Cancer - the gift that keeps on giving

So, it is all over, or so everyone thinks. I have survived the surgeries, chemo, radiation, biological therapies and moved on. However, it is not over. There are still the oncologist and surgeon visits (1 each) every six months, full day mammogram, ultrasound, mri every year, gynecologist every year, radiation oncologist every year, general practioner every year, dermatologist every year. At least 8 doctors appts. and one full day of testing per year for the rest of my life just to make sure that the cancer can't sneak back in undetected. And I still have my port in which needs to be flushed once every six weeks. Need to make an appt. to have it out but that is another full day off of work since I will have some anesthetic and can't drive myself.

As if that isn't all enough, there is the continued fatigue which comes at the least expected times, is never welcome and doesn't know when to go home. Days or weeks can go by in which I get nothing done more than going to work, coming home, cooking my dinner and collapsing on the couch.

And now, something new (will the gifts never stop?). The pain - aching in my joints, aching of my muscles, aching of every part of my body except my nose. The Herceptin did a number on my muscles, particularly the large muscle groups of the quads (thighs) and glutes (butt). The slightest bit of exertion - walking casually, gardening, etc. causes aches and pains as if I have been working out for 4 hours. It takes me about 5 - 6 days to recover. Just not normal! And the lower back pain. I have never had that in my whole life and find it very difficult to deal with.

And just when I thought that I had escaped the worst of it and recovered so well after the numerous batterings my body had taken! Will this never be gone?!?!

Needless to say, there has been some concern over these new events from my huge doctor support team. The first step was blood tests which came back good. I am not anemic and all of my blood levels are normal.

The next step was to run a bone scan which should show up any "hot" spots in my bones. This is my third one. The last two showed nothing except that the chemo had caused an additional 13% bone loss putting me on the edge of osteoporosis (thanks for that gift also). So.....yesterday, I had to take yet another day off of work (how do people ever lead normal lives with this), a day that I would have rather used going to the beach, on a trip, vacation or even just enjoying myself rather than making yet another trip to the hospital. The bone scan takes the better part of the day since you have to first go in and get an infusion of radioactive isotope, then go away for 3 hours while it processes and then go back to lay under the machine for another 40 minutes or so while it "reads" the results of the isotope moving through your bones.

I am assuming that "nothing" was found since I haven't heard back from my doctor yet but guess that I won't completely relax until I get the results.

And that is just another day in the life of a cancer "survivor". Yes, thankful that I am a survivor but still and forever living with the gift that keeps on giving...........