CT scan results from Friday

We're still waiting for the final report, and to talk to Dr. Marcio and Dr. Stein, but for now this is what we know...

Our wonderful NP case worker, Patricia, was able to discuss the results a little and faxed us a copy of Friday's CT scan preliminary report. It appears that Elizabeth has quite a bit of fluid built up under her right lung in her right liver region. I couldn't tell by the report if it is above or below the diaphragm, or both, and it may be that the CT scan isn't clear about it either. There is definitely some fluid in the liver region regardless, I think. There is also evidence of severely diminished lung capacity in the mid-right lobe area. The nodules (cancer) that was in the right lung appears to be unchanged since March, and the potential nodules in the liver area that have been monitored also appear unchanged, if not better.

So the report sounds somewhat better than we had been expecting, but that could be because I'm reading it and not looking at the scans myself. There was noted "scattered streaky lung disease" that was not attributed to the cancer, though, that has me concerned. All things we will discuss with Elizabeth's docs in the very near future.

While it doesn't seem that tumor resection is necessary at this time, the fluid will most certainly have to be drained. We went through fluid drainage last August... that visit started with a normal blood draw visit, led to an x-ray, then an immediate CT scan, and a drainage tube inserted followed up with an unexpected 15 day hospital stay. Hopefully, any hospital stay this time might be shorter!

I'm relieved by one of the last sentences of the report, though.
"No new foci of metastasis are seen." Good news.