Negative? Whachyamean negative?

I wrote this amazing blog today while I was getting chemo. I tried to add a picture and whamo... error. It would not post and it lost my entire blog somewhere.

So I'm going to do a fast update in hopes that it is found sometime soon because I know a few of you are waiting for this news.

I got the results of my CT/PET scan today. And for the first time I can even remember, someone said I was "negative." Not a word that gets used around me very often. Usually I'm the optimist or just unrealistic. Today I was "negative."

My PET scan showed nothing. It was NEGATIVE!!!! In that good way. My cancer had no response to the test. It's still there in structure, but it is not growing, not active, pretty much dead. The CT scan showed the structures there but greatly diminished.

So today was my last chemo. I no longer will have the Taxol. The Taxol is the one that causes all the side effects. So no more drop in white blood cells and high risk of infection. I can go to the dentist, maybe get that lung problem fixed, the yeast in my eyes will go away, the sore throats will go away, the aches will go away and my hair will come back. I can diet off the weight I've gained during chemo, exercise to get my strength back. TahDah!

I will continue on Herceptin for awhile and start on anti-estrogen drugs. No surgery, no radiation. Dr. Johnson wants to see how much we can shrink and sees no need for anything like that for now. If something changes and it wakes up again and gets active that may change. For now we want to see how much more we can eliminate with the drugs. I asked him if it ever goes completely away with just the drugs and he said "yes, but not very often." I told him I intend to be one of those people. He smiled and said "okay."

I asked about that word we are used to hearing, "remission," and he explained that there are two types of remission. Complete remission and partial remission. Complete remission is when there is no cancer left to see on a CT scan; like it never happened. Partial is when you have the structure there, but no activity. So I'm in partial remission. I could also tell he didn't like to use the word remission too much.

So now what I need to do is concentrate on getting the dormant cancer to leave my body. I'm not sure how that happens. The body must take the dead cancer cells away and get rid of them... I'll do whatever it takes.

And like my sister, who surprised us with a short, drive by visit the other day said, "I guess I'll be seeing you around then Lon..." Yes, you will, you most definitely will.