Green Light on PET Scan

Look what arrived in the mail from Aimee and Eric's family with a sweet note.  Thank you!  Isn't it great to celebrate Valentine's Day with homemade decorated cookies!  I put the package in the fridge until after dinner then when I put them on a plate, I noticed that one of my kids must have snuck a nibble.  :)  Oh yeah!  They are irresistible.

Today we got the go ahead on the PET scan.  It seemed too late to me, but the oncologist said to get it ASAP.  So Friday is the day.  This means another trip to St. George and no carbs or exercise tomorrow.  Since Roland doesn't really want to eat anything or move at all, this won't be a challenge for him.  Even though he doesn't want to, he IS still eating. In simple terms, the contrast he will drink for this scan is sugary and the cells that like sugar the most are cancer cells, so this contrast will show up in higher concentration where the sugar is and therefore where the cancer is.   To help with this process, he cannot have sugar already in his system.

He hops/limps around now holding on to the furniture and walls.  He can't fully straighten his left leg without a lot of pain, but he is trying to stretch it.  He deemed the crutches unsafe because he is dizzy and might fall and since his blood is thin, falling poses the potential for possible internal injuries.  He is a little grumpier than I am used to, but he is normally so cheerful that it is easy to handle.  Even though he feels pretty terrible, he still finds ways to thank me and appreciate me. He is supposed to drink a lot to flush the Chemo out of his system and to protect his kidneys.  I thought he might like it if I made some watermelon/mint/ginger in the blender.  It sounded good to me and I know he loves watermelon.  He thought about it and decided he would rather have a hunk of watermelon and a spoon.  I complied, but watermelon isn't in season, so it wasn't a nice sweet, crisp one as he had hoped, so he let me blend it into a drink. He wanted a touch of cinnamon and I sweetened it with a little white grape juice concentrate.  Winner!  Whatever it takes to keep him drinking.  He is totally off pain meds.  When the oncologist heard this, she told him to get back on them so he can walk.  She wants him to exercise his legs.  He isn't very motivated.  Hmmmm?  I am thinking of ways to encourage this.  I think some simple slow dancing in the living room might be just the thing.  That way if he gets dizzy, I can be his support. Any other suggestions?

I am NOT sick because I just can't get sick.  I just have a little scratchy throat and a sniffle that is going to be gone with this very reasonable headache in the morning because I am drinking lots of fluids and washing my hands frequently.   I use the "germ machine".  (That is Roland's term for the pump dispenser of hand sanitizer.)  I was able to rest today because my visiting teachers brought over a meal--make that a feast--for the family.  What a relief!