Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Good News!!!

Just home from seeing the oncologist and the news from the CT scan I had before Christmas is amazing. They cannot clearly see any cancer in my lungs on the scan. They only can see where the ‘remnants’ (my word) of the bigger tumors are by comparing the December scan to the previous scan.

Tomorrow will be my last Taxotere treatment and I will be switched to Fulvestrant, a less invasive drug that will be administered by intramuscular injection. The common side effects include loss of appetite. I say, bring it on! Maybe I can lose some of this Taxotere weight. Hair loss is NOT one of the side effects. Bonus!

According to my oncologist, my situation is not typical (I’m not one to follow the pack). Usually they expect to see the tumors shrink and then stabilize; they don’t often disappear completely. Keep in mind, this scan was from even before my last treatment. Both doctors seemed really happy with my progress. I said: “I wonder if it has anything to do with what I’ve been taking from my naturopath or the weird energy treatment I had in Nova Scotia”. The answer was: “No, it was the chemo”. I laughed and said: “Somehow I knew you were going to say that”. :-)

They cautioned me that, while this is great news, the cancer cells are still there. There is no cure. The aim is to treat it like a chronic illness and manage the symptoms. The cancer will eventually become immune to a particular drug. That’s why they don’t want to continue with the Taxotere; because I’ve done so well on it, they want to reserve it for possible use down the road when I may need it more.

I’m not looking too far ahead. I’m just happy about receiving great news. I asked about a possible trip to Holland to be with family and he said to go ahead and plan it.

Steriods and good news is a dangerous combination. I might sustain an injury from doing cartwheels in my living room. Life is good!

6 comments:

Anka said...

Thank you God!!! I'm sooooo happy for you! I'm doing cartwheets for you!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful news, Chris. This must not only lift your spirits but also be a big boost for your immune system.
with love and light to you.

Anonymous said...

Chris, that's fantastic! I'm so happy for you.

Cheers,
Amanda

Bronwyn Green said...

Hi Christine,

I stumbled across your blog after clicking 'next blog' so I hope you don't mind that I'm commenting.

First off, congratulations on your wonderful news!!! Secondly, I have to tell you, you're absolutely amazing. I've always been grateful for the life I have, but after reading your posts, I'm humbled too. It's like I can see your soul shining from here.

I hope you enjoy your trip to Holland and your health. Watch out for those cartwheels, though - you don't want to strain something. ;)

Btw, I've seen amazing improvement and even complete cures of various illnesses and diseases through energy healing. It might be a good companion for the Fulvestrant.

Wishing you all of the blessings your life can hold.

Christina said...

Hi Chris,
I haven't commented before but I do check in with your blog every day and was SOOO happy to read your good news this morning! I usually send warm and positive thoughts your way, but today's thoughts were filled up with cartwheels and fireworks! Woohoo!
I'm so happy for you! :-)
Christina

Anonymous said...

Hurrah, Chris. This is awesome news. I am not great at doing cartwheels anymore but I am super at hopping up and down and twirling around which should be as expressive so here goes!! Patricia is right. This news should both lift your spirits and boost your immune system, a WIN-WIN.
Continuing to send you lots of love, Light, and healing energy.
Beverly