Spine Fine

Those waiting with bated breath along with me will be relieved to know that my spinal cord is perfectly normal. Dr Jason has actually suggested doing a PET of the brain, as well as another full-body PET, sooner than Dr Specht had initially suggested for the next PET. That is, doing the PET in the next week or so, before we go to Japan, as opposed to the end of March or April.

As I've mentioned, a PET of the brain is not used very often, because a PET is measuring the metabolism of radioactive glucose and the brain sucks in glucose at a much higher rate than the rest of the normal body tissues, and so it's harder to see what's going on. In the case of a brain PET, they actually do two scans—one immediately, and one 4 hours later, when presumably the normal brain tissue will be less "still-radioactive" than any active lesions. And, since I have a recent MRI, they'll be able to cross-reference in their search for new activity.

The main reason for this test now is to see if there is, after all, any other brain activity that we haven't yet noticed—are any of the old lesions starting up again?—because the next good step is gamma knife, and while he's getting one spot, it makes sense to get them all. The gamma knife procedure is well-tolerated—"It's a long day," says Dr Specht—but nevertheless, it involves me getting four screws screwed through my skin and into my skull to hold my head still. While that sounds fun, it's not something I care to experience more than I have to. Wide awake.

I'll keep you posted!