Don't Touch the Baby

Apparently, the stuff they squirted into Dalton's vein for this morning's PET scan is so radioactive that he can't handle our baby, Iain, until tomorrow night. They told Dalton that Iain's six-month old thyroid is especially succeptible to this stuff and that any contact could be dangerous. Consequently, Iain is having a slumber party with Grandma Joan, Grandpa Jim, and Aunt Kathy.

The PET scan took forever - about three hours in all. I'll let Dalton share the humorous details especially the part about being asked to down over a pint of Barium in a short time. This, for a guy who has trouble swallowing just a couple of ounces. Also, Aetna called this morning to make sure we understood that they weren't contracted with USC because they had received a precertification request for surgery. I nonchalantly asked what date the surgery was scheduled for and she said October 27th. So, I guess if all goes well with these tests, next Thursday is the day. This was both good news and bad news for us. Good, because the docs office is proceeding as if he is a candidate for surgery. Bad, because 9 days seems like forever to me and especially to Dalton, who is now clearly losing weight on his 500 calorie a day diet.

Tomorrow's test is the esophageal ultrasound with which they will determine the depth of tumor invasion and the extent of lymph node involvement. By combining the results of today's PET with tomorrow's EGD, the doctor will finally be able to stage the cancer. We'll get that info at Thursday's follow-up appointment. We are praying that the news is good.

I finally got in touch with the countertop folks who told me that the next available date for measurements was Thursday October 27th. I politely explained that my husband was having surgery that day and asked if there was any way to get it done earlier. The woman curtly replied no and suggested maybe I should put it off for a couple of months. Yeah, and continue washing dishes in the bathroom sink while caring for a 6-month old and recovering cancer patient. Is she NUTS?

I guess I'll be asking one of the many folks who offered to help if they would be willing to hang at my place for four hours until these folks arrive. Any volunteers?

Hangin in there.