Two-Year Cancer Results

My port was evil looking, but it saved me from numerous pokes!
Here I am with Betsy as I get a bleomycin push (took 10 minutes). A lot of my friends and family came to chemo sessions with me including Betsy, Nellie, Jennifer, Steph, Emily, Katie, Miss Lauri, Grandma, Mom, Dad, David, Aunt Janet; Grandpa, Aunt Paula and Arlene also stopped by. That made the time go quickly. When Emily and Katie came we played Mexican dominoes and just spread them out over the floor. Then Betsy taught Nellie and I how to knit!)

Emily made me a shirt...she even bedazzled it that said "I am fine!" I was very tired of people asking, "How are you?"

Two years ago in November, I had my very last chemotherapy treatment at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. It was a very good occassion that happened during a very sad time (my mom's best friend Becky Clark was in a hit and run accident that resulted in her death a few week's later). After I ended my chemo session I had to wait a few weeks then I had a PET scan. Dr. Michalak said the odds were good, but you never know. Luckily, and thankfully, my odds were good and on Dec. 31, 2007 as Matthew and I were driving to Omaha for Betsy's New Year's Eve party my doctor called to say everything came back clear! What a reason to celebrate...and Matt did that for me by drinking too much wine/champagne/beer and white russians. :-)

So, this was my very second PET scan I had (last year we just did a CT scan) and it was a bit different. (Before we had to go outside and climb up into a large semi that carted the PET scanner from town to town.) The cancer center purchased a brand new, state of the art scanner this year and I did not have to go outside. It was right inside and I had an awesome nuclear med tech who got my IV in on one poke!

And, on Friday Matthew and I went in for my 2-year check-up and the results are NEGATIVE. No signs of cancer! Yay! This is big news, because your chances of reoccurance go down after 2 years and my doctor said after 6 years it's slim to none that it will come back. And, I have graduated to coming every 4 months for a check-up.