Well, I got a big scare on Thursday 5/18. My oncologist called and asked me to go to the hospital Friday morning for a CAT scan. It freaked me out because we had already scheduled a scan for June 7. I figured he must have seen something freaky with my blood work . So, I went at 7:30 Friday morning and had the scan. I prayed a LOT and just tried to focus on resting and family over the weekend. The time really flew by too, I was a little suprised.
Today at 10:00 I had my results appointment and I was trying really hard not to think of New Year's Eve, 2009. That is the day that I found out the cancer was out of control and I had multiple - I believe they actually said more than they could count - lesions on the right lobe of my liver. I was trying to just put that day out of my head and think positively. So Dr Ryan came in and told me that the scans looked good! My liver is clear and bone mets are stable. I was a little stunned and was waiting for the "but..." but there was no "but..." My tumor marker number went up little last week. It was in the 70s and jumped up to the 90s so he just wanted to get the scan done and see if something was happening. Lots of things play into the tumor marker though. Sometimes when your body is fighing a cold or infection, the number can jump. I’ve also been working out on my elliptical, so I may have inflammed my leg. Sometimes I get a little overzealous on the machine and end up sore. Inflammation can also affect that number.
I had one more chemo left in this cycle, so I went ahead and had it today. In two weeks, I'll start a daily pill (Tamoxifen). Once a month, I'll have intravenous bone strengthening meds (Zometa). Both drugs have cancer fighting qualities, so I'm still on a treatment plan, just not chemo. It's going to be nice to have a break! I'll get my eyelashes back!
I'm also going back to physical therapy. I had the leg surgery over a year ago and I'm still very dependent on the cane. I favor my "good" leg way too much and I've developed terrible habits when I walk and stand. I need help! So in the next week or so, I'll start back in PT and working to walk without help. I'm a little nervous, but more excited than anything. Me and my husband are going to Albany in August to visit his dad. One day during the visit, I'd love to go back down to NYC.. It would be awesome to do it gimp-free. :o)
The power of prayer is an amazing thing. God is the reason for all of this. Without Him, there would be no advanced medicine, oncologists, and researchers trying to find a cure for cancer. I keep praying for His perfect will to be done in my life and to use me in the best possible way as a Christian. Now I just need to listen to Him. I'm still pretty hard-headed and stubborn. I need to remember that His plan may not always be the easiest path. I just need to pray for strength and keep on going!
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