Just got the call, the magic phone call. My scan results were GOOD!!! "All uptake in the neck area". Which means that there is no cancer OUTSIDE the neck area, which would be the absolute worst-case scenario!!! WOOOOO HOOOOO! The nurse couldn't say if that meant there were lymph nodes in the neck involved, but even if there WAS, hopefully the radiation would kill that off, which means I am DONE DONE DONE, and out the other side, my life reclaimed!!!! OH HAPPY, GLORIOUS DAY!!!
I'm deliriously happy right now. Just beaming. We MADE IT THROUGH. THANK YOU GOOD AND GRACIOUS LORD!!! I'm going to be writing in all caps a whole lot I think, because I am just so thrilled.
Follow up blood work in 6 weeks, follow up with the endocrinologist in 6 months, but otherwise... a FREE WOMAN, who now just needs to whip this body back into shape!!!
It took 5 days to get my gut moving again after radiation, and my salivary glands are still not working. My stomach is still extremely temperamental, and I blow up like a helium balloon if I eat the wrong thing (dairy, I'm looking at YOU), but... those are all things that will improve with time, I have no doubt. I'm still hypothyroid, I have a feeling, given that my voice is still a little hoarse (but much, much improved!!! And mostly only at the end of the day now!) All very minor things that will be nothing before we know it!!! But I am overall feeling SO MUCH BETTER !
I went back to work a 1/2 day last Monday and did JUST FINE! (Fell asleep at 8:30 pm afterwards, and slept an entire 10 hours, but I tolerated the work just fine!). I'll slowly work myself back up to my full schedule. There's recuperation time involved here, but NO MORE BUMPS IN THE ROAD.
We made it to the other side.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you family and friends for prayers answered.
Time to resume life as we know it!
I can't stop smiling!!!
ADDENDUM: OK. Just got another phone call from the endocrinologist. Still good CT and PET scan results in that there was spread to only one lymph node in the neck and they are pretty sure the radiation knocked that out. One spot in the lungs that they think was probably just a fluke or artifact, so they'll continue to monitor that but it's probably nothing. Frustrating thing was only that the blood test for the tumor marker came back all wonky so.... one more trip to Minicqua for a five minute blood draw, because the local lab obviously doesn't know what they are doing. The nurse was really apologetic to ask me to drive five hours for a simple blood test. I just said "are you kidding me?!?!? It's pretty important to know whether we got all the cancer or not, and this is the test that tells us that. I will gladly drive five hours to ensure an accurate result!!!" After it took two and half weeks for the local lab to deliver results that should take 24 hours, I was a little suspect of them myself. So.... ONE more road trip to Minocqua in two weeks, but THEN phase six will REALLY be done!! Given that I keep celebrating with cake and dessert after every milestone, this gives me just one more excuse I think;).
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