I'm Free!
I had my appointment with my oncologist yesterday. She is so nice, so compassionate and is very reassuring. She spends time with me and answers my questions. I’m really happy I found her so close to home. It is so nice having my care right here. And I feel so lucky to have had such great doctors throughout my journey.
I was happy to hear her say that in the future, we will have a talk about my going back on treatment. Treatment feels safe for me. It’s a security blanket. She says there are newer treatments and gentler treatments out there now than what I was on, so there are great options out there for me, but we’re not tossing out the treatment I was on either because it has worked. I like knowing what the next step might be, so I feel reassured now. In the meantime, I hope to be off treatment for a while because I am thoroughly enjoying it. I will have bloodwork and a PET scan in May, six months from now, and I’ll meet with my doctor again to go over results after they’re in. So, as my doctor said, I am FREE for six months! I have to go in for port flushes every six weeks, and I have a referral for genetic testing again, so I have a couple of things to do still. I am excited to get the genetic testing done again since there have been advances in the testing. I like learning about everything related to my treatment. And I like that the results will give me the best possible treatment options for my specific cancer. I feel very grateful I’ll be able to get it done. I’ve always been grateful for my chemo and immuno and for the genetic testing and other testing that has been done on my specific cancer. It has saved my life and given me so much invaluable time.
My bloodwork looked good, and I am happy to learn that I no longer have anemia! It just shows that my anemia was directly related to treatment or possibly a Vitamin D deficiency I have now. My doctor said the Vitamin D deficiency might be why I got the stress fracture in my foot. And she confirmed that I have osteopenia. She’s putting me on a weekly dose of Vitamin D until I can move to a daily dose. She said I may have even more energy once my Vitamin D level comes up. I can’t even imagine more energy right now because I have SOOOOO much more now that I am off treatment. Another thing to be grateful for: energy. I am into doing and trying everything lately. I feel so energized, like I have a new lease on life right now. I am signed up for a Reiki I class at the end of the month, and I am really looking forward to that. I had my second Reiki session, and I want to learn more about it – how it WORKS because it is definitely doing something during and after my sessions. I look forward to using Reiki to keep stress away while I am off treatment and to counter any future pain and reap its healing benefits if my cancer comes back.
Oh, and my doctor brought up the possibility of having my port removed and then put back in when needed. That’s a decision for down the road and depending on how things go, but it was an interesting and surprising option for me. I don’t know how I feel about that. My first port was in a place where it was more uncomfortable, so I definitely wanted that one out. This one doesn’t bother me, and I’m not sure I want to go through having it put in again if I need it in the future. This port has served me well and continues to work. I’ve gotten lots of compliments on it from other nurses and doctors – Walter Reed did a great job! So, I think I’ll probably end up just keeping it in.
Well, that’s a big update for now! Stay safe and healthy, everyone!