results continue to be good

I had another check-up with my oncologist yesterday.

At this point, I have bloodwork and a chest x-ray before each visit. As has been the norm, they were both fine.

He said that the first two years were when it was most likely to recur, and I'm way past that (it was three years in November). "Every day that you go without cancer makes it less likely that it will come back."

Another day down!

Five years is considered "cured." I'm more than half-way there!

He also commended me for being composed throughout treatment and thanked me for not calling him on a regular basis. (I'm pretty sure I never called at all...) Kinda makes me wonder what other folks are like.

Anyway, it was a short, easy visit, as they have turned out to be. And my checkups have been moved to every six months. Hooray!

Hopefully that means there won't be any new posts here until June...

I forgot!

I had an appointment last week and forgot to post an update here...

X-rays are clean, blood work looks good. Next appointment is in four months.

In the mean time, I will cross over the three-year mark (November). Doc said that after my next appointment, I'll graduate to every six months. Hooray!

He also asked if he could refer patients to my training business (YES!). He said he knows me, he knows I've been through it and would be great for people who are looking. I hope he sends some folks over...

So not much to say except that I'm still clean and healthy :-)

still healthy ... and a hair cut

A few noteworthy things have happened in the past week.

First, I had my 4-month checkup yesterday and everything looks good. I continue to receive only chest x-rays (no PET or CT scans) and will stay on that course unless something suspicious pops up.

I also had my yearly blood chemistry done, and everything looks good there as well.

Last weekend, I decided to buzz my head again for the summer. Having been there before, it was much less intimidating to do.

#2 all the way around :)

I am enjoying its ease of care, but there were two things I hadn't thought about ahead of time.

First, the first shower that I took after getting it cut, I got out of the shower and looked in the mirror and was surprised not to see a big ugly scar with stitches in my throat. That's where my biopsy was done, and the first time my hair looked like this, there was indeed a big ugly scar with stitches there. I was surprised that that's what my brain was expecting to see. It hasn't popped up since.

I have gotten a lot of compliments on the cut, and I am always amazed at how many women tell me they wish they could wear their hair like that. Um, you can! Go to the salon and ask for #2 all the way around, then pay them :) "My head is a funny shape." So is mine! If I run my hand over my head, there are bumps and valleys all over, but even a cut this short doesn't show them :)

Second, I had the aforementioned oncologist appointment yesterday. In the waiting room, it's not a cute or hot or chic haircut, it's a "I have cancer" haircut. Very interesting how simply walking through that door completely changed perception of the cut.

Here's to continued health and hair freedom!

another clean scan :)

I had an appointment with the oncologist today, after a chest X-ray and blood work on Thursday. X-ray was clean, blood work looked good. My next appointment is in late May.

Today is two years since I finished radiation. So much has happened in those two years... It feels like much longer ago than that, but I've been a busy chica, and being busy certainly makes time pass more quickly.

This blog has become pretty not interesting, but I guess that's a good thing :)

In the last couple of weeks, I've had three more people comment that I have hair now. This is slightly annoying, since my hair started growing in before I even finished chemo, and that was over two years ago. Not a huge deal by any means, but come on now people. I've moved on. You can, too.

At school, they're participating in the Pennies for Patients drive, which supports people with blood cancers. I'm pretty sure this had nothing to do with me, that it's coincidence. But I told the counselor, who is organizing the whole thing, that if she wanted to let kids know that I had a blood cancer, so this might help people like me, she was welcome to, and that if anyone wanted to talk about it, I'm happy to answer questions. I had quite a few kids ask me questions, which was cool (some of them have been my students for long enough that they remember when I was out). I also had a few kids come in and put change in my box, which I thought was cool. They are competing with other homerooms, so change they give to me doesn't count towards their competition, which makes it that much sweeter for them to do.

I've given up the search for an answer or a cure for chemo boobs. I am dealing with my heart rate issue when I exercise in hopes that it will come down eventually. And I still wear sunscreen, though I don't know if I need to be as vigilant about it or not. No need to press my luck.

