Except for the cancer...

Had an annual check up (okay, it's been 18 months since my last visit, but who's counting??) with my primary care physician (formerly known as "my doctor") on Tuesday and he concluded, "Except for the cancer, you're healthy." That really cracked me up. I know what he meant -- no heart disease, no diabetes, no high blood pressure (my cholesterol is unknown at this point). Still, I find it funny that I can be considered healthy in spite of having bilateral pulmonary metastases.

Speaking of which, I don't know if any of you watched The Truth About Cancer last night on PBS. It was a sobering look at cancer, treatment options, and our odds of survival. Ed and I kept looking at each other and asking, "Who's idea was it to watch this???" I found some of it very interesting, though. A woman with metastasized pancreatic cancer said she felt pressure from her family and friends to keep fighting despite the lack of options. One of the oncologists pointed out that for people with metastatic disease, one in 10 will live longer than two years but most patients are willing to try anything (experimental drugs, clinical trials) hoping they will be the "one." And that although many people point to Lance Armstrong as proof positive that if you keep pushing, stay in good shape, and have a positive attitude you'll beat cancer, his type of cancer responds very well to chemotherapy and that's why he recovered. Therefore, cancer doesn't care about your attitude or your willingness to fight. Chemo or other treatments will either beat it or not.

I know I mentioned I had a follow up visit with my surgeon scheduled for Monday the 14th. I didn't see him because he was already two hours behind schedule when I arrived for my appointment at 12:15, and 90 minutes later, he hadn't made up any ground. So, I rescheduled my appointment to May 12 and will provide an update at that time.

Tomorrow is chemo day again. My mom is coming to stay with us for the weekend so that Ed can get out to a swap meet. He refuses to leave me alone on "chemo weekend" so I guess she will be babysitting me. (Actually, can it be considered babysitting if you are watching your own child?) He'll be out looking for more car parts to buy while we read, eat soup and watch tv. Sounds like we'll all have a nice weekend. I hope you do, too!

Also, happy 22nd anniversary to Anne and Andy. Enjoy your mini-cruise!!