Complete Remission

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.