You put your head, you take your head out, and then you shake it all about, and then you do the hokey pokey (etc.)

Thursday was the latest round of medical stuff. Brain MRI + CT scan of chest, abdomen, & pelvis. It was my 2nd brain MRI this year, and my 4th batch of CT scans; 6th if you count the two needle biopsies (which I try very hard to forget...). As I told my brother, it has almost become "So, how's that baby?" with the folks there since I've been so often. But I am so very thankful to live in an area where such medical technology is available and to live in these days when MRIs & CT scans & P.E.T. scans & sentinel lymph procedures and even...*sighs*...needle biopsies *shudders* are known about and used.

I did learn 2 important safety tips about yesterday's 2 procedures:
1. If one falls asleep during a brain MRI such that the twitching/snoring/jumping begins, that movement messes up a set of pictures & they have to re-do them. *grins* The tech was fairly astonished that I could sleep so quickly & so soundly with my head jammed into a tube with the sounds of an emergency klaxon and a jackhammer inches away from my ears. Mom, Lisa, & my kids are less astonished...(aside: the brain MRI is what prompted the hokey pokey title of this post)

2. Similarly, if one sneezes during the "hold your breath" part of a chest CT scan, that, too, messes up a picture.

I'm to pick up a CD with these scans on it tomorrow to take with me to Houston next week. (Note: there was no special trigger for this latest set of tests; rather, the Dr. @ Anderson needs a more recent set of tests than I had.)

In slightly-related news, I had a great weekend spent hanging out with my brother at our cousin's place in S. AL. Very little productive happened, though we did eat some great meals and cruise in the bro's convertible while blasting the Eagles' latest CD. (pathetic old dudes still grasping in vain toward any hint of "cool"...but we had fun! Actually,). The cuz was able to join us Friday night before having to do Dr. stuff Saturday & Sunday (he's the Dr....). We did solve several major world problems there on the back porch of the villa, though I doubt any of us would ever get any traction with trying to market our solutions...

(note to Lisa, Mom, & Dr. B.: I did, in fact, spray sunscreen on before hopping in the convertible. Thus, I have the smallest/strangest old-man sunburn ever; about a 3/4" triangle above my hatline where my hairline has receded. "You know you're getting old when...")

One week from now, we are planning to be sitting in our lodging in Houston watching the slowest clock movement of my life, waiting for the appt. Tuesday at 2:00.

We serve a great God! Thanks so very much for your prayers; please keep them coming, as I expect the tension level (& my BP) will elevate as this week goes by.

You are loved & appreciated far more than words can capture.

In His Grip,
Mike

p.s. - I feel like such a self-aggrandizing whiner with this blog, but people ask, and I'm grateful to those of you who have prayed and have offered help in various ways.

p.p.s. - while you're in "pray for medical situations" mode, drop by here and pray for my friends Jason & Stephanie as he battles leukemia. Jason & Steph are great friends who met while in the 11th grade Sunday School class I taught some 14 or 15 years ago. Both are choice followers of Christ, who are staying strong even in this very dark valley. I know of nobody who has met them who does not love them both, and I've known them for years & years now. Please lift this great man of God and his loving wife and their 3 young children up to our Lord.

Mike's excellent (medical) adventure

THE BOTTOM LINE: I'm scheduled for an outpatient consult appt. @ M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Center out in Houston on May 6. Your prayers for us are welcome.

THE DETAILS:
I have various tests every 6 months since my cancer surgeries in Nov. 05 (melanoma has a very long tail...). A recent CT scan revealed 3 small spots on the outer wall of my lungs. A subsequent CT scan showed a small amount of growth. That led to a P.E.T. scan, which revealed some sort of activity near the spots. That, in turn led to a couple of needle biopsies (aside: these are...absolutely no fun!). The 1st was negative (good news); the 2nd was "nondiagnostic," meaning no cancer cells, but not enough total cells for an "all clear." It is a very important and hopeful point here that there are multiple ways in which these spots are *not* behaving like a typical melanoma lung tumor behaves. (including, of course, the two non-positive biopsies, plus the shape and location of the spots, plus something to do with the P.E.T. scan that involves big medical words...)
My oncologist is cautious--a great trait in one's oncologist!--and thus has referred me to a melanoma specialist @ Anderson. Word is, this guy's one of the best melanoma specialists in the world.

Some important points in conclusion:
--There has been *no* subsequent cancer diagnosis since Nov. 05.
--These spots are *not* behaving like a typical melanoma tumor would--as mentioned, this is true in several ways.
--Since Katrina hammered us in August 05, there have been quite a number of suspicious lung spots show up that turn out to be fungus-related. (thus, treatable with antibiotics) As my brother says, who would've thought that a fungus would be an answer to prayer?? *grin*
--Having said all that, there is still a possibility that these spots are bad news. Should that be the case, we appear to be pretty early in the game.
--Your prayers are *most* welcome. While there is much to offer hope here, I am heading to M.D. Anderson. Let's just say that nobody heads to Anderson for a sprained ankle...

Thanks so much (in advance) for your prayers. We serve a great God, Who is never caught by surprise. He has poured out so much grace on me these past 48 years that I cannot come close to listing all of the ways that grace has been shown. To paraphrase a line from a great worship song that I love,"I am the broken, He is the healer..."

With great hope, many thanks, and much love,
Mike