Six month checkup

Hmmm, funny thing - until I just now read my entry from August, I forgot that my doctor said that I wouldn't need a CAT scan unless my bloodwork warranted the need, and I ended up calling their office a few weeks before yesterday's appointment asking about a CAT scan appointment. I guess I confused them, because they went ahead and scheduled one. The scan was last week.

Yesterday at my 6-month checkup, my bloodwork was great. However, they're looking at a lymph node deep in my chest that had changed since my last CAT scan 6 months ago. Now I'm scheduled for a PET next Wednesday morning so they can get a better idea of what's up. "Luckily" I have a 1-year-old PET to compare it against. Since my bloodwork was good, how bad can it be, right? On the other hand, if I hadn't had the CAT scan, then what?

This cancer business is pretty tricky, and it's knocking me around again. It's once again lingering around every single thought, sitting right beside my daily routines, reminding me with my waking thoughts and making me wonder as I fall asleep. It took more than two years to get it out of my consciousness on a daily basis, and just like that it's back. Damn!

New Realizations

Based on my experiences with fighting melanoma, and now with a friend going through her own battle with cancer, here are a few tips. For those just starting this battle, do let friends, family, and neighbors know of your needs. Holding in the tears and fears just means that the time for them to be released will have to be later. Do reach out for help. Do realize that a support group or counselor might be an important part of your healing process. It doesn't mean that you're not a strong, independent person. It just means that you shouldn't go into battle alone - it takes an army to defeat cancer, and melanoma is more than just skin deep!

Two-Year Milestone

This month's 6-month checkup signified a 2-year milestone since treatment ended and remission started. This morning I got the all-clear from my oncologist. She said that the chances of recurrence decrease each year I'm cancer-free. I still have to go back in 6 months for a checkup, but I won't need a CAT scan unless my blood work warrants one. Yay! Now my sights are on the 5-year milestone!

I still have to see my dermatologist every 4 months (which I'm trying to extend to 6 months), but I don't have to see my surgeon for a year. I'm seeing the benefits of that one awful month of intensive interferon treatment!!

Another good six month checkup

Keep them coming is what I say! I made the round of doctor visits again - surgeon, dermatologist, oncologist - and all is clear. I must admit that I was a bit concerned because the oncologist's office usually calls me with the CT scan results prior to my visit, but didn't this time. Of course, we had a blizzard in there and I'm sure that didn't help with getting the call made. However, I kept expecting the good news phone call and didn't get it. On top of that, I told the surgeon about the deep pain (as in location, not severity) I've been having in my thigh. He suspects nerve regeneration (since I'm still numb from the middle of my knee on up), but wasn't really sure. He said he would write a note to my oncologist. Luckily, the bloodwork and scan looked fine.

On Monday I began a couch to 5K training program. I need to lose weight and get fit. I promised myself I would do this after the interferon treatment and did for awhile, but slowly slid back into my old ways. The work schedule and doctoral dissertation work keep me pretty sedentary, but are really no excuse for my inability to find 30 minutes out of an entire day to get my body moving. So, the couch to 5K seems doable so far, and 30 minutes a day is certainly reasonable to get me started. At my next round of checkups in six months, I hope to be lighter and in much better shape.

Six more months and still in remission

I got the all clear six month check up news this week. The CAT scans were all negative and the blood work looked good. No lumps or bumps detected. So I've been clear for a year now. My next checkup is in another six months.

My very favorite season, summertime, hasn't been quite as much fun this year since I was very diligent avoiding the sun. I do miss napping on a float in the pool, but have to also say in the same breath that I'd rather give that up and still be alive to enjoy a sunny day. I had my fun in the sun, and now I've got to play it safe. I wish I had been smart enough to play it safe a lot sooner.

"Healthy tan" is an oxymoron. Co-workers who know my cancer story look at me with guilt and make up excuses when they come in to work on a Monday with their skin yet another shade darker. "I was careful not to burn." "I used sunblock." Whatever. I'm not trying to lay a guilt trip on anyone. After all, I was the one who was not careful enough not to burn, and hardly ever used sunblock. I really don't want to hear excuses either - it's their life and they'll only understand if and when they have to deal with skin cancer. I hope they never do.

Good Checkup News

My oncologist visit today was the culmination of a round of doctor visits over the past month: mammogram, pap smear, dermatologist, surgeon, CT scan, and finally blood work. All provided good reports with negative results. While the dermatologist wants to see me again in 3 months, I'm off the hook with the surgeon and oncologist (and CT scan/blood work) for 6 months - that's August! Woo hoo!!

Looking back and forward

It seems as though the start of the new year is a good time to reflect on the past year and to plan for the future. Last year was quite the roller coaster for me with quite a few highs and lows. The lows are all related to the melanoma diagnosis and treatment, with most of the highs related to the birth of our first grandchild.

Looking back, it has been just slightly over one year since my diagnosis and only six months since the end of the interferon treatments. I'm due for another round of scans in February. In the meantime, I'm working hard on continuing to lose weight (25 lbs. lighter at the moment) and will begin this week to prepare for running my first 5K this spring. While the melanoma cloud continues to hang around my head, I try to keep my worries to a minimum and remain optimistic. Certainly, a good report next month will help immensely. Eating right, exercising, putting aside time for myself, my family, and my friends, and spending more time outside are all good and attainable resolutions for me for this new year. While I can't make being cancer-free a resolution, I can believe that it's an attainable reality and hope that becoming healthier and physically fit will help. Here's to continued good health for all!