Second I need to thank everyone for their prayers. Even though I often don't know or realize they are happening they are felt and realized in very perfect moments.
18 days ago on May 11 it was Mother's day. Most of us were thinking about our Mom, (Me included) Leah gently reminded me in the morning it was my 2 year cancerversary. Yep 2 years to the day since I was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. I'll clearly remember that day for many years to come. The building I was in, what the doctor told me and, how rapidly I was moved from diagnosis to treatment with a very good set of doctors. At day 365 I had a celebration of sorts and made the day as special as I could. To be honest this year at day 730 I didn't give the occasion much thought before or during. What remained the same is I continued to get treatment on an every other week basis.
Today I had an appointment with my Medical Oncologist. In preparation last week and the week before I had a CT scan of my chest and then an MRI of my abdomen and pelvis. Today as part of the doctor appointment Leah and I were expecting news regarding the scan results. I had low to none expectations, Leah however was very nervous about the results.
That being said, after a long wait to see the Doc, he walked into the room and said "your scans look better" What he continued to explained is the 2 lesions in the liver we are mostly concerned about both shrunk a small amount. The Lymph node outside the liver also shrunk which is good news and means they are responding to the chemo. Good news we were both excited about. What this presents is an opportunity to ask "What's next?"
The Doctor presented us with a few different options, several of those including a break for 6 to 8 weeks. This would allow us to get our commitments during the summer done without interruption. My first thought was what happens if/or when the lesions and lymph node grow? My Oncologist wants to see what grows and how much. If all 3 things grow we jump back on chemo. If one item grows but not the others he is talking about using radiation therapy. I'll be honest, I'm not excited about radiation but I guess I'll wait and see what happens in the 2 months.
First of all this means a regular lifestyle and also a return of my energy level. I will try to get a good sleep pattern going but I know that will be a struggle for me. First of all My time of the day is late evening to early morning. That doesn't always bode well when 8:00 A.M. arrives. Second and probably most important I am going to do my best to make these 2 months very fun for the whole family but specifically for Lydia. I want her to remember the fun times she had with Dad. Go Cart Racing is on the Short list. If you know of any other things that might be fun for the 3 of us, please let us know.
In the mean time I will know more on Monday what my schedule will look like for the summer. I'll write a post Monday evening to fill everyone in.
Most of all Thank You!
--Kent
