Testing...1, 2, 3.

Over the past few weeks I've enjoyed greeting a bit of normality into my life. As of last week, I no longer have to have my blood drawn twice a week. As of this week, I can pretty much eat whatever I want. As of tomorrow, the port in my chest will be removed and I don't have to deal with having a doorbell sewn into my chest any longer.

The quarterly chest scan came back unchanged today and I'll get the results from everything else (kidney, heart, bone) tomorrow...hopefully while I'm sitting at home sleeping off the morning's surgery to remove the port which to my knowledge closely resembles pulling the drawstring out of a pair of sweatpants. Sweatpants, jugular, what's the difference?...

I'll get back to you tomorrow.

CP

2/1/07 Post Script:

The port's out. The tests all looked good. We're packing for Mexico. Adios Porto!

Now what? Grow hair. Get back to my normal life which I guess lies somewhere between real estate, women's fashion, and the great outdoors. Go back to Durham every three months for the next two years and be rescan during what the doctors have deemed the high risk period for a reoccurrence. Move on.

High risk period! Sounds scary. What I can confidently say, acknowledging that these scans are an intense and worrisome pain in the butt, is that I have done and will continue to do everything I can to reduce the risk of a reoccurrence even though there still is one...one that dramatically dwindles after two years and just about disappears after five. Until then, I'll keep plugging away and will continue to update this blog on anything worthy of making the Chronicles.

After all this, there is a good chance that I will only return to Duke from now on to undergo checkups rather than treatments. Thanks to everyone for their support and best wishes to all those who are fighting their own fights, whatever they may be.