Yep, the scan was clear! The tumor on my liver is gone and the nodule in my throat didn't show up at all. Such exciting news!
So what happens now? Well, for the first year, I will have checkups every 3 months. I will have a CAT scan done at 6 months. Then the second year, I will have checkups every 6 months. If this type of cancer recurs, it usually happens in the first two years (which would be really bad!). Then yearly after that until we reach the 5 year point. That is when they consider the cancer cured.
The things the doctor told me to watch for are, swollen lymph glands, drenching sweats, fatigue and weight loss. The spleen is a lymphatic organ and if it becomes cancerous, it will swell and put pressure on the stomach. That can cause poor appetite and weight loss.
The effects of the chemo should start wearing off in the next month or so. Like the runny nose and the taste and eating issues. My hair that didn't fall out is getting about an inch or so long. The new growth is just starting and is pretty prickly right now. I am so looking forward to getting full eyebrows and lashes back!
I have an appointment next week to have my port removed. It has been wonderful to have a port so that I didn't have to get an IV every time I had chemo or had my blood checked. But it will be nice to have that gone. I don't notice it often, but sometimes I can feel a pull from it. It also gets irritated by the seatbelt in the car when I am on the passenger side.
I feel such immense gratitude for Ken. I think he was more relieved than I was to hear the news. If the news hadn't been good, he would again face the chance of losing me. So I would probably feel the same way if our roles were reversed. He has been such a wonderful support to me. I am grateful for his concern, his advice, his prayers for me, his thoughtfulness and his unconditional love.
And I am so thankful for all of you! I have been buoyed up by your prayers, your notes, your calls, your thoughtfulness and your love. Thank you so much.
I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the many, many tender mercies I have felt from Him during this time. For His comfort and promptings. For the strength I have found through Him. For the scriptures which testify of Him and His power. And for the peace He has given me, especially during the times that I felt discouraged. I am grateful for the covenants that I have made with Him and the blessings that come with making and keeping those covenants. I know that He lives and knows each one of us - and loves each of us with a love beyond our comprehension. I am grateful for this extended time on the earth and my prayer is that I will use this time to do all that my Father wants me to do and to accomplish.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Thursday, February 12, 2015
PET Scan Done
Today we went to Salt Lake City to the Huntsman Cancer Institute to have my PET Scan done. It is so nice to have Ken go with me, even though he cannot be in the room with me. The scan is not a big deal. They inject me with radioactive sugar and then I have to be quiet and still for 75 minutes while the solution goes through me looking for fast growing cells to light up. I get to sit in a recliner with a warm blanket in a darkened room with no distractions like reading or listening to music. A good time to sit and pray and meditate! The scan itself only takes about 20 minutes. Of course, the staff can't give me any indication of what the results might be. I have an appointment with Dr. Wallentine on Tuesday afternoon and will find out the results at that point.
What we are hoping for is nothing lighting up! The doctor said that there may be some scarring on the liver from the tumor. It had grown into the liver, so will likely leave it's mark there. In the initial scan, the only place that was obvious was the tumor on the liver. The report did have this note: "There is a mostly calcified slightly hyper metabolic lymph node in the low left cervical paratracheal region (throat) is most likely granulomatous (small nodule), although lymphoma cannot be entirely excluded." Yeah, I had to look up a lot of those terms! In other words, it lit up a little, but was most likely not part of the lymphoma. So I will be curious as to what shows up on the new scan, if anything, in that region. It is not something that I have been concerned about because the doctor was not too concerned about it either. But it is something that sticks in the back of your mind. I think the chemo would have wiped out anything that was remotely cancerous!
When I came out to find Ken, he was sitting there with this cute Teddy Bear for me!
While at the clinic today, I was asked if I wanted to be part of a medical research study that would only involve today's visit. I agreed, because anything to help research along! It actually has nothing to do with cancer, but is a study of the relationship between brown fat and heart disease. They ask patients undergoing a PET scan because that is one of only two ways they can see brown fat. The other is during surgery of the upper chest and neck. It only involved taking some blood, body measurements and some family health history. The doctor said she would send me the results, but it will take a few months. Should be interesting. I had actually read something about brown fat not too long ago, but couldn't remember what it was. So I looked it up again and it is one of the things that scientists are looking into in regards to weight loss. It seems it takes calories from normal fat and burns it. It is an interesting subject - look it up!
On another note, when I was first diagnosed, our doctor friend gave us the fascinating book, "The Emperor of All Maladies" about the history of cancer. I just saw that Ken Burns has produced a documentary based on this book. The book was published in 2010, but even since then there have been new advances and discoveries in the cancer research field. So I am looking forward to watching this 3-part, 6 hour documentary. I think it is airing on March 30th here in Utah.