Otherwise, lots of good stuff going on professionally and blissfully little to report on the health front. I've been using my NetiPot almost every day when I get home from work, and I'm convinced that is the primary reason that I haven't been sick yet this season. There's still plenty of time, I know, but so far, so good...

I don't have breast cancer

While the title of this post could lead you to believe that this post is a rant on Pinktober, and while I could easily rant for a long time about the disgusting commercialization of boobs at the expense of real women dealing with a potentially fatal disease, that's not what this post is about :)

I went to see an ob-gyn about chemo boobs at the recommendation of my PCP. She was a neat lady and I felt like she was competent. She sent me for a mammogram and a breast ultrasound, since breast cancer risk is higher for those who have had radiation to the chest.

I went for those tests the next day. It's funny. At no point have I even remotely thought that I might have breast cancer. And yet, going for a mammogram — my first ever, since I'm just shy of 34 — I was nervous at the outcome.

It varied between pretty uncomfortable and low-grade pain. I can see why women don't go for these things when they're supposed to. The ultrasound, of course, was easy.

The ob-gyn had written the orders so that I could be given the results by the radiologist right then and there, which was nice. I have a few small cysts, but that's pretty normal. Both docs could feel them, though I can't. Nothing to be concerned about. Fabulous.

So later this week, I went to the podiatrist about some plantar warts. In the course of talking, I mentioned that I've had these removed once before, though clearly, it didn't work. He asked if they'd been biopsied. Um... no?

Apparently, there is some kind of carcinoma that looks like plantar warts, and if they've been around for a while and don't respond to treatment, they should be biopsied.

Huh.

Well, in the time that these things (two of them) have been growing, I've had five PET scans. I'm going to need to believe that if they were cancerous, we would have known about that by now. He said that he's never had a patient whose warts turned out not to be warts, and he's been a podiatrist for 30 years, but he's read about it in the literature. At least he's keeping up to date.

And so these little cancer things pop up and pop back down. And it's so weird when and how they show up. And I wonder if I would react to them the same way without my history, and I have to assume it would be different. If I hadn't had cancer, the possibility of a wart being cancer would be ridiculous, because things like cancer happen to other people, to older people, to less healthy people, not to me...

blood test results

I went the other day to get blood tests done, one of the things to do from my doc's appointment. I was supposed to go on a specific day in my cycle, which is why I waited so long.

So I went with orders for three tests, plus my orders for my oncologist, since I'm seeing him soon enough. Lots of vials.

I got a message from the doc's office yesterday: "You are not menopausal."

Now, early menopause was a possible side effect of chemo, but if that was going to happen, it would have happened a long time ago. Given that I'm still having regular periods and so on, I had assumed I wasn't menopausal.

I'm a bit disappointed that that's all I found out from those tests. Hm.

Well, I have an ob-gyn who the doc recommended I go see, which I will do shortly. See what she has to say.

another clean bill of health

I had an appointment with my oncologist yesterday. It was my 3-month check-up. Xray was clean, bloodwork was good, and I don't have to go back for another four months :)

I do want to see a dermatologist, though. Anyone in the Phoenix area have a good one they recommend?

this morning's check-up

I am freshly home from my appointment with the oncologist.

Chest X-ray came back fine and normal.

Bloodwork came back mostly fine, but white blood cells and lymphocytes are low, so he wants me to have them checked every four weeks.

He said that chance of recurrence is highest in the first two years. One of those is over. He said that because I responded so well to the chemo and because they treated me so aggressively, he doesn't expect there will be any problems.

I mentioned the itchy, and he agreed that it was likely from the pool.

He commended me again for being fit and active, and said that "most women your age are heavy and sedentary, and it really is a shame." I agree (with the shame part, I don't know if "most" are that way or not).

I go back in four months.

