A Bump or a Mountain? (Not all posts will be this long - promise.)

I met my specialist, Dr Bev Fosh, today. What a champ. She was lovely, busy, kind and factual. She saw me when she doesn't normally see people and I trust her already. "It's going to be a rough six months", she shared.

It's an aggressive tumour and with malignant cells in the lymph nodes, so we needed to find out if it was anywhere else. We mapped out options but first needed more tests. She came and booked at Benson's with me... a full body bone scan and a CT scan of organs. Was it EVERYWHERE?

We drove to Salisbury (pronounced with a high pitched 'ee' on the end) and I received an injection of the radioactive isotope (tracer) that later would tell the bone story. We drove to the beach and sat in a cafe. Waves of fear and emotion ebbed and flowed as I contemplated 'being riddled' or not.

Back to Modbury and this time a dye was injected so they could see my organs well.
"We will tell you when the dye goes through the cannula", said the nurse. "It will feel warm and you will feel like you're wetting yourself, but don't worry, you won't be."
I was amused and couldn't wait...lol.
"Dye coming through now", she said after a minute or two.
"Okay, thanks", I said sheepishly. And there it was, exactly as she said. I was peeing, surely! Thankfully, it was over quickly and upon checking, I hadn't.

After a 5min wait to make sure I hadn't had an allergic reaction to the dye... (God forbid- died of a dye while dying of cancer!) I was allowed to go, fast, back to Salisbury.

They were waiting for me. (I'll say that again.) Yes, THEY were waiting for ME.
The bone scan machine is simply the most amazing technology! I was fascinated as it rotated around me and moved me in and out of it's vision.

I walked out 15 minutes later, past a radiographer looking intently at the images. Was it EVERYWHERE?

I made an appointment for Saturday to get the results via my Dr at Gumeracha. The wait was going to consume me.

A few tears of fear and anxiety on the way home and then a call - 'no caller id'.
'Hello', I said. The tiredness evident.
'Kristina?' said the caller. "It's Bev Fosh, I'm calling from home. Please excuse the noise from the kids and the dogs."
(Polite titter. (Excuse the pun.))
"I have your results from today", she said. "It's good news. There's nothing in your bones. There doesn't appear to be anything in your organs."
She went on to explain that there are cysts on my liver, which is normal apparently but to make sure, she's organising an MRI.

I'M NOT RIDDLED!
A sea of relief.
It's a bloody awful bump, but not a mountain.

Next stop, next Friday. Chemo or surgery, that is the question.