My metastatic cancer is shrinking
The best Christmas gift I could have had
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I checked my email an hour ago and noticed an update to my Patient Portal. I checked it out. I finally got the result for my CT scan that happened a couple of weeks ago.
I had met with a nurse after the scan. I asked her about my results. She said, “you’re stable.”
Since I have metastatic lung, brain, and liver cancer — I assumed stable meant that my cancer was either not growing or growing very slowly. Because it’s very unusual for a third time cancer patient with metastatic cancer to actually see their tumors shrink.
However, when I checked out my CT scan results… my tumors have shrunk.
Not by a lot. Most have only shrunk by .1 cm. One, however, shrunk by .6 cm. That’s huge. Like, 15% smaller.
I am calling this my Christmas miracle.
I praise God for this. Frankly, the doctors have not expected me to survive.
My surgeon told me, when I asked him for an honest answer, that he expected me to live about 6 months after my brain surgery. That was 8 months ago. My oncologist didn’t want me to travel. She thought I was too fragile. My other oncologist (I’ve got two because of the extent of the metastases) expressed surprise at how well I’ve responded to radiation. However, when I asked her if she was sure she wanted to do a CT scan since that could have long term effects, she told me, “We need to worry about the short term.” In other words — chances are I wouldn’t be around for the long term.
Don’t get me wrong. My doctors are great. I am a big proponent of science, and modern medicine saves lives. But it is not the only factor.
Hopefully, anyone reading this who is suffering from a chronic condition will take heart. Don’t give up. Don’t assume that a doctor is right when they expect you to die. Miracles happen. It’s possible to beat the odds. Have faith and stay positive. Don’t give up. You have no expiration date.
