from the urge for me to want to call the radiologists EVERYDAY for results!!

Nate and I in Vegas

As a patient, the Radiologist's report is not available until a week after I have my scan!  They set this rule because they want your Doctor to be able to see the report first, look at the images for themselves and then call you FIRST with any news; good or bad.  Dr. O'Donnell is VERY thorough - which a lot of time will lengthen the turn around time for me to get the results.  Even though they get the Radiologist findings within the time frame, they still ask me to overnight the images.  He then will review the images himself.  He will also have his Radiologists review my images and compare them to my previous scans.  THEN, he will call me.

I did call UCSF bright and early on Monday morning after returning from Las Vegas, October 6th!!  I called Dr. O'Donnell but, they don't get in until after 8am, so I sent them an e-mail.  I have found that e-mail works great as an alternative communication method and the staff at UCSF is VERY good at getting back to me; either with a phone call or a return e-mail.

Nurse Carrol called me back and told me that they had received the report but that they wanted to see the scans (no surprise here).  She wouldn't tell me what the report said - only that I needed to overnight the scans ASAP.  Her not telling me what is on the report is a red flag to me (Nurses can't tell you anything bad - only a Doctor can).  So... since it had been a week, I called the scan facility and asked them to fax a copy of my report (radiologist findings) to my office.  When I got into the office, the report was waiting for me.  I wasn't happy with what I read... (I paraphrased the findings below)

1. Abnormal T2 signal with enhancement... concerning for Sarcoma.
2. Large Seroma with irregular peripheral enhancement.  Inflammatory/infectious process must be entertained but this area may be involved in the Sarcoma.
3. Abnormal signal with linear enhancement adjacent to the inflammatory Seroma.

Ummm... Did I read SARCOMA???!!!  Clearly a typo - right!!?  We knew about the Seroma (pocket of fluid) for a while but, Sarcoma?  Let's just say I agreed with Nurse Carrol - that the Dr. needed to see my images right away!!

I overnighted the images and then called the very next morning just to confirm hat they received the images.  Nurse Carrol told me that they have the images and they are getting them uploaded and that as soon as Dr. O'Donnell reviews them that she would call.  Since Ive been having a lot of pain in my leg (upper thigh, knee, and foot) she then suggested that I go to the ER to get checked for a possible blood clot.  I never like going to get checked for a blood clot because it takes forever and I was pretty sure that I didn't have one (Not the same type of pain)!!  But, I went anyways.

At least I come prepared!!

Nurse Carrol called the next afternoon.  She told me that I have the Seroma (that we all knew about).  She told me that the Seroma has moved!  It was in my incision area - on the inside part of my right knee area.  However, now it has moved the the right side of my back right knee area.  She told me that the Seroma relocating could be causing my pain because it could be pushed-up on a nerve or two.  She told me that Dr. O'Donnell said that they tissue around my Seroma is changing but, that they are not she what it is changing to.  She told me that it could be inflammation, infection, scar tissue, or Cancer.  She told me that Dr. O'Donnell doesn't seemed too concerned since I already have a PET CT scheduled for October 27th and they will wait to see what it says.  She asked me not to over stress my knee area with working out too much.

Later on in the afternoon, Nurse Carol called back and told me that they received the results from my ultrasound for the blood clot.  She seemed really concerned.  She told me that Dr. O'Donnell asked her to call me back.  She told me that the ultrasound identified a big enlarged lymph node in my right groin area.  I asked her if I could feel it?  Because I could feel something like a jelly bean in that area that has been causing pain down my leg.  She told me that when it gets to be the size it is now, that YES I could feel it.  She told me that O'Donnell was concerned with the enlarged lymph node.  She told me, "We will be monitoring your PET scan results very closely now."

I wish she hadn't said that last statement.  I think they would have watched it closely regardless, right?  The last statement had me worried.  So, of course I Googled it!  Im pretty sure Google should be disabled for Cancer patients - seriously!!

In researching the new finding of a enlarged lymph node, I found results for infection and cancer.  The good news is that only 10% of the time my cancer spreads to the lymph nodes.  As far as Cancer goes, that is NOT very much.  It is also highly unlikely because of how 'low grade' my cancer was.  At this point I sure am hoping that is it NOTHING!!!  Or just inflammation (that would be nice too).

I know this goes without asking but please pray for my upcoming scan next Monday on October 27th!  Pray that no evidence of disease is found.  Pray that I get to move forward from this chapter in my life!