Good news!

Good news! Good news! I have just returned from the oncologist where I was told that last week’s scans show me, once again, to be completely free of cancer.

On my last blog, I was worrying about the return of the cough. I immediately scheduled an appointment with my lung doctor, who changed one of my medications. Simbicort has diminished my coughing greatly and this last week I have been breathing better and better. I was even out on my bike one afternoon.

At the same time, the oncologist scheduled the two scans, a PT/CAT scan of the full body and an MRI of the brain and those were the results read to me today.

But with each rainbow comes a little rain. On Thursday I had a dentist appointment and he uttered the two most hated and feared words in my universe: ROOT CANAL.

So here we are. Delighted to be officially cancer free again, crushed to have to face the root canal.

a step backwards ----

Everything had been going so well – I’ve been driving myself to the store, to most Dr. appointments, to church. We have made it a point to have at least one outing a week, and to include friends when we go.

And I have been feeling really good. The fall weather is glorious!

But Monday I began to cough again, and this is incessant, unproductive, bothersome. I sleep about an hour and then wake up coughing. Unless we can quell it, I will be barred from meetings and concert halls.

My lung doctor has prescribed a stronger inhalent and we hope that it will quell the cough. But it takes time to take effect.

I looked at a chart in his examination room, showing the evils of smoking. Of course, it included lung cancer. The illustration depicts the tumor thrusting itself into the bronchial tube. That is what my present “tickle” feels like.

And the PT scan should show if it is the lung cancer that has returned.

So here I am, in limbo, on the edge. I am otherwise feeling generally good, although tired from and of all that coughing. I have a scan next week and will see my oncologist then, and then we’ll know better where I’m at.