Twerp #1 Scan Day

Good morning! Well, as you can tell from the title, today is scan day for Sydney. It has been six months since radiologists discovered the chunk of tumor sitting inside of Sydney's belly. Today we will hopefully get some insight as to whether it is dead or alive and growing or not.

To refresh your memories (considering the fact that we are all a bit older now), at our scans six months ago they discovered a 17 mm x 21 mm chunk of what looks like tumor deep within Sydney's abdomen, tucked up under her diaphragm in the retro crural space. Woah, you may say! Relax, I may say. It turns out this chunk of "tumor likeness" has been there for years - at least 3 and maybe since diagnosis. While we have seen changes in the size of the tumor over time these are thought to be changes due to the way the CT scan acquire images, not to actual changes in the tumor(or whatever it is). Outside of neuroblastoma this could also just be the result of "postoperative changes" or due to some other type of extremely slow growing tumor.

Given the fact that we have not seen any real change over the years I must admit that I am feeling pretty good - all things considering. I mean, if you are going to find a chunk of tumor in your daughter that has had stage 4 neuroblastoma, this would have to be about the best thing you could find.

Now, I just hope it is not growing. In fact, the best thing we can probably hope for here is that we so no change. A nice nondescript, non assuming, and non transforming chunk of tumor would all suit us just fine I think. That would be best.

I always hate to speculate about scans or relapse because I fear rocking the karma. But, for your information, here is why it does not bother me so much. A solid tumor relapse really isn't Sydney's biology. That just isn't what we would expect from her. From her, I would expect a bony relapse with disease riddling her skeleton. That is what her disease is "supposed" to do (nice, huh?). That is not to say that a solid tumor relapse is impossible, just less likely.

Ah, the trials and tribulations of knowing too much about a disease you wish you had never heard of in the first place.

Regardless, this morning Sydney has a CT scan. That is pretty much it for this set of scans. (Yes, we are all trying to reduce the unnecessary radiation from a full work up.) She will also have an ECHO and an EKG just to make sure her ticker is in working order. Yet, another area we are watching closely for late effects. You know, when you have an Olympic athlete you have to worry about that stuff. (Okay, fine, we would have to worry about it even if she wasn't.)

So, there you have it. We have a busy day ahead. If you need a purpose today, we could use some prayers thrown in Sydney's direction.

You know what our purpose will be today.