Hematology Doctor Appt

Just to expand a bit on the post from yesterday. The doctor appointment went very smoothly and quick this time around. No waiting for 3 hours, probably because this time I was prepared for a long wait.

The nurse checked my blood pressure and went over all my bloodwork and said that it all looked good. My white count and hemoglobin have recovered from the chemo.

The doctor reviewed the PET scan results and I still have a spot on my right lung but it's shrunk from 11 mm from the last scan to 8 mm and didn't show any signs of reacting to the sugars which means it's not cancerous. I also still have scarring in my lungs which isn't a surprise to anyone.

The rest of my organs looked normal and the spot that was on my hip last time is cleared. No lymph nodes to be found anywhere. Woohoo!

The doctor then felt around my neck and armpits for nodes but seeing as I had no lumps when I did have cancer, I'm not sure what she expected to feel when I just had a clean scan.

The doctor said that it's about a 50/50 chance of the cancer returning and because I had the large cell type of lymphoma, she didn't recommend any sort of preventative medication.

I'll see her every 3 months for the next year and then every 4 months during year two and 6 months until year 5, then yearly. Most people would be followed by her only for the next 5 years but she's stuck with me forever. But no follow up CT scan until the '1 year after treatment' mark (about 9 months from now) which is a bit surprising. I had read online they did CT scans every 3 months for the first year after treatment but I guess sometimes the internet lies.

That's about all the information. It's a huge relief to have a conclusively clean scan. I know the last one basically showed there was no cancer but it wasn't a 100% clear scan. Now it is! I feel much better about it this time around. The doctor said that the longer the cancer doesn't come back, the decreased chance that it'll return at all.

I guess this means I'm technically in remission, even though the doctor never said those words. She just said that the scan was clean and that I, "responded to treatment better than anyone ever expected." Mom said I need to put that on my resume.