Friday I had my first post-treatment checkup which went well. My doc said the plan is blood work every 3 months and CT scan every year, and to report if I develop any symptoms. I asked her what kind and she said mainly bloating, weight gain, and loss of appetite from the cancer seeding to the abdominal cavity. If I had any problems then I would get a CT scan. Mainly the best monitor is my CA-125 tumor count. She said it will take several tests to find my average level, which could take a year to establish. She also reassured me that because my initial count was so high (412; norm 35), it would be easier to detect cancer growth than with other tumors.
I got my blood drawn on a Friday, so I had to wait until today (tues) to get the results. They drew my vitamin D level as well- I didn't know why but then I researched:
- Using newly available data on worldwide cancer incidence, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at UCSD have shown a clear association between deficiency in exposure to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet B (UVB), and ovarian cancer
- In general, ovarian cancer incidence was highest at the highest latitudes in both hemispheres
- Taking 1,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D 3 daily appears to lower an individual’s risk of developing certain cancers – including colon, breast, and ovarian cancer – by up to 50 percent,
Back to the more important result: CA-125 = 13 !!! That's my normal when I was on chemo so it's very good. Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. It was a hard 3 days. Honestly I don't know what I would do if it comes back. To have to go through that entire process all over again- with new chemo drugs and having to lose my hair AGAIN. A whole year of that crap. Most of the time I don't think about the cancer at all- I have so many other things to worry about (job search, waiting to return to school, growing hair). It's like I erased the whole bad part of last year. I seriously can't believe how I put up with all that shit. It's nice to say that I have moved on and will continue to move forward until every three months when I have that checkup. When I am forced to think about it again, I naturally get all worried. This time I really was debating waiting to call about the results. Of course they don't call me- I have to call them. I was thinking that again I would put off knowing so that I could enjoy the holidays. Actually last year that didn't really work because I was trying hard not to tell my parents and that was agony. If the cancer was back this time it would totally change everything. A definite damper on my X-mas trip back home.
In sum, everything's normal and I'm cancer-free. Thursday is my birthday and also is when the SU nurse practitioner first felt my mass. So it's been almost exactly a year since the signs and over a year since the symptoms began. I'm looking forward to a better birthday and the start of a new year.
