Got the results back from the MRIs they did on my spine last week and the radiologist identified a couple of very tiny spots that they felt could be cancer. My medical oncologist is skeptical, as these are different from the areas that the nuclear bone scan showed as suspicious, but in order to be sure, we're postponing chemo for now in favor of trying to get a biopsy done. The tricky thing is that the spots are so small that the technicians might not be able to get samples. If that's the case, then chemo is back on and we'll just keep an eye on those areas.
I asked the doctor how things would change for me and my treatment based on whether or not these spots in my spine are cancer, and basically right now, if the cancer ISN'T in my bones, we're trying to cure it. So that's why I have such an aggressive treatment plan and I'm doing such serious chemotherapy. Ideally, at the end of all of my (currently) planned treatments, I'd be cancer-free. (I'd be fine with this, though the path to that outcome would be really, really rough.) If the cancer IS in my bones, then instead of trying to cure it (too late for that!) we'd be trying to manage it and keep it from spreading, which would entail a gentler regimen and probably a pill-based treatment. This would be easier on me in the short term, but in the long term, I'd have cancer. (I am fine with this too. Lots of people have cancer. Including me!)
So now I'm just waiting to see if and when they can schedule a biopsy, and I don't know if I'll be doing chemo or not.
The initial feeling of the phone call is a bummer. But that's just the process of discovery, and I'd rather move forward with more information. I was excited (this is not exactly the right word) to get started with chemo, but if it wouldn't be the right course of treatment for what I've got, I'd be happy to skip it.
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