I'm 3 years 6months into this "journey" and I'm always surprised by all the hurdles that present themselves - I mean, I shouldn't be, that's just what happens right? Cancer = hurdle after hurdle for the rest of your life until you die.
I was chugging along with my life just fine, had a routine oncology appointment (that I went thinking it would be an in and out appointment nothing of note) instead I left with a raft of tests to have and a little asterix overhanging me that read *may have a new blood clot or constriction.
When so much of your body has been poked and prodded you get in tune with things pretty quickly. I had noticed the new veins in my shoulder/chest area but was not concerned or worried about them, not even a little bit. Unlike my very dear, amazing, thorough oncologist, whom I am very grateful for.
Begrudgingly the first week of my school holidays was a mixture of school PLD and imaging. I'm aware I sound like a complete arsehole, access to quality healthcare, healthcare professionals who care about me, minimal to no wait times for imaging and rapid reporting boo hoo. I'm just really ready to move on from all of this stage of my life and I can't and that's incredibly frustrating. I want things to not be about cancer anymore, I want to return to my pre-cancer life (impossible and I'm bitter about it). I guess, just like that I am moving into a new stage of life where I have to change perspective again. Do some self work, find privilege and gratitude in the medical things, and amplify the other parts of my life - get living while there is living to be done.
Echocardiogram - results were good. No constrictions or blockages. Everything operating as it should.
Knee Xray - Clear. No signs of arthritis (i've had terrible knee pain for months now)
Full Body MRI - (did you know they clip you to the table for this? Hannibal Lecter mask and all). MRI is clear. No signs of cancer. Organs and bones all clear.
The MRI did however find why I have knee pain. There is a baker's cyst in the back of my knee, the size of a golf ball. I have a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon to sort this out.
Doppler Ultrasound - Clear. No blockages, constrictions or clots in my port, shoulder, jugular, arm, elbow or wrist.
The new veins have just been grown by my body to make my circulatory system more efficient, given my jugular has a portacath pipe in it - bodies are cool.
Happily, cancer appointments are light between now and Canada.
2x zoladex injections, 2x treatment infusions, 1x oncology appointment.
Sorry for the pity party entry. These blips happen now at then, and annoyingly the analogy of "it's a rollercoaster of a journey" holds true, there are some really amazing, elating highs but equally there will always be lows of varying degrees, and also plato's where nothing good or bad is happening - which is weirdly good.
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