jenny's belly

Another All Clear

I got another all-clear (phew) and though I return to the doctor in 3 months, I won't get another CT scan for 6 months. I don't really see the point of seeing the doctor in 3 months without another CT scan, though. I really don't. Seems like a waste of time.
Oh, I'd forgotten when I had the scan that I signed up for a study. I always sign up for anything they ask me to, just as a matter of course. I figure if I can help someone else, I'm happy to do it. So they scan you once, then inject you with some kind of dye, and then they scan you again. Well, they were studying whether they should change the type of dye to the same kind used at Brigham & Womens. That was were I'd had my first CT scan, so I knew either way I wasn't going to have a reaction (I always feel sucky, but neither one was terribly bad). ANYWAY, so when I signed up I agreed to a phone call to talk to the doctor about any side effects.
Fast forward from monday to friday, where I've forgotten all about this, and I get a call at work. I can tell by the number its someone at Dana Farber, and so before I've even picked up the phone I'm leery. THEN the person identifies themselves as a doctor from the radiology department at Dana Farber. I think I stopped breathing. If I'd been a cat, I'd have lost a few of my 9 lives. Even knowing this isn't how you find out your cancer has come back, it still scared me to the point that I TOLD the doctor he'd scared the shit out of me. "Do you know how I am now?" "Yes, I do doctor, I'm sorry..." GOOD times.
Fabian, my rogue lymph node, is still in place. Thankfully he hasn't moved or enlarged at all. I was surprised to learn that its near my liver though, because last time I was told it was near my surgery site. I kind of think my new oncologist got it wrong. He's very close to me in age, but acts a good 30 years older.
My blood is really in good shape now. I've squeaked into normal range on the important markers, and though I'm still "extremely low" in some things, they're not as critical. Oddly, my white blood cells are still low, which doesn't make much sense. The size of my blood cells are teeny tiny.
Anyway... I'm doing pretty well and AMAZED at how far I've come. Thank you for checking in on me. :)

posted by Jen at 11:24 PM