Early Report on Today's CT Scan: Bad and Good

This will be blessedly short, compared to many of my entries (as you know).

The reason for its shortness is that I cannot seem to find anything online that explains what I want to know: what/where is the aortocaval system, and what happens when a tumor grows there, and how dangerous it it?

So looks like I'll be a day at least researching this until I get my answers.

But, wow, to go back to the beginning, Bill's radiology report contains two (in their opinion) significant changes:

1. A new tumor has appeared in the aortocaval area and appears to be metastatic cancer in nature. Don't know if it's bladder cancer or prostate or liver or something new. They will biopsy it before they take it out.

2. Low attenuation in the liver has decreased in size. (I think this is a good thing, but on the radiation report, it is listed with the bad things.)

2a. He still has a weird thing on his kidney but it isn't growing.

3. The Oncologist was very concerned about Bill's increasing nausea and extreme bowel problems, and now Bill has to see a Gastroenterologist for tests of his stomach, esophagus, pancreas, all those little lego parts, and get a colonoscopy to see if he has cancer in those areas. The CT scan wouldn't show it, and the Oncologist said there is no way something isn't wrong, with all the nausea and symptoms Bill is having, a whole year after chemo ended. He said it is definitely not from the chemo but from something new.

4. OMG

5. You should have seen me scribbling down his words and sweating at the same time. I was a nervous wreck when we finished getting all that info.

The GOOD NEWS is that some of the places it could have metastasized didn't show anything on the CT, but could show up with the Gastroenterology testing.

No rest for the weary.

We're in good spirits, though. We decided to focus on (by having me read out loud from the report, while we were driving home) ALL of the organs that did NOT have tumors on them. And there were a LOT. Then we ate at Applebee's in Wilkesboro, and actually had fun! No, we didn't order LIVER.

So when I find out what this aortocaval tumor is, I will let you know. The worst case scenario is that it is a reaction to a new cancer appearance somewhere in his esophagus or colon, or stomach area, that the CT wouldn't have shown.

We already know he has stage 4 cancer, and there is no stage 5, so it's kind of hard to scare us much. And if we keep knocking each little new thing back, it could really add on a lot of time for him.

Till next time, though, we are relieved that the report wasn't worse.

Will we be relieved after they biopsy it, take it out, and decide what else he needs? That I do NOT know.

But we're ready to fight! Bring it on!

Stagecoaches full of love to each one of you for reading this!

Gratefully,

Cowboy Billy and Diamond Lil