July 18, 2006~ Saw the Doc today- this is a long one

So I saw the doctor for my monthly exam today. Was able to clear some of the concerns I had from last months PET scan. Turns out I may not have ovarian cancer. She said it is hard to detect when a woman’s ovaries are functioning properly, how they present themselves on the scan. Next scan could show something entirely different. Hard to explain in detail on here, but I understood what she was saying. The fluid in my abdomen, again may not be anything to worry about. She said sometimes women just have these occurrences because of all the female stuff that goes on in that area. It disappears with no problems. Again will see on next scan. Good news, she could no longer detect any fluid in my right lung. And she could no longer feel the cancer afflicted lymph node under my left arm, which was very prominent last month, and has been for some time. The best news is that even though the tumor in my breast did not appear to have decreased in size by much from last month, the tumor itself has softened, and felt really different. Could be a very positive sign that the cancer is breaking down in the tumor. So because of all that, she bumped up my next PET scan by a month. Instead of waiting till Sept. I am going to have it August 4th. Remember we changed my main treatment medications last month. The increased hot flashes and sweats are proof it is doing its job killing the estrogen, but she wants to know if there is any significant changes overall from the new meds. Either positive or atleast holding the cancer at status-quo. Not that she is expecting a drastic difference from only being on these meds for two months, it’s just that she does not want to wait till Sept to find out the new meds allowed the cancer to spread. If that should be the case, then my next option would have to be Chemotherapy. Please, please pray the news meds are working, I would much rather deal with the freezing to sweating to all hell all the time, then the whole chemo ordeal. But if chemo is what is takes, then I will endure that as well. Then again, I would have to cancel all my upcoming trips if I have chemo. Ugh!. But guess it’s worth it if it helps prolong my life. lol.

Oh and for the first time in 5 months my blood pressure was normal. It was extremely high back in Feb (at stroke level) because of the severe pain. Has slowly lowered, but for the past two months it was exactly the same. Almost there but not quite, until today. And that was taken with no pain medications in me at all. woo hoo.

Just to let you all know, I have been feeling pretty darn well. As close to normal as I can get. I don’t look sick and I don’t act sick. Been living and enjoying my life to my capabilities. Been going out, dating, the whole shahbang. The sudden redness that flushes over me and the intense sweats that drench me, are the constant reminders what I am dealing with, but other than that, it’s all good right now.

New thing I learned recently. Had to cut sugar out of my life. Yes I had read in all my other books that sugar along with a list of other things were not good to have when fighting cancer. No real reason given, until my nutritionist gave me a book. I have never been a real sugar/sweets eater. But over the past 5 months, I have craved sweets like never before in my life. I could not figure it out, but for a while I thought to myself, well I have cancer, so I am just going to enjoy some of this stuff for a while. Where as I might have eaten three candy bars in a years time before, I was down to eating a few a week. I bought cakes and sweets from the bakery every week. I was making cookies all the time. Well in reading that new book, I learned, because cancer feeds and thrives on sugar, it actually makes you crave it, so it’s there for the cancers survival. Now I knew why I had went nuts for sweets. That just made me sick. Another controlling factor to this damn disease that lives inside me. That was it, sugar be gone. But wow, it took its toll. All last week I was so completely lethargic, fatigued, drained, gone. You name it. I could not get enough sleep. I would be up for an hour and ready to lay back down and take a nap. All I could do was lay around curled up in a blanket, no energy to do anything. Just to take a shower was exhausting. At first I was a little alarmed, then I put the sugar corelation together. Where as most of us drop and become tired when our sugar high wheres off, from eating something sweet. My body had to adjust to a drastic drop in glucose, and the disease still trying to take it from where ever it could find it in me, since it had become accustomed to always having it readily available. I am not lying when I say cancer is like its own being within you. That just freaks me out. It was a small war going on inside and it took every ounce of energy I had. All because of sugar, go figure. But anyway I lost 4 pounds last week from all that. lol. And my body is adjusting, and not so tired now. Oh yea, and last months scan showed the cancer had become more agressive, even though some of the existing cancer showed signs of healing. Makes me wonder now if it was because of all the sugar I was eating. I was giving it, it’s fuel.

Whelp, I think that is about it folks! I don’t have anything else going on the rest of the month, medically speaking. PET scan August 4th, blood work August 7th, results August 9th. Then we’ll know the next direction I shall take. Hopefully I won’t have to change anything.