I stopped back into the infusion room to say hello, but none of my nurses were there. On Friday, when I had bloodwork done, none of my phlebotomists were there. Where did everybody go? :-(

In any case, I am pleased to still be able to say that I am cancer-free. I hadn't expected otherwise, but I'm not sure that the little almost imperceptible voice of "what if" can be completely turned off.

Back to living life :-)

no more PETs!!

I had an appointment with my oncologist this afternoon. I already knew via phone call that I had another negative PET scan a couple of weeks ago, so I expected nothing useful in this doc's visit ... which is OK :)

So while there was no new info, per se, he did say that in three months, instead of getting another PET scan, I should have just a chest X-ray; he wants to limit my radiation exposure. Unless the X-ray shows something or I have symptoms, I am DONE with PET scans!!! Hooray!!! No more IVs! No more radioactive injections! Hooray hooray hooray!!!!

This whole stupid cancer thing is more and more becoming a thing of the past. Not that I'll ever be rid of it (and with all I've been through, why would I disown it?), but it sure is nice for bits and pieces of it to fall by the wayside!

My one-year-mark is in just over a month :)

And, unrelated, one of the chemo nurses came to talk to me just before I checked out. We were talking about health and fitness. We had talked while I was going through treatment, and she is recently having some troubles, blah blah. It was cool for her to seek me out, though :) She said she's considering joining my gym. We could be workout buddies :)

Ahhhhhhhhhh...... :) I feel good!

results are in!

I got a phone call regarding my recent PET scan, and it is another negative one! Woo-hoo! I had no reason to believe it would be anything else, but it's always nice to get confirmation.

I have an appointment with the oncologist on Friday. I don't expect it will yield any particularly useful conversation, but I'll keep you posted.

no, not Mambo No. 5...

I had PET scan number 5 this morning. I'm an old pro. Since all of them have been negative so far, and I have no reason to believe any of them will ever be anything but negative, my only anxieties about these are getting the IV. The last two have both been one-stick days, and fortunately, today was no different :)

They check blood sugar, as the test apparently won't work if blood sugar is too high. I always forget about that, so there's always one more poke than I'm ready for. Not a huge deal (or I'd remember it), just annoying.

Anyway, this morning was easy. My check-in time was 6:30, so I was (am) super-sleepy. Regardless of being there before the sun came up, I was third in line to check in. I fell asleep in the machine (which is OK, as I was strapped in).

I put sunscreen on before I left (have I mentioned how much I LOVE sunscreen?), and the nice lady who walked me out neglected to mention that I had a white stripe down my nose.

Anyway, my doc's appointment isn't for two more weeks. I'm guessing I'll get a "your scan was fine" phone call some time before then.

I love giving good news :)

I had another appointment with the oncologist on Monday. He confirmed that the PET scan results were negative. The chunk of scar tissue has shrunk slightly. Blood levels are all normal. Lymph node is just about gone. And I don't have to go back for two months :) Hooray!

Goodness goodness goodness all around :)

4 for 4!

I got a phone call from the oncologist's office this morning - my PET scan from last week is negative!

We're on a roll, baby!

And, while we're at it, the swollen node in my neck is almost imperceptible :-)

I love having good news to share!!!

general update

I had my monthly check-up on Monday last week.

My lymph node is still swollen. It has gotten marginally smaller, maybe. Definitely hasn’t gotten bigger. Definitely hasn’t gone away.

“You know, I can’t guarantee that that’s not cancer.”

I know. I’m willing to do whatever needs to be done, but I don’t want to do anything extra. If he says, “You know, that needs to come out so we can biopsy it,” well, let’s get it out! But he maintains that it’s OK to be watching it for now, so we’re watching. I’m not feeling really stressed about it, though I suspect that some “background tension” will be noticeably absent when this little thing isn’t puffy any more.

Skin is still sensitive. I’ve been in sunscreen and/or long sleeves all the time. I’ve been using Neutrogena Ultra-Dry Sheer Touch SPF 45. Last time I went to the store, there was only SPF 55, so I got that. No big deal, right? Well, while I was in NJ, putting on sunscreen started to burn my face. (Not a sensation I’d recommend.) Then just plain moisturizer burned. Then soap and water. Then I had a rash. So I stopped using the sunscreen and was careful to stay out of the sun as much as possible.

