Pic of pic

The darkest spots are the most "metobolically active."  The shoulders and neck are from arthritis.  Next down is the heart, then the right and left kidneys, and finally the bladder.
The cancer spot is between the heart and left kidney, a grayish mass, smaller than the heart.
There is a measure of the "uptake value," to assess how much of the tracer was picked up in each area. 20 would be a number for an aggressive cancer; Mike's was about 5.

October 26, 2015: Good news from PET scan.

The doctor is very encouraged by the PET scan results; so are we!  In short, there is one mass, and it is less than half the size from eight months ago.  The mass is also less dense -- thinner texture, if you will.  I took a picture of the picture, and I will work really hard to get it loaded here.  

Mike will never get rid of all the cancer.  But he will undergo a maintenance routine of immunotherapy once every two months (for two years) to keep the disease at bay.  This type of lymphoma is known to transform to be aggressive within ten years -- Mike would be 78 then -- and the immnotherapy should extend his timeframe even longer.

The doctor is still concerned about his general weakness and low iron, so she is referring him back to the gastroenterologist for possible tests.  

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In other Mike news, he saw the dentist today and will return Thursday for a filling.  They had a very long discussion about implant (Mike is scheduled for one next week) and/or removable bridge and//or permanent bridge.  Wish me luck in getting him to a decision soon.

AND in a couple of days he sees the dermatologist to have some Halloween carving on his ear.  
To be scheduled: follow-up with general practitioner; next neurologist check-in.

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Gratitude: The PET scan results, of course!