Well, we got the day and the date right this time and successfully met with our surgeon and good friend Phillip Carson.

As is his habit, Phill carefully, quietly and meticulously worked us through the available information, especially the PET Scan images and report. We had never seen PET Scan image before and were surprised by what we saw! While the images below are not actually from Sue's scan, they are a good indication of what we saw. Actually, Sue's were probably even fuzzier than these!!

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Phill made the comment that NUCLEAR medicine (of which PET Scans are a part) might better be called UNCLEAR medicine. This subtle anagram appealed greatly to me as a lover and manipulator of language!!

In a process that seems to the untrained as akin to reading tea leaves, skilled doctors can apparently divine great meaning from fuzzy images and interpret them. They then write words of explanation that contain detailed description and analysis - and are completely incomprehensible to everyone other than experienced medicos!! They write sentences like:

There is a large FDG avid mass in the distal transverse colon extending to the splenic flexure....    Huh?

 The upshot of the visit today was confirmation that the primary tumour has ‘revved up’ again in the last couple of months since the ‘clear’ colonoscopy. The PET Scan and Sue’s symptoms raise concern about the potential of blockage and/or perforation of the bowel as the tumour continues to grow. Surgery would address this. What is less clear is the level of urgency for the surgery. This turns largely on how aggressive the tumour is now. To this end, Phill wants to have another ‘look see’ so has scheduled a further colonoscopy next Thursday 7th August. Following that, we will consider his advice and balance the various considerations at play.

 

PS: In case your are interested, here are some other anagrams of NUCLEAR MEDICINE:

Ecumenical Diner | Euclidean Mincer | Decline Manicure

Nine Accrued Lime | Ecumenical In Red | Ceramic Nude Line

Cancel Dime Urine | Elude Mini Cancer | Crucial Need Mine

Uncleaned Ice Rim | Niece Claimed Run | Malice Cured Nine | Unlined Icecream