Good news, bad news...

Paul was scheduled to have his PET/CT on April 29, but the clinic called him on the morning of 24th and asked if he could come at 11:00 that day. Everything went well; he even slept through most of the process, he was that relaxed (Ativan will do that). I called and moved his follow-up appointment with the oncologist to this past Thursday (May 1)so we wouldn't have to wait the extra week for the results. When we met with Dr. Hancock, he said, "There's good news, and bad new." The good news was that the spot of cancer in Paul's right femur was shrinking. But the bad news was that a bunch of lymph and other tissues in his esophagus area were lit up. He said it didn't make any sense to him why the leg would have improved, but the other area had gotten worse...until Paul told him that he thought he had pneumonia. He asked him when the symptoms had started, which had been just before he started his course of oral chemotherapy. He had gotten progressively worse as the week went along. By the time he went in for the scan, he was feeling pretty rotten. Things made more sense now. Apparently, the infection lights up on the scan like cancer would have. The doctor is confident that that is what he was seeing. He said it was kind of a "perfect storm" scenario, with Paul's compromised immune system and picking up whatever bug it was that eventually turned into pneumonia. So, now it's "good new, good new". Well, maybe "good news, not as bad news". Paul still has to get over the pneumonia, but he was well enough to baptize Jacob today. Thanks to all who were able to be here with us for Jacob's special day. We appreciate your love and support and continued prayers for Paul and our entire family.