Jennifer's Cancer Journey

I had my blood drawn for this test yesterday. Time does not lessen the anxiety. It may actually make it worse  what if all of the previous negatives were due to being in chemo? It has not been 2 months since the last round was complete. What if cancer is now going haywire my body?  I know, I should be anxious for nothing and trust in God, but honestly, sometimes it’s just hard to not stress and have anxiety. Normally, the results are back in 7-10 days. I’m praying for a negative!  

 A lot of life has happened in the since the last time I posted...that seems to be the theme... My goal was to post an update at least once a week, but I failed. I used to have a fear of failure...not anymore. LOL For real though, failing is a learning experience. Well, not in school...I don't care that an 89.5 is an A, I want a 100 anything less is a failure.  So, since the last update, not a lot health wise has happened. I did schedule my 1 year colonoscopy. My mind drifted to the original appointment with the doctor. We were both sure that my stressful life was causing a bleeding ulcer. I remember being nervous and terrified when I went into the room before the procedure. I remember the doctor noticing. He sat down on the side of the bed to try and calm my anxiety. I remember him sitting in the same place on the side of the bed when he told me he found something and it was highly likely that is was cancer. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to the colonoscopy that is...

 I have decided that I will do better with the updates...even when I don't feel there is much of an update.  Today, I tried to have a day of rest. That wasn't initially my intention though. My plan was to  get up and do all of the things that I needed to do and then do a garage workout.  That is not how my day went. I actually slept in...all the way until 7:15. If you only who how much of a morning person I am NOT, you would  be rolling on the floor right now. I am 2 weeks into a full time job and 3 weeks into half marathon training. All of that while living 48 miles from my job...in a major city. Some days it takes me an hour...others can take almost 2. Needless to say, by time I get home, I do not want to run. Add in the fact that it is still SUMMER with what feels like 100% humidity and in the 90's...not happening! So...I have been getting up at 5am and going for a run....still humid. The catch is that I have to be dressed and ready, do my run, shower, and ge...

 Things have been crazy busy!  So busy that I started this update on Thursday. It is now Saturday evening.  If I remember correctly, my last update was before my scans last Friday. The results of the scans popped up in MyChart on Saturday. There is no evidence of metastasis in the pelvic area or abdomen. However, there were a few 2mm spot on my lungs that were not present on my scan in April, BUT the swollen lymph node and spot that were on my scan in April were not mentioned. The person who read my results commented that the 2mm spots were likely inflammatory or post infected, but given my history, we need to follow up. My ctDNA test that I do monthly came back negative again. This week I had my port flush and a whole lot of bloodwork. As of now, the only results that have popped up in Mychart were from the CBC. One day it will come in without the abnormal label, but this is not the day. My RBC and lymphocytes were low, but trending up from the previous draws. My neutrop...

 I have hesitated posting a new update. The wedding is over. It was great...I think. I feel like I was pulled in so many different ways throughout the night that I really didn't get to enjoy much or process what was happening. Also, it is August and it was so humid and hot! I don't have wedding photos to share. I never picked up my phone to take any until Samantha and Anthony were walking out. I am anxiously waiting for the photographer photos!  There really was no rest time for me. I packed and unloaded everything from the venue into my car. Then unloaded it all at home. I think it was about 1am by the time I showered and went to bed. Sunday was promotion Sunday at church, so I was up early for that. It was a long day and I made a few uncharacteristic, but minor mistakes. Thankfully, Monday I did not get out of bed other than to shower and go back to bed. The rest of the week was nonstop. That seems to be my life right now. I did get to enjoy a beach day with Hannah. I may ma...

 I feel like so much has happened since my last update. I don't even remember my last update. I had to go back and look it up. It was August 1st. I feel like I have lived a year since then! I had my last round of chemo. The sense of relief I had when that pump did its crazy "I'm empty" beep was real! Yet, at the same time, it was a little surreal. Since I was told that I had cancer back in November, there was always this plan. I knew what was coming next and in some small part what to expect. Now I am in just a little bit of limbo. I am relieved, yet scared at the same time.  After the crazy beep, I headed to my follow up with my surgeon. It was my 6 month follow up from my 1 month follow up. All seemed to go well. I went in with my chemo pump on. He smile when I told him that this was it. Then the pump did another crazy beep thing...it was still empty. I guess it was my reminder...like I could forget! The doc asked what it meant. I told him it was empty and I needed ...

Before I get into the gritty of the appointments today along with what is to come, I have some randomness to share. There a few random things I have noticed during the last year visiting doctors and hospitals. One of those things is valet parking. It is your friend if you are going to be there a while, or at a time when you are likely to NOT find a parking spot. I valet on chemo days. I am there a while and may not have the energy to walk to my car when I am finished. The valet parking is free. When I go in for blood work or doctor appointments (they are generally back to back- for now), it is usually around lunch time, so I can easily find a parking spot. It is a little tougher on disconnect day, but I don't want to valet for a 15 minute appointment. Another thing that I have come to have a love/hate relationship with is MyChart. Everything is there and I can check in and pay before my appointment. My experience has been that I don't need to actually make appointments. They al...