Hi, Leah. I know what you mean about not knowing all of the abbreviations. Unfortunately, you learn them all as time goes on. I hope your mothers' PET results are good and I agree with Cindy above, obtain 2nd opinions and talk, talk, talk to your mother's doctors. My husband did not survive his cancer (stage IV @ diagnosis) but it made all the difference in the world for me to go to doctors with him and ask questions. This website was a God-send in giving me support and answers to my questions. My husband never came to the site himself but would always ask me what I had learned from it. I think the fight itself is tough enough and he depended on me to look for answers while he just coped sometimes. One of the most important things I did was immediately start a small calendar -- listing what doctor we saw what day and what tests were done. I even tracked mileage on this calendar. When later, I had to report to yet a new doctor what we had already been through, this made it much simpler. If a new medicine was prescribed, I wrote it in the calendar -- if it didn't work, wrote that down on the day he stopped taking it. It gives you a little control as a caretaker in keeping up with the many issues that arise.
Bless you and, as Cindy says above, have a positive outlook. If you continue to explore this site, you see so many survivors -- make sure your mother gets a team of doctors that listen and will work with you both for her best care.
I keep everyone on this website in my prayers and will add you and your mother.
Millie