Blast from the Past

Ok so this is going to be my last "blast from the past," blog post. I am going to keep posting and spreading my message but in present time : )


Month 8 thru 10 - November, December, January


In the middle of November I had my second scan since being in, I guess you can say 'remission', though us in the Melanoma world refer to it as NED(no evidence of disease), because with Melanoma you are never really rid of it. When you are NED it's just not showing its ugly head little at the moment...BUT we will take it, and cherish it, and be utterly thankful to hear these lovely words for as long as we can! 
So as you can imagine the time right before scans can be very stressful and down right scary, your mind is just consumed with thoughts of what if the Dr. doesn't say those lovely words. And since I will unfortunately have to go through this torture every few months until well... ALWAYS I am hoping with time it gets easier, but right now I just can't see that happening. Knowing that it can come back at anytime whether it is a few months from now or a few years from now just doesn't put me at much ease. 


This time, unlike my last scans, I didn't receive my results that same day, which actually made me a lot less nervous. Dealing with the craziness of getting the actual scans AND hearing the results all at once is just too much. The day went pretty smoothly, well besides almost passing out when the nurse put in the IV line for the dye contrast and getting yelled at for not telling her before hand that I get queasy with needles.. umm I do NOT get queasy with needles.. someone with cancer learns very quickly there is no room for queasiness or a low tolerance for pain. So I was a little bit offended by her reaction, usually the nurses at Sloan are a lot more understanding. I mean did she ever consider that maybe I almost fainted because I haven't been able to eat for the last few hours, or that I had to drink a "cocktail" mixture of who knows what, OR that I am nervous out of my friggin mind!! So after some ice packs behind my head and putting my feet up for a while I was able to get on with the scan.


AND then the following day I got the call that everyone wants to hear, "My scans continue to show no sign of Melanoma!" WHOOHOO My family and I were so thankful to get this news, especially knowing that we would be able to truly celebrate the upcoming holidays : )
Two weeks later I was scheduled for my 4th treatment injection, which has been a long time coming since I wasn't able to get my last one in Sept. But of course since nothing seems to go according to plan with me, the Monday before my treatment my earlobe started to hurt. Not really thinking anything of it I went to work the next day. Throughout the day it started to feel more and more irritated but it was such a busy morning I didn't even have time to check it out, so when I went down to the teacher's lounge for lunch I couldn't understand why everyone was starring at me and telling me they think I should go home or to see a Dr. ASAP. I literally looked like DUMBO!! I immediately went home and went to my general Dr. who said I had a bad infection probably from an earring or something, gave me antibiotics, and said I should be better by Thursday for my treatment. However, it got even worse and the next day I was sent home from work again. Since I was so eager to get my 4th treatment I didn't tell my Oncologist and showed up for my treatment like it wasn't a "big" deal, no pun intended.. but literally it had gotten so bad that the glands in my neck and shoulder were swollen and the infection started spreading from my ear to my neck. Dr. Wonder took one look at me and said not only would I not be able to again receive treatment but I needed to be admitted into the hospital ASAP for IV antibiotics!! I ended up having to stay there for three days : ( NOT fun.. though they did have bingo and some pretty cool arts and crafts..lol! Luckily, it started clearing up and after ten more days of oral antibiotics I was finally able to get my treatment on Dec. 15th. Yipee..


Thankfully with all that drama over with, my Christmas and New Years Eve ended up being amazing, and besides some very itchy skin, extreme exhaustion, and a small but painful trip to Sloan's urgent care due to a virus or side effects I have been doing pretty good! So on that note I just want to say THANK YOU to everyone for following my story of my last crazy 9 months!! It has been a very tough journey but writing this blog about what I have been through has been extremely therapeutic in helping me cope with my new life. Please keep read, sharing, and spreading awareness. 
This weekend I am heading to the slopes to go snowboarding or with this weather "slushboarding" to celebrate my birthday weekend and then coming home to root, root, root for the home team GO GIANTS : ) 
Thank you God for allowing me to enjoy another birthday, life is a gift remember to cherish each day... Especially BIRTHDAYS!!