Four Weeks Post Treatment

Time flies when you're having fun.  It's true.  It's been 4 weeks since I finished my last treatment on July 23rd and the time has flown by.  The reason I'm having fun is that I have my old self back.  I feel really great!  I feel just like I did before May 16th, the fateful day that I learned I had cancer.  A lot has happened since that day.  I think a lot differently and I have learned so much medically and personally.

Going through six weeks of chemo and radiation seemed to take forever.  I remember signing the log book for my very first radiation treatment on 6/11/12 (same day as my first chemo), and thinking....... "wow, 30 treatments is such a long time".  Then when I was down to my last few days, my skin was peeling off, I had terrible burns, daily constant diarrhea, low energy, fogginess, dry mouth, lack of appetite, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Now, I'm having fun again.  Yay me!  I'm back!

I went in yesterday to meet with Dr. Murday, the surgeon.  It was a followup visit from my first consultation with her back in May.  Fast forward to  three months later and she is my hero.  The meeting was short.  She did a manual inspection and informed me with a big smile and hug that there was "marked improvement".  She repeated it more than once.  Basically, the tumor has shrunk sufficiently and is pretty much gone.  The chemo and radiation worked just the way that it was supposed to and will continue to work for around 12 weeks (post treatment) and I'm only on week 4.  I go back in 6 weeks to meet with her again.  As long as the tumor doesn't come back or grow, I won't need surgery.  I know I won't need surgery.  I've felt confident all along that this stuff works.  And, I've been so lucky for all kinds of love, support and prayers to supplement the medical magic which cures cancer in just 6 short weeks.  What a miracle right?

I asked her when I'd get a CT Scan to confirm everything.  It will be 12 months out.  That is what the standard is.  I continue to go in for followups a lot until then.  I'll confirm that with the oncologist when I go in November again.  In the meantime, I'm enjoying the fact that I went through all this and it worked and I feel great!

Tomorrow I get to go get my port taken out.  No more chemo for me so out it comes.  Time flies when you're having fun.