My non-NSA surveillance plan

I met last week with my medical oncologist for my surveillance plan after surgery.

For one to two years, there are blood tests and an office visit every three months. One of the things they are looking for in the blood test is the level of CEA. I will also have yearly CT scans and colonoscopies. Then the blood test/office visits drop off to every 6 months for the next couple of years, then yearly.

The oncologist is positive that my cancer won't return. There is, of course, that chance which I'll face before every test. A co-worker who's husband had cancer called it scan-xiety, the anxiety you feel about the outcome before each test.

 I will just have to keep a positive attitude and take care of myself, continuing to exercise and pile on the veggies and fruit. Speaking of which, it's sunny out now and I'm going for a walk. Afterwards, I'll have one of the honeybell oranges my mom sent us for Christmas.

Last day of the year, last chemo infusion!

I celebrated the new year by having my last chemo infusion! On January 2nd, my little buddy the pump was disconnected. However, the last infusion was not going to let me off easy. I felt nauseous the next Monday and Tuesday night the stomach cramps returned, but not as intense as before and the violent nausea did not, thankfully, materialize.

So the next steps are setting up a monitoring schedule with my oncologist (CT scans every 3 months for 1-2 years, colonoscopies every 6 months...) and my FINAL surgery on 2/13! Getting my normal bodily functions back will be the best Valentine's Day present I've ever had! I am looking forward to getting through the surgery and recovery. What seemed like an insurmountable journey before at the beginning is now snowballing to the end. And with it the one thing I haven't really faced. My cancer. Before it was an abstract idea, not really real to me. What was real was the treatments and getting through them. Now that I'm nearing the end, I have to face the question of will, when, if ever; my cancer will return. The follow up schedule will be a constant reminder that what I have survived has a small but real possibility of returning. I will go forward with the assumption that the cancer will not return. As my oncologist told me, "My aim is to only do this once." SCCA has a better than average record of cancer survival. For now, I'll put my trust and faith in the people who took care of me and my friends and family that supported me.

We have much to go together in the future! Thank you.

P.S. This blog will eventually be winding down. I am now in the process of starting a food related blog which I know many of you will enjoy reading. I'll start to share it with you soon!

Dorothy