December 18

 

 

December 18

This date is an important part of my cancer journey. 

10 years ago on this date, I was instructed to be at the hospital early in the morning. I was scheduled to be the first surgery of the day.  The oncologist wanted to investigate a mass he had found, and also wanted to perform a radical hysterectomy.

I arrived early. And I waited. And waited. 

Finally about an hour and a half later, the doctor came out to greet me. He tells me there was some sort of mixup with the insurance (State of Oregon was trying to deem the surgery as elective). He told me not to worry, his staff is working on getting the approval. He didn't want me to leave the hospital just yet. 

So I waited. And waited some more. Lunch time arrived and I hadn’t eaten since early evening the night before. 

The doctor came out again and informed me the surgery had been approved, but it was approved for Kaiser Permanente, not the hospital he was performing surgeries at that day. I told him that I thought the purpose of the surgery was to keep me alive, and that I did not want to have my surgery at Kaiser Permanente.  He tells me not to worry, his staff is still on task and asked me to continue to wait.

Finally mid afternoon that day, he comes out again to inform me we are good to go for surgery today at the hospital he is at today.  He got me on the schedule as the last surgery of the day. 

That was the day I received my official diagnosis of cancer. 

So much has happened over the past 10 years. I’ve had multiple recurrences and multiple treatments. The cancer has metastasized to my lungs. I’m still fighting with the state for disability. 

I’ve done external radiation, internal radiation, immunotherapy - both oral and IV, and chemotherapy. 

Just a few months ago, I was very near death. Chemotherapy was too hard on my body and I eventually ended up moving to an Assisted Living facility. 

But just a week or so ago, I received some really great news.

For the first time in 5 years, my PETscan came back 100% clear. 

While I’m not considered NED (No Evidence of Disease) it does feel great to finally have a clear scan. 

My strength is slowly returning. I’m still using a walker to get around, but just yesterday I went for a short walk with the therapist without the walker.  I’m hoping we can conquer the stairs soon, but that may not happen for some time yet. 

I still have fatigue in the afternoons. Some days I try to push through it, but I usually end up paying for it over the next couple days. 

I’m signing off for the year. I’ll be back in the new year with hopefully even more good news to share.  Perhaps I’ll even share a few more filler type posts - please give me some feedback if you find those helpful to you in your daily lives. 

Until next time…

This week’s #WhenIDieMakeSureMyNailsAreDone