If I Pass This Test, I'm Going To Hawaii

This is a big week for me and I'm about as ready as I can be … but I'm still nervous. This is the kind of test it's really hard to study for … and failure is not an option.

I thought I managed to convince myself that everything would be fine when Dr. Jeffrey Norton asked me to come to Stanford University for an Octreotide scan. After looking at the results of my last bone scan, he wanted to take a closer look at some odd tidbits that showed up.

I'd like to think that this week's test will show nothing wrong, or at least nothing serious … but what if there is something serious? So, I'm just a little bit scared.

Bad news won't wait, while good news can. So, if everything is fine, then I probably won't hear about the test results until March, my next regular appointment with my oncologist Dr. Alex Metzger at the Marin Cancer Institute. I'm not sure I can wait six weeks to find out whether or not the carcinoid cancer is coming back. Then again, if there is something really wrong, I'll probably hear from Dr. Norton within a couple weeks. Hmmm ...

Metzger and Norton are part of a great team of cancer specialists working with me. Dr. Edward Wolin at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles is also consulting on the case.

I went through an Octreotide scan early last year at Cedars-Sinai, when we still weren't entirely sure what we were dealing with. The results then weren't entirely encouraging, but I've come a long way since then, with surgery to remove some lymph nodes that showed signs of cancer and several months of regular treatment.

Still, it brings back some bad memories, plus the process isn't exactly quick and easy.

The test this week will take about 20 hours, unfortunately not all in a row. The Octreotide scan will be divided over three days, with an injection of radioactive material on the first day, then scans on the next two days. The material travels through the body, and is attracted to cancer cells. A special camera tracks where the material goes.

A little quick math breaks up the schedule like this: 12 hours on the road (three 4-hour round trips), 3 hours in the waiting room and about 5 hours in the exam room.

I don't really mind the drive time, or the waiting time. Lying on a lightly uncomfortable table with machines whirring and clicking around me can be a little difficult. Sometimes I break out in sweats, my hands start to twitch … oh, wait, that's just because of all the coffee I had to drink to get going at 6 a.m. so I can make it to the medical center on time. I'm NOT a morning person.

The whole thing can take a lot out of you, so about all we can do is relax and try to make the most of the week. There is a lot we can do between Palo Alto and Larkspur on the way home.

• Tracy and I sometimes take a walk through the giant mall near Stanford. The lunch menu at the California Cafe is pretty good and it's within walking distance of the medical center.

• Half Moon Bay is a great place to get some fresh fish for dinner.

• It's always tempting to just head straight for the airport and hop the first plane to Hawaii.

So, until next time, aloha!

For more information on cancer and carcinoid cancer, consider these sites:

Carcinoid Cancer Foundation

Caring for Carcinoid Foundation

Carcinoid Cancer Awareness Network

Carcinoid.com

Stanford Medicine Cancer Institute

Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles

Marin Cancer Institute

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Jimmy V Foundation

American Cancer Society