Last week (December 2) I had a CT to check my progress and today I received the results. I was really nervous about the scans because I had been having more stomach aches since around Thanksgiving. Luckily we met with the doctor and received very good news - no new growth, no tumors increased in size, and one tumor that shrunk by 2mm.
I still struggle a little bit internally with the fact that this is considered good news. I have always been an overachiever, so as I said before going from that first set of scans that showed a 75% reduction to these scans that show such small progress is tough to wrap my head around. But I need to be grateful for every single day that is progression free. Every day that I continue to tolerate this treatment and still keep my disease at bay is a blessing. The longer this one works, the longer we can wait until we are forced to try something new, and the longer I stay alive.
So, the plan is for 3 more rounds of the same treatment: Carboplatin and Etoposide reduced to 75% of their original level. As always I started the first round (round 9 over all) after my doctor's appointment today. I will have a 4 week recovery this time, and go back again January 4. Lucky me, I get to spend my 33rd birthday getting chemo.
This week is my 4th week back at work. It is also my 2nd time getting chemo since I've been back. Needless to say, it has been a pretty rough transition for me in multiple aspects. One hard part is adjusting to being on a schedule again after so many months of not having to be anywhere or do anything (other than appointments) at a specific time. Even though I usually got up when Alan went to work anyway, there is a big difference between hearing that alarm and switching from lying on your bed to your couch and knowing you have to go use your brain and accomplish something.
I also suffer from something people refer to as "chemo brain", which is common to happen when you are undergoing chemo and can even take a year or more to fully wear off in situations where people have no evidence of disease and are able to be off treatment. This makes me a little slower in thinking than I normally am. Sometimes I can't think of common terms for things.
One of the biggest things I am struggling with at work is being part time. I am used to working to get the job done, no matter what. Now I am on medical restriction for my hours, and it is important for me not to go over that amount. Luckily my managers and my team have all been incredibly awesome and supportive, and push me to pass my work off when it is outside of my hours and I am still working.
