Category: tests

Sharing my cancer story. It might be helpful, it might be interesting, it might be informative.

  • Ugh, spleen!

    I had an MRI this month, and an appointment with my oncologist. The good news is that my tumors continue to stay “stable” and don’t show any growth of note. Hip hip, hooray!!! He thinks the monthly Lanreotide shots have been doing their job, so I’ll continue those indefinitely. As I’ve said before, somatostatin analog…

  • Scanxiety!

    This past week I had an echocardiogram, bloodwork, an MRI, and then an appointment with my oncologist to discuss all the results. Verdict: my various tumors are growing so slowly they are considered “stable”, and although I do have new tumors, they are still quite small. In Cancer World, that is all GREAT NEWS, and…

  • Here we go again…

    On Tuesday I had a 64Cu DOTATATE PET scan. This is only my second time having this particular scan, and last time in 2022 it revealed that my cancer had metastasized in a big way, which completely blindsided me. This time around I am much more mentally prepared to hear “bad news”: I belong to…

  • F.A.Q. & T.L.D.R.

    – Updated 8/26/25 – Looking for a quick review of my cancer journey? You’ve come to the right place! What kind of cancer do I have? Neuroendocrine (I’ve also had thyroid cancer, but after a thyroidectomy in 2016 there have been no further complications). Neuroendocrine cancer is considered a rare cancer, affecting 6 in 100,000…

  • Schrödinger’s cancer (ahem, cat)

    It’s a known fact that my particular neuroendocrine cancer tumors don’t show up very well on CT and MRI scans. Unfortunately that’s just the way it goes for some people. It wasn’t until I was given a Dotatate PET scan in July 2022 that I learned just how widespread my tumors had spread. So, although…