The Hip Bone's Connected to the...

The really, really GOOD news is that my cancer remains bone only! It does not appear to have spread to my lungs, or liver, or any other organ!

Ok…let’s all breathe a huge, collective sigh of relief…

Now, the not-as-good news is that there appear to be some new spots on the bones, and there appears to be some intensifying of some old spots. This is now our focus.

More good news is that my neck looks to be much better as a result of the radiation we did after the last PET scan. However, my hips look to be worse, especially the right one. I will have an MRI of my pelvis done on Monday and I’ll get the results of that on Thursday with the radiation oncologist, Dr. Schulz. He will determine if radiation is warranted at this time.

I’m going to start seeing Dr. Kumar on a monthly basis to track things more closely. If, for example, my number jumps to a 300 in February we probably won’t change things too dramatically. If the number jumps to a 600, we may have to proceed to our next option. It’s more about the number trends than the actual numbers. When I asked what this number caps out at, he said he has a woman who is at 2800! It’s all so mind boggling.

There are some other hormonal options to pursue, and some we can even revisit. There may be another biopsy involved, if the numbers do keep going up, to confirm the hormonal receptivity of the cancer. Strangely enough, that is a factor that can change.

I guess our biggest challenge is learning how to deal with a chronic disease. While we feel like we just have to sit back and wait, we don’t know what we’re waiting for. So that mindset no longer works, or applies here. It isn’t a matter of ‘doing’ or ‘not doing.’ It’s a matter of accepting that this cancer is here to stay.

Our goal will always be to preserve quality of life for as long as possible. Without new symptoms there’s no reason to jump the gun and fear the worst…which is definitely what I was doing this whole week. I’m sorry if I dragged all of you along on the fear train! BUT…by telling you of my concerns and making you aware of what was going on, it started those prayer chains a rollin’, and you can’t tell me that didn’t play a role in today’s good news!

I’ve said it before and I will continue to say it…I couldn’t get through all of this without the prayers, love and support of all of you! THANK YOU from deep within my bones.