Well, now we will just wait to see the results of this scan! Check back next Tuesday night!!
What we are hoping for is nothing lighting up! The doctor said that there may be some scarring on the liver from the tumor. It had grown into the liver, so will likely leave it's mark there. In the initial scan, the only place that was obvious was the tumor on the liver. The report did have this note: "There is a mostly calcified slightly hyper metabolic lymph node in the low left cervical paratracheal region (throat) is most likely granulomatous (small nodule), although lymphoma cannot be entirely excluded." Yeah, I had to look up a lot of those terms! In other words, it lit up a little, but was most likely not part of the lymphoma. So I will be curious as to what shows up on the new scan, if anything, in that region. It is not something that I have been concerned about because the doctor was not too concerned about it either. But it is something that sticks in the back of your mind. I think the chemo would have wiped out anything that was remotely cancerous!
When I came out to find Ken, he was sitting there with this cute Teddy Bear for me!
While at the clinic today, I was asked if I wanted to be part of a medical research study that would only involve today's visit. I agreed, because anything to help research along! It actually has nothing to do with cancer, but is a study of the relationship between brown fat and heart disease. They ask patients undergoing a PET scan because that is one of only two ways they can see brown fat. The other is during surgery of the upper chest and neck. It only involved taking some blood, body measurements and some family health history. The doctor said she would send me the results, but it will take a few months. Should be interesting. I had actually read something about brown fat not too long ago, but couldn't remember what it was. So I looked it up again and it is one of the things that scientists are looking into in regards to weight loss. It seems it takes calories from normal fat and burns it. It is an interesting subject - look it up!
On another note, when I was first diagnosed, our doctor friend gave us the fascinating book, "The Emperor of All Maladies" about the history of cancer. I just saw that Ken Burns has produced a documentary based on this book. The book was published in 2010, but even since then there have been new advances and discoveries in the cancer research field. So I am looking forward to watching this 3-part, 6 hour documentary. I think it is airing on March 30th here in Utah.
Well, now we will just wait to see the results of this scan! Check back next Tuesday night!!
Monday, February 2, 2015
It's Nice to Not Have a Chemo Treatment!
It has been almost 4 weeks since my last chemo, and I am very happy to be through with that! I have slowly been getting over my cold. I just have a lingering cough. I can't believe how much more energy I have had in the last few days. That cold really threw me for a loop!
We were able to have a family dinner yesterday. It's been quite awhile since we have done that. So, all our Utah kids were able to come and we celebrated some family birthdays. Food, family and fun for sure! One of the birthdays celebrated was Olive's first birthday. She has started walking since I last saw her. It seems she is changing so fast now. We now have another teenager in the family. Michaela turned 13 and we spent Saturday afternoon together having lunch and shopping. She is such a beautiful young woman. And so fun to spend time with!
One of the best things to happen is that I have gone back to serving in the temple. Today was my first day back. It was so wonderful to see all my friends that serve there. But the most touching thing was to have so many of the regular patrons tell me that they had missed me. It seems like I was getting hugs all day long! And I had the energy to put in my 4 1/2 hour shift. Tender mercies from the Lord for sure.
Last week, I found this on my front porch. One of the Primary workers in our ward got a group of the preschoolers together and made the cute poster. I'm sorry I wasn't here when they dropped it off. I would have loved to see those kids!
Today I am thankful for:
- Getting over my cold.
- Wonderful friends.
- Being back at the temple.
- Tender mercies from the Lord.
- Our wonderful family!
We were able to have a family dinner yesterday. It's been quite awhile since we have done that. So, all our Utah kids were able to come and we celebrated some family birthdays. Food, family and fun for sure! One of the birthdays celebrated was Olive's first birthday. She has started walking since I last saw her. It seems she is changing so fast now. We now have another teenager in the family. Michaela turned 13 and we spent Saturday afternoon together having lunch and shopping. She is such a beautiful young woman. And so fun to spend time with!
One of the best things to happen is that I have gone back to serving in the temple. Today was my first day back. It was so wonderful to see all my friends that serve there. But the most touching thing was to have so many of the regular patrons tell me that they had missed me. It seems like I was getting hugs all day long! And I had the energy to put in my 4 1/2 hour shift. Tender mercies from the Lord for sure.
Last week, I found this on my front porch. One of the Primary workers in our ward got a group of the preschoolers together and made the cute poster. I'm sorry I wasn't here when they dropped it off. I would have loved to see those kids!
Today I am thankful for:
- Getting over my cold.
- Wonderful friends.
- Being back at the temple.
- Tender mercies from the Lord.
- Our wonderful family!
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