REMISSION!!

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.