Cancer Redux
Bloody hell!!!
In the three years since treatment for colorectal cancer and a stroke, I was finally feeling healthy again and thinking I was out of the woods in terms of serious illness.
Because one of the chemo drugs caused the stroke, I didn't finish all of the prescribed chemo treatments but was confdent that surgery to remove the stage III tumour had caught all the cancer cells. Unbeknownst to me,however, one or more of the little buggers survived and eventually made its way to my lungs. This was discovered because of a blood test (CEA test (carcinoembryonic antigens) was being done every few weeks and the one I had in June had a higher counnt than usual so my GP sent me for a CT scan for a close look at my innards. That was when the nightmare struck again and I was sent to an oncologist for diagnosis of a patch on the lung. He explained that I had several small lesions on both lungs, which, in his opinion are malignant. He bases his opinion on the CEA number and no biopsy has been done. I had no symptoms so without the dagnostic testing, no-one would have known there was a problem. The plan is to shrink the lesions with chemotherapy (a different drug from the one that caused the stroke) and I'm currently on the third treatment.
The chemo has been making me very sick so the dosage has been reduced by 25%. CEA tests and CT scans will be used to see if it's working so the treatments are scheduled indefinitely. 48 hours every two weeks. A CEA test was done last week and I'm anxious to know what the count was. It measures the number of cancer-fighting cells in my blood and the reading must go below 18 in my case to show the treatment is working. A CT scan will only be done if the count doesn't go down.
At first, I was shattered by the news but now I'm just disappointed that my body's let me down again.
I try not to think about it too much and that stops me from dwelling on it, which might lead to self-pity and all-consuming worry, both of which I want to avoid at all costs. I've kicked cancer's ass before and will do it again. Cancer chose the wrong person to pick on this time; the strokester won't put up with it!
In the three years since treatment for colorectal cancer and a stroke, I was finally feeling healthy again and thinking I was out of the woods in terms of serious illness.
Because one of the chemo drugs caused the stroke, I didn't finish all of the prescribed chemo treatments but was confdent that surgery to remove the stage III tumour had caught all the cancer cells. Unbeknownst to me,however, one or more of the little buggers survived and eventually made its way to my lungs. This was discovered because of a blood test (CEA test (carcinoembryonic antigens) was being done every few weeks and the one I had in June had a higher counnt than usual so my GP sent me for a CT scan for a close look at my innards. That was when the nightmare struck again and I was sent to an oncologist for diagnosis of a patch on the lung. He explained that I had several small lesions on both lungs, which, in his opinion are malignant. He bases his opinion on the CEA number and no biopsy has been done. I had no symptoms so without the dagnostic testing, no-one would have known there was a problem. The plan is to shrink the lesions with chemotherapy (a different drug from the one that caused the stroke) and I'm currently on the third treatment.
The chemo has been making me very sick so the dosage has been reduced by 25%. CEA tests and CT scans will be used to see if it's working so the treatments are scheduled indefinitely. 48 hours every two weeks. A CEA test was done last week and I'm anxious to know what the count was. It measures the number of cancer-fighting cells in my blood and the reading must go below 18 in my case to show the treatment is working. A CT scan will only be done if the count doesn't go down.
At first, I was shattered by the news but now I'm just disappointed that my body's let me down again.
I try not to think about it too much and that stops me from dwelling on it, which might lead to self-pity and all-consuming worry, both of which I want to avoid at all costs. I've kicked cancer's ass before and will do it again. Cancer chose the wrong person to pick on this time; the strokester won't put up with it!
posted by Jacki | 7:05 PM
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