2017 update...

WOW....what a year....my "new" job is going great....i opened our first independent location for my martial arts school (Oct 2016) -- no more shared space -- no more hauling gear in, setting up before classes and then packing up, hauling gear out each week. it is nice BUT takes a BUNCH more time to clear and ensure the space is ready for classes.

following the revised treatment plan, the labs/blood work were fine. again NO CT scan this year. everything looked great. so great in fact, that we discussed how to proceed. the recurrence rate for my type of cancer is very low after 5 years cancer free. it is dramatically lower at 10 years out from treatment. this year marks 12 years cancer free. SOOOOOOO, there is a new plan = annual standard bloodwork will continue, BUT that is all. no more annual dr visits. a visit or scan can be scheduled IF needed due to other symptoms or concerns necessitate one.

ps -- i have not yet put together any sort of 10 year "i'm not dead yet" celebration. maybe i will be able to fit that into 2018 somewhere/sometime....or maybe i will just wait until 2020 when it will be 15  years.

2016 update...

i apologize for the delay in posting...it has been a hectic year with getting settled into my "new" job (October 2015).

the labs/blood work were fine. NO CT scan this year. everything looked great, so we will continue with this new plan -- once-a-year dr. visits with my standard bloodwork BUT still minus CT scans. scans will only happen if/when needed due to other symptoms or concerns necessitate one.

i have not yet put together any sort of 10 year "i'm not dead yet" celebration. maybe i will be able to fit that into 2017 somewhere/sometime.....(not likely)

2015 update...

well it has been almost 10 years since i finished my treatments -- finished chemo on June 28, 2005 and finished radiation on July 25, 2005. so to "celebrate", i had my annual followup visit.

the labs/blood work were fine. CT scan was normal/stable. so we continue with the once-a-year visits BUT with a new twist....no more annual CT scans. moving forward i will have annual bloodwork and dr. visits. we will save the scan for situations where other symptoms or concerns necessitate one. YAY!!!

i think i will be putting together some sort of 10 year "i'm not dead yet" celebration. the last "formal" celebration was at 5 years. maybe a state street bar crawl, food along the way, and end with a night of fun at the piano bar...now....where/how do i fit THAT into my jam packed Summer????...stay tuned for details.

2014 update...

last week I had my annual followup visit ... the labs/blood work were fine. CT scan was normal/stable. so we continue with the once-a-year visits -- CT scan , bloodwork, and dr. visit.

next year will be 10 years since this adventure began. glad that it is now just "regular" check-ups.

2013 update...

a couple weeks ago I had my annual followup visit ... the labs/blood work were fine. CT scan was normal/stable. the "prominent" lymph nodes have not changed since last year. follow up with dr. hei to review results was uneventful. so we continue with the once-a-year visits -- scans (regular CTs now), bloodwork, and dr. visit.

closing in on 10 years cancer free. hard to believe it has been this long already since all this started (Feb 2005).

2012 update....

a few weeks ago I had my annual followup ... this time it again included a PET scan to confirm that the area of concern from 2010 was fine and does not have high activity. AND...it was fine and the area only had baseline activity, so that "scare" is officially behind me and we are DEFINITELY on the "annual follow-up" plan.

the following week, the labs/blood work were fine and follow up with dr. hei was uneventful.so we continue with the once-a-year scans (regular CTs now) and bloodwork and dr. visit.

7 years cancer free and still kicking.....

2011 update....

had my PET scan today.... it was fine, nothing exciting..... there are less "side effects" (read intestinal issues to be nice about it) than a CT scan due to the fact that they use a radioactive glucose solution instead of the icky contrast BUT PET scan itself takes approx 30 minutes  where a regular CT scan only takes a few minutes. in either case the appointments take a few hours -- CT because you have to drink the icky stuff -- PET because you have to sit still for 45 min after the glucose injection to let it travel throughout your body.

.... so today the 80's song Radioactive  by THE FIRM is playing in my head...lol

the labs/blood work were fine and follow up with dr. hei was uneventful. the areas we were double-checking were just barely above baseline activity and had not changed in size. back to a annual scan, labs, and follow up routine. YAY!!!

2010 update .... part 2

had my additional CT scan/labs Nov 10 and the followup Nov 17. everything looks good, in fact the lump in my abdomen (which has been on my scans all along) is back to its previous size....so truly nothing to worry about. i have changed my "annual" appointment set in May 2011 to include a PET scan (which looks at cellular activity) in stead of a CT just as a final confirmation that everything is fine.


so once that scan and set of labs come back fine...it will really be back to annual follow up visits....YAY!!!!

2010 update...

so last week i went in to have my blood draw for my lab AND my CT Scan -- now only done annually for both. the appointment went fine. no surprises.

today, i went for my follow up appointment. they were packed. i saw a different doctor, not dr. hei, to go through my lab results and scan. everything came back great. all my levels are right where they should be. my scan shows everything is stable, nothing new, and nothing to be concerned about. so, all in all, an excellent visit.

on my way out i scheduled my next round of appointments for May 2011....boy that feels good.

approx 1 week after my follow up, dr hei called to let me know that a lump in my lower abdomen (which has been on my scans all along) has grown slightly...2mm... so we are scheduling another scan/labs/follow up appointment set for November. he is fairly certain it is nothing BUT better to be overly cautious.

long over due update...

i was reading an article today that contained great advice i wish i would have gotten before and during my time undergoing cancer treatment. it includes 10 great tips on how to live your life (see link below). so i decided to post something to share that with everyone AND noticed that i had not posted anything about my last appointment (back in May 209). so here is the link AND the belated May 2009 update.

http://www.lifereboot.com/2010/10-things-i-wish-someone-told-me-10-years-ago/

5/19/2009 -- had my annual CT scan AND follow up appointment with dr. hei. everything looks great. the plan is to keep doing what i am doing and come back in 1 year for a checkup. finally, i am on an annual scan/visit plan.....hopefully within a few years i can back that off even more. IF NOT, once a year is not sooooo bad...**SMILE**