I checked the two bottles of sunscreen when I got home. As it turns out, SPF 45 and 55 have very different ingredients. I am hoping that the problem was just something in the 55 that’s not in the 45. I haven’t had sunscreen on since Saturday, but my face accepts moisturizer now. I am going to try sunscreen this afternoon before my commute home. If it’s not the sunscreen and it’s my face, I’m not sure what I’m going to do…

The doc didn’t have much else to say, except that it’s time for another PET scan. I have it scheduled for Friday, but I won’t get results from it until my next appointment, which is on the 19th. I assume that if there’s a problem, they’ll call me, and that as long as I just keep my next appointment, all news should be good news.

I got copies of my most recent blood work, and for the first time in almost a year, all levels of everything are normal!! My immune system is finally back up and running in the realm of “normal,” though I’m not sure where is typical for me specifically. No matter. It’s good to be able to take myself off of the “immuno-compromised” list.

My hair is driving me batty. I’m not sure that this hair project is going to last a whole year. I’ll post pics later this week, but I think it’s going to need to be cleaned up. It’s coarser than it was before (though not terribly so), which might be why it’s resisting being parted. It’ll probably just need to be longer. But I need to clean it up. I’m kind of missing the days of #2 all the way around.

In general health … TJ and I have been vegetarian at home now for two or three months. It’s been going well and has been much easier to do than we had anticipated. We have had lots of very tasty food that just doesn’t happen to have meat in it. I’ve also finally gotten my sugar cravings back under control (which is to say, close to non-existent).

In cancer-preventing health:

I have replaced the plastics that I was using for lunches and other food storage with glass. I’ll use plastic to hold dry goods in, but that’s all at this point. This includes not drinking bottled water. (At this point, if I drink bottled water, I can taste the plastic.) The only thing I can’t find is an ice cube tray that isn’t plastic…

I had been avoiding grilled meats, but going veggie made that a lot easier.

I’m overly careful with the sun (“Melanoma is a common secondary cancer” – no thanks! once was enough!) and am looking forward to the sun not being an adversary any more. I’m adapting to constant sunscreen and can probably do that indefinitely without too much bitching, but the long sleeves and staying out of the sun with sunscreen on is not making me happy.

Unless I know that I’ll be on for about two minutes or less, I don’t use my cell phone without the earpiece. I read some studies they’re doing have shown that cell phone use causes cells to do funky things that they don’t normally do. No specific cancer link (yet?), but I don’t need to wait for more info, really.

I have cut out artificial sweeteners whenever possible (I don’t always know, and I don’t always remember). I know those links are not strong, but that there’s a link at all makes it worth it. I figure, stuff that is that processed isn’t good for your body anyway, regardless of its potential as a carcinogen.

I think that’s all, but it’s been plenty. Aside from the sun thing, I feel comfortable in these changes. And really, I think they’re all healthy, even if they have no bearing one way or the other on cancer.

I’m starting to work on my book in slightly more tangible ways than just thinking. It’s kind of fun :) I hope it turns out well.

*whew* I think that’s the complete update for the moment. Pictures in a couple of days, then updates on the latest PET scan, once I have news.

I'm 3 for 3, baby!

I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon (that I managed not to miss...), at which I got the results of Monday's PET scan.

It's negative!!

I'm not terribly surprised, but with this little swollen node thing going on in my neck, there was a larger-than-average possibility that it would have not turned out so well...

Speaking of that node ... the doc asked if I'm OK with it, which I am (for now). He said that if it's really a problem for me, that he would be OK with taking it out, but that if I'm not freaking out, that a wait-and-see approach would be fine.

I see the radiologist on Monday. The oncologist said to be sure to get his opinion about it.

That's all the health news on this front. Another hair picture in a week or so - it's getting long!