I've never liked CATs...

Always been a dog person. Now I know why. The distasteful CAT scan from last week which produced the not-so-fun allergic reaction also bought me a call from the oncologist at MD Anderson today.

The scan shows some "densities" within my liver and "nodular areas" within my pelvis. She said the nodules in the pelvis could be artifacts from my recent surgery. The liver? She's setting up an MRI to learn more. If it's malignant, that puts me in stage 4. Four out of four...like three out of four just wasn't good enough. Of course, we don't know anything yet. Because the CAT scan isn't definitive. So now we just wait and worry.

On the bright side (must have a bright side, must have a bright side, she repeats to herself)...if I'm stage 4 I don't have to mess around with this clinical trial. All the good drugs are approved for people with stage 4. Because they've all been tested on people with stage 4 cancer. Because when you're down to an 8% 5-year survival rate, you can throw out all the rules and go at it guns a-blazin'. So I might get that cetuximab and make my insurance company pay for it after all. So there!

By the way, I love it that so many of you are concerned and call to check on me. And I'm happy to talk, tell you about the kids, find out about your life. But I'm kind of over the cancer talk. I'll really strive to post everything I know out here, brutally honest for the all the world to see. But then I'm spent. I can't go over it again and again. OK?