All things considered, it's not so bad. The worst is not knowing how many cycles I have in front of me. When I first had chemo four years ago, I started treatment in May and ended in December. Back then, I started chemo with no end date, too. It all depended on my CA27-29 results.
The first time I went through treatment, the fellow overseeing my treatment initially told me I would be on chemo the rest of my life. As the months went on, he told me that as soon as my CA27-29 results came down to the 30 range, I could stop. At the time I started chemo, my CA27-29 was in the 90s. It was like being on the biggest loser waiting for my results.
December 21, 2009, I had both my doctor and chemo appointment scheduled for the same day when I was given the wonderful news. My number was at an acceptable level. No more chemo for me, effective immediately. In addition to chemo, I had Aredia (a bone builder) scheduled so I still had an infusion that day but no more Taxol, the chemo drug I was taking.
As I sat there with the IV drip on my hand, my best friend, Liz by my side, tears ran down my face. The relief that it was over was overwhelming. I kept thanking God over and over and over again. No more driving back and forth to the medical center, no more blood tests, no more IV sticks, no more waiting rooms, for hours sometimes. My hair would grow back, my fatigue evaporate, I would have a new normal.
Flash forward to 2013, this time when I started chemo, my CA27-29 number had spiked to over 900 points. My test results from March showed the CA27-29 had gone down to 228. A 50 point drop from the previous cycle. I'm greedy, after two drops of over 300 points each, 50 points was a let down.
Cycle five day one, a CA27-29 result of thirty something seems so far away. It's best not to think about it. Best to just take it one day, one cycle at a time.
No comments:
Post a Comment