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A New Test

 So, if you remember way back at the end of November when I got my blood test results, I kind of spiraled though all of the aches and pains that I had bee feeling? Well, I still have the nagging lower abdominal pain. I brought it up to my oncologist in December, but given all of the test results, plus my activity, she concluded it was muscular. Well, here we are in the final days of January and the pain is still present and more so than it was last month. At this point, I have no idea which doctor to call first. I scheduled an appointment with my primary. She is the one who insisted, despite my lack of symptoms other than anemia, lack of family history, and lack of risk factors was insistent I get a colonoscopy because she was concerned I had colon cancer way back in APRIL 2024. I obviously didn't take her seriously initially. We talked through my symptoms and activity. Her first thought was possibly diverticulitis. Given my history (Yes, I am so over those words), she wanted to do...
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I ran the Houston Half Marathon!

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I feel like I have been waiting for this event all year! Well, truthfully, I am not sure If I was waiting for it or dreading it. This is one of those things that was a "promise" to Samantha      after I woke up from surgery. I had a million reasons to not run this half and no one would have thought of me as weak or a quitter. However, I refuse to let cancer rob me of one of the things that I used to love to do. Yes, I am a crazy person that used to love running. This past year, it has been more of a love/hate relationship. I love to be able to run, but hated the toll it took on my body. I loved the runners high, but hated the aches and pains that should not have been. I loved getting out there and just feeling free, but I hated when my body failed me.  I guess I really started training in late August after the wedding. It was slow, but went well. I turned into a 5am runner. That was difficult. For the most part it went ok. My body was not adjusting well. Some days we...
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An update of sorts...

 Today someone mentioned that I haven't given an update and requested that I do one. I had to look to see when I posted last. It was the scan result. I met with my doctor a few days after. She was pleased with my results and mentioned that sometimes the signatera number can fluctuate. Based on my research, it doesn't really. It can fluctuate based on how many cells that contain tumor DNA are floating in the body. However, my researching did tell me that with a number as low as mine, my body could fight off and kill whatever was attempting to grow. In my mind that could explain fluctuating. I have decided to not repeat the test this month. I will wait until late January or February. I am going to live my life like I have clear scans. I am going to celebrate Christmas with my family, Hannah's birthday, Samantha's birthday, and run a half marathon before I even think about doing the test again.  This past Friday, I had my port flush and blood work. Everything was normal. T...
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The results are in!

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  That was fast! My heart rate jumped to 150 when I saw the results where in! I laugh/cried when I saw the doctors comment before I read anything. I know that the positive signatera result means there is something, but it is too small to be seen on scans right. now. Y'all this is such a God thing! Let me back up and let you in on how the day went. I showed up, pulled out my laptop and started working. I knew I was going to be waiting over an hour, because I had to drink the contrast. I busted out some good work during that time. It kept me focused and not thinking about why I was there. They called me back to place the IV. This is where things went sideways. The paramedic said my veins are rolling veins. Um...they are not. She couldn't get the IV into the very obvious vein. Thankfully, she quit trying. I wouldn't give her my other arm. Not because I didn't trust her...ok maybe a little, but because since 2018 only 3 people have ever been successful doing anything on tha...
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Tomorrow is test day!

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Tomorrow is the big day. I am hesitant to say that it will change the course of my life. Well, tomorrow won't, but what my CT Scan shows will.  At this point I don't really even know what to wish for. I desperately have been praying for clear scans. My scans can be clear, but I know there is cancer somewhere in my body. Clear scans mean it is just too small to be seen and we keep looking for it. Maybe it will be so slow growing that it won't appear for months. I have also been praying that if something is there, it will small and be something that can easily be zapped or taken out. I guess those two scenarios are the best. I do not want to see results that my insides are filled with cancer and nothing can be done. I still don't know if I will get to meet with my doctor this week. I guess I will call tomorrow instead of relying on MyChart.  I will likely have my results pop up at some point on Thursday. I have been second guessing everything over the last few days. I hav...
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The battle is not over

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Well, This is not what I wanted to see this morning. I wonder if this is why my dog has been sitting and just staring at me lately. I can say that I am not surprised. My hands shake almost every time I open these test results. I would have been surprised to see negative. Maybe it is expect the worst part of me, or the part that just had a feeling deep down that this wasn't over, or even the fact that I refuse to let myself get happy and comfortable. All of my life I feel like I have walked around waiting for the other shoe to drop. This whole situation has been no different. I have always felt like this would not be a one and done type of thing, despite so many people telling me otherwise. This feeling is also why I didn't want to ring the bell when I completed treatment. I truly felt like I was not done and would be back sooner rather than later. Guess this means that I should always go with my gut feeling! So what does this mean. Well, cells with DNA from my primary tumor tha...
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525, 600 Minutes

 525, 600 minutes (give or take a few)...that is how long it has been since I hear the words, "you have cancer." If I would have started composing this post a few weeks ago, it would have been a lot different...Maybe more light hearted and humorous, but as this day has approached, I have found myself a tad more emotional.  The song, "Seasons of Love" starts like this: 525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life? How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of love. How do you measure a year? I admit, I am a creature of habit, so my year would typically be measured by routine...sort of like crossing the days off of the calendar with some milestones tossed in.  This year it was measured very differently. At first it was the diagn...
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