I was scheduled to have my PET scan on November 14th but I was notified a couple of weeks ago that the request had been denied by my insurance company. The request was submitted by my ENT Dr. Huang. I read that a scan, 12 weeks post radiation treatment, is standard operating procedure so I was confused about why it would be denied. I thought that maybe the denial was possibly caused by a procedural error or some confusion in the peer to peer process between Dr. Huang and the Insurance company. I explained the issue to Dr. Ferraro’s office and asked if they would submit the request. They notified me about a week later that it had been approved and would take place on November 19th.

The last few days have really taken their toll. The constant worry about the results… Did we get it all? Had it metastasized? I had read about people finding out at their 12 week scan that it had metastasized to the lungs and they were given 6 to 8 months to live. I guess it is possible to do too much research. If you look hard enough for bad news, you’ll certainly find it. I couldn’t sleep at all last night waiting to learn the results this morning in a follow-up with Dr. Ferraro at 11am.

I sat in the office waiting for him come in and give me the results. I was fearfully optimistic. When he walked in he put an end to my anguish by blurting out “Your PET scan looks awesome!” He went over the report with me. He opened the images on the computer and showed me how everything looks normal. I can’t possibly explain the sense of relief I felt.

I know there is always a chance it will come back but right now, for this moment, for this one battle, it’s over and we’ve won. The pain the suffering the emotional havoc and the cruelty of the treatments were all worth it. I’m still here! I’m getting stronger every day. If it returns someday and there is a new battle to fight I’ll be as prepared as I can be. But for now I’m going to enjoy my cancer free life for as long as lasts.