Another breathe-holding moment ...

Wednesday morning (July 7th) was PET Scan results morning for me and Donna (Mrs 365er). It was also, poignantly, the 2nd anniversary of losing my big sis and the inspiration for the 365challenge, Brenda, to breast cancer.

Having completed my chemo on June 16th, after a couple of false starts, I had my (almost) full body PET scan (a highly detailed exploration of my innards) on June 30th at the Clatterbridge Oncology Unit. Quite a lengthy process, involving injection of radioactive tracers (nice), then about 40 minutes in the scanner as it moved up and down my body, taking the pictures that would tell us if the chemo had worked and I was clear of cancer again!

As is always the way, once the scan was done, there was another wait until I could meet with Dr Tueger, my oncologist, and get the results ... and that wait came to an end this morning ...

There we sat, anxiously, as he asked a number of symptom-related questions (which I answered all in the negative, which was good) and then he gave me a quick physical before he got round to remembering why we were there again, and uttered the glorious words ... "there was no sign of the lymphoma in your PET scan; you are in COMPLETE REMISSION, the lymphoma is completely gone!!"

Big release of breathe again, hand squeezing with Donna (the hugs came later!), as the relief swept over us both. This is what we came to hear, and it was wonderful ... Colin 2 - Cancer 0, eh?

But there was a "but ..."

Dr Teuger went on to say that the scan showed a slightly raised uptake of the sugars they inject in the PET scan around the prostate, but he reassured us that it was very slight and the radiologist had suggested that he has seen this before and it wasn't anything significant to worry about ... but, to be sure, to be sure, he was going to have me see the Urologist for an opinion. He had already asked me a number of questions about my "waterworks" and as these have been completely normal all along, he seemed happy enough that all is well in the world, so the urology check-up is just about crossing the Ts, really (or should that read "crossing the Ps"). It did take a little of the shine off the main news, but as we left, we just kept reminding ourselves of those words "complete remission" ... they sound damn good to me!

Donna and I want to say a truly heartfelt thank you to all of you out there who have provided such great support to us both through these last few months - knowing you're all out there routing for us has been a great boost, so thank you again. But keep it coming too, 'cos it's great to know you're behind us still.

HAIR UPDATE

I thought I'd better bring you up-to-date on the hair situation, as so many of you have "invested" in it. I'm now three weeks post-chemo, and I have to say that the hair thinned dramatically in the days after it all ended. I had what I call a chemo hairstyle - thin patches on the side of my head, etc., so I decided to have it all taken off. But my hairdresser wouldn't do it for me - she insisted on only cropping it short, and to tell you the truth, it didn't look too bad. Certainly very thin on top, very much like my Dad now, but I am told it WILL grow back. Here's a photo as evidence ...

So, who got it right in the Hair Stakes betting? Well, it's not actually gone, but it did try very hard to go, so I reckon it's sort of somewhere between the "Lose it After Session 6" voters, Katie Balling and John & Isabel McCormick, and the "Not at All" crew, made up of Chris Alderton, Dave Dean, Nancy Scott, Angela Brennan, Simon Painter, Melanie Peake, Susan Jones, Janette Reilly and all at Stanley Staff, Frances Vaughan, Jennifer Liston-Smith, Fiona Pender and, last but never least, Huw Williams (such optimists, all of 'em!).

Thanks to everyone for the support you've given me on this. It was a lot of fun and really did help take the sting out of the experience!

That's it for now, but don't forget, if you find a lump ... please have it checked out: you know it makes sense!

Cheers

Colin