I had an office visit to my oncologist this week for blood work. Everything is looking great! She was happy with the surgery sites and said that I am considered to be in complete remission. While this is certainly good news which I had been expecting from the CT scan results (all negative), it's funny how it doesn't change very much. I call myself a cancer survivor, and yet I don't want to be redefined by cancer. I'm in complete remission, yet I continue to think about it every day. It's always just sitting there barely hidden from my consciousness, and pops to the front at least once a day. Sometimes I push it back, and other times I allow it to swirl around in my head as I contemplate why I can't stop thinking about it. It's always there. Even if I am successful in making it through a day without thinking about cancer, I end up realizing that I haven't thought about it all day which then makes me think about it. Endless loop. Don't think my days aren't busy enough - I can assure you that they're jam packed. I'm just wondering if this is how it's going to be, or if I'm lucky enough to go months and years cancer-free I'll end up thinking about it less and less. Just wondering. . .
No more doctor appointments until November when I go back to the surgeon. Then December is the skin scan, and February will be another CT scan and oncologist visit.
My leg is doing fine with the continued walking. We're up to two miles and the swelling is minor. I've only worn the compression stocking overnight three times. I don't even know if it makes a difference, but it makes me feel as if I'm being proactive and preventing any major swelling issues. It's the least I can do.
I start Weight Watchers at work tomorrow, so I'm hoping to be in my best healthy state-of-being in a long time by Christmas.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Beginning exercise program
This morning my husband and I began our new fitness routine in an effort to lose a few inches and pounds. We walked the neighborhood for about 30 minutes (1.59 miles). After getting back I could feel the swelling in my ankle and in the area of the first surgery (lower leg). Taking off my tightly laced sneakers seemed to help a little. Now, about ten hours later, it's still swollen, but not a lot (well, not more than usual when I'm on my feet a lot). I don't even think it's worth wearing the compression stocking, but I will probably need to re-evaluate that continually throughout the week. When you're an active person by nature, it's quite difficult to sit for prolonged periods of time with your leg elevated which I haven't done at all today. Since this week is supposed to be quite warm, swimming might be a good alternative.
Update: CT-Scan News
I am quite thrilled to report that the CT-scan I had this past Tuesday morning had all negative results. It was so nice of my oncologist's office to call and let me know before my next appointment. It's wonderful to be able to share good news!
Just to share my continued learning, and to help me remember before scheduling my next CT-scan: Never schedule your CT-scan for first thing in the morning unless 1) you have a short commute to the testing site, and 2) you plan on staying at home for a few hours after the test. I had my test scheduled for 8:00am. That meant that I had to drink the first half of bottle #1 of the barium sulfate at 6:00am, the second half of bottle #1 at 6:30am, and the first half of bottle #2 at 7:00am, and had to save the second half of bottle #2 for just before the scan. I needed to leave the house by 7:30am to get to the medical campus on time. Well, it was tough to leave the bathroom with confidence to make the trip. As soon as I checked in at the medical campus, I had to make another trip to the bathroom. After the technician inserted the IV, I had to make another trip. As soon as the treatment was over, yes, I had to make another trip. Then I made a bee-line for home and couldn't unlock the house door quickly enough.
So, I learned that on a much emptier stomach beginning at 6:00am, the effects of the barium sulfate are more pronounced than when scheduling an afternoon appointment and not eating four hours prior to the scan. Besides, after an afternoon scan, I could have gone home and stayed home rather than having to return to work. Lesson learned! Now all I need to do is to remember it.
Just to share my continued learning, and to help me remember before scheduling my next CT-scan: Never schedule your CT-scan for first thing in the morning unless 1) you have a short commute to the testing site, and 2) you plan on staying at home for a few hours after the test. I had my test scheduled for 8:00am. That meant that I had to drink the first half of bottle #1 of the barium sulfate at 6:00am, the second half of bottle #1 at 6:30am, and the first half of bottle #2 at 7:00am, and had to save the second half of bottle #2 for just before the scan. I needed to leave the house by 7:30am to get to the medical campus on time. Well, it was tough to leave the bathroom with confidence to make the trip. As soon as I checked in at the medical campus, I had to make another trip to the bathroom. After the technician inserted the IV, I had to make another trip. As soon as the treatment was over, yes, I had to make another trip. Then I made a bee-line for home and couldn't unlock the house door quickly enough.
So, I learned that on a much emptier stomach beginning at 6:00am, the effects of the barium sulfate are more pronounced than when scheduling an afternoon appointment and not eating four hours prior to the scan. Besides, after an afternoon scan, I could have gone home and stayed home rather than having to return to work. Lesson learned! Now all I need to do is to remember it.
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