It feels as though after you are diagnosed with cancer...life seems to take a roller-coaster effect on you. One day "it" is going in a downward motion to the completed finish line...the next it is going up as in an uphill battle trying to get "everything" just right. By everything I mean cleans scans, feeling a-ok, and "normal" labs.
I have debated to blog about this...because I don't want to discourage those that have been recently diagnosed...but reality is...WE MUST ALL KEEP FIGHTING!!! We have to stay proactive and be aware of ANY changes in our body. NEVER lose HOPE...
So with that being said...I have been pretty quiet lately and to those of you that have asked me...why haven't you blogged?...how are you feeling?...Well I am going to answer a few questions that I have been asked in recent days.
1. Now that you are all done with your treatments...you must be alright so life is going to get back to normal right?
Well if only it were that easy...yes I may be done with my harsh chemo treatments...but I will NEVER be done fighting this fight...the fight I call LIFE! NO, I don't have to listen to people as they put their 2-cents in about how my days are "numbered", or what the statistics show, etc...instead I try to see the positive and think I have gone this far...I am not backing down and letting "C" try to come back and take me. I am a pretty tough girl...in case you didn't already know this-ha! As a very wise friend told me yesterday...I have knocked "it" down and now I have "it" by the throat...I have to keep on keepin' on. As for the "statistics" most aren't even able to go through with the "WHIPPLE" procedure...I was fortunate to have been able to go through with it. Has it been easy since then...absolutely not. Try changing your whole lifestyle around and fight cancer while doing it...pretty challenging but I had to as I continue to do.
2. So when are you going to be able to get a job...and when will you start back to school?
Well again... I wish it were that simple that I could just go apply somewhere and make some money...but out of the mouth of my doctor..."um-NO!...Do you realize you need your life to be as stress-free as possible?!"...you have to allow your body to heal. Look at all that you have gone through and it hasn't even been a year since you were diagnosed...so with that response, I will patiently wait to see what the future holds. I have to get my body healed and remember that God has "My" life all planned out...I just have to be still and listen.
3. When can you get your port out?
Well I asked Dr. O this very question too...her response...DO NOT ASK ABOUT THIS FOR AT LEAST 3 MONTHS...we need to monitor your labs...which brings me to this...
Dr. O has ordered I have labs monthly and PET scans every 3 months. My next PET will be the end of November.
Well I received my lab results from Dr.O's office yesterday and my CA19-9 has increased by 34...what does that mean??? Well there could be number of reasons...BUT we are remaining positive and in the meantime Dr.O has ordered an abdominal CT-Scan on me to rule out no recurrence. I hate to even type that word...but that's what we have to make sure of.
There is also a bit of a concern with my WBCs...my white cells are 1/2 of what they were last month. So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE germs stay away...I am very susceptible of "catching" a cold very easy...so I really have to limit where I go and not be around anyone that is or has recently been sick.
As I sit here typing this I can be honest and say I am anxious of getting the green-light to go ahead and head over to get my CT-Scan. I am not really worried...just I want to get it done so I can take another deep breath and go about what needs to be done...me getting "healthy" and not just surviving but thriving.
Please continue to uplift me in your thoughts, and prayers...as we all know God is powerful! Thank you to those that have been with me and stood by me from day one of this journey...I know it is because of my FAITH, FAMILY, and FRIENDS...that I am alive!
Just remember "Don't judge people, You never know what kind of battle they are fighting"-so with that I say just because someone (like myself) might look totally normal...we are all fighting to win this battle and it is not over until there is a CURE!
I will keep fighting each and everyday not only for myself...but for my girls as they have been my reason to keep a smile on my face on some of my hardest days that I had to go through with all my surgery stuff and treatments.
I will hold onto this roller-coaster handle as I climb up the hill...anxiously awaiting...and fast down another one...this ride I call "LIFE" is nothing short of a miracle.
Until next time...praying for good results as I remain positive and optimistic.
*Also please remember TOMORROW (NOVEMBER 1st) starts
PANCREATIC CANCER AWARENESS MONTH...don't forget to wear PURPLE! :)
This photo was taken last Sunday by Nicole Crites-CBS 5 @ 2013 Purple Light event in Phoenix.
3 out of the 6 in this photo have SURVIVED PAN-CAN for more than 10 years.
That gives me HOPE!!!
