A Super Very Good Day

I guess the caption sort of takes away the mystery...my check-up with the oncologist went fine today. So, I have now moved past the 2 1/4 years "all clear" mark. Which means 3/4 of year until "the percentage of recurrences that we see drops precipitously" (or something like that...basically, with triple negative BC, like my old bad boy, recurrence generally occurs in the first three years, much less after that). I'm feeling good about that. Still need to get the blood test results back but all else was looking good. I can admit now that I thought I felt another thickening in the right breast, but it was in the same spot (and probably was the same spot) that the good and great Dr. Karam had done the ultrasound on before and it was and is only scar tissue from the radiation. Phew.

But wait...what do Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds have to do with my right breast? Well, nothing. But remember I told you my agent would be sending out THE PROPOSAL for The Dog Lived very soon? Well, today was the day! My baby is all "growed up" and out in the world! At this very moment she is in the clutches of several carefully selected editors at various publishing houses. I had a nice chat with my agent today just after I finished up my doctor's appointment and it seems that my baby is pretty and being generally coo-ed over. It helps that as it turns out three, three, of the editors who received the proposal are beagle-servants themselves! It's like Seamus has planted his minions out there to make sure this happens. Keep your fingers, toes and paws crossed for us.

That was my super, very good day.
Wait...wait...you saw "super very good day" and "The Proposal" and thought that Chris had.....oh, lord. You just don't know us at all.

Checking In and Up

Time has a way of flying by. I've heard that somewhere.

So, it's been one year and 3 months since I finished up all breast cancer treatments. And we know what that means...it's the quarterly visit to UCLA Medical Center! I go tomorrow to see Dr. Glaspy, my oncologist, for a check-up. And then of course we'll be seeing the good and great Dr. Karam for dinner which is more like a check-in. If you are wondering what the difference is, the obvious one is that I have my top on for one of those events. And there is food at only one of those events.

Although for the most part I've moved on to not even thinking about the breast cancer, it's inevitable that when I get close to the check-up appointment time I start paying too much attention to too many things. If my back or ankle hurt, instead of old age I (momentarily) think bone cancer? And lately anytime I eat anything I have to spend twenty minutes coughing and clearing my throat. And instead of thinking "allergies," I think throat cancer??  So I will be happy to go see Dr. Glaspy, have him say "all looks good" (and typically when I tell him my weird "symptoms" he smiles patiently and gives me the logical answer-- you know, like "old age" and "allergies.") Then I can return to forgetting about BC. Except for the fact that it is breast cancer awareness month. Hard to miss all that pink.

I did check my own blog here to remind myself where I was this time last year (this time 2 years ago, I was oblivious to the whole cancer thing!). And ironically, since it was then my first post-treatment quarterly oncology check-up--I was in pretty much the same situation (just with less hair). I was trying to think of myself as "any other dog" (a la Seamus). Hmmm...maybe I'm not progressing as much as I thought.

Ah well. Stay tuned. I'll report back in on the check-up and dinner with the good and great doctor. Perhaps we'll even get an updated photo on my hair status and his (he had shaved off all those gorgeous curls, so he's got some hair growing-out to do as well!). Oh, and you she see the massive head of hair Chris is sporting once again. Right, hair growth. Now that's going to be exciting....

Another Anniversary

This time-- January 8-- last year we were headed into UCLA Medical Center, ultrasound and mammogram reports in hand, to see the good and great Dr. Karam for the first time. Of course, we didn't know he was the "good and great" just then. That took a few minutes after meeting him.

This time last year I did not know definitively yet that I had breast cancer. That took a few minutes after meeting him. (Okay, it still wasn't said definitively to me yet--that took a few days--but he knew.)

This time last year was a very stressful time. And  a strange time. And an overwhelming time. And I remember actually, very little about it. I hadn't even started the blog then, so I don't have that to remind me either. I supposed I was a little numb, a little on auto-pilot (I get like that--very focused on "what's the problem and how do we fix it immediately").

I have a friend going through this very same thing right now, and she had an appointment with the good and great Dr. Karam yesterday (she also thinks he's good and great). Talking with her has made me reflect back on this cancer odyssey a bit. Wow, does it all seem like a long, long time ago. I think that's good though, right?

I go back to UCLA January 14th for my 6 month check-up (another mammogram, back to Dr. Glaspy the oncologist, the annual "woman" exam--which was delayed because apparently post-chemo you get funny results, so you have to wait a bit). Funny, January 12 was my "official" diagnosis day last year and January 13th was the MRI. I guess January is just my UCLA month.

UCLA did send me an anniversary gift last week. A bill for $480 (supposedly my share after insurance) from the biopsy on January 9 last year. Gee, thanks. I guess paper is the appropriate 1st anniversary gift.

P.S. I've mentioned to you how other BC bloggers tend to be much more uplifting and positive and eloquent than me the cancer dork (I might just be the Cancer Crab! But don't get me wrong, it's not like I was Mary Poppins before all this.). Here's two posts to show you what I mean. Both of these women have actually been through much more than me...and wow, what spirit they have! With deep admiration, I give you:

Stephanie at Bah to Cancer

and

Deborah at Love, Cancer, etc.