Here We Go Again

Well, next week, I'm going back to chemo. I'm not too upset about it though. My latest scan was actually good. No new growth and my bone mets are stable. However, my tumor marker number keeps shooting up. About 4 months ago, it was 70 something, then the next month, it jumped to 90 something, then the next month, it jumped to 240 something! Thankfully, this month, it only increased by 3 points, so that's good. Also, a high tumor marker doesn't mean new growth, just like a lower tumor marker doesn't mean "no tumors." For example, I still had multiple liver lesions in March 2010, yet my tumor marker fell to 41 (38 is considered "normal" if "normal" even exists anymore haha). So, in a nutshell, tumor marker only tells part of the story. My oncologist told me that going back to chemo for a few months should not be considered a set back or bad news. He just wants us to stay ahead of the disease. I'm all for it as long as it works!

As far as hair goes, I'm a little ticked about losing what few eyelashes that have grown back. The blond hair on my arms and face has grown back over the past few months - I never realized I had that much, so I won't mind losing that hair again! My head hair is only about a half inch long, so I won't miss it much. It's really dark though. I was kinda looking forward to seeing what it was going to look like. Oh well, hopefully in a few months, I can stop chemo again and start growing it all back again! Wearing a wig has really spoiled me anyway. When I finally do have my own hair again, I’ll have to get up early to style it. With the wig, I just wash it the night before and put in the wig stand. Then in the morning, I just pull it on. It takes a whole minute! I love that!!