I've been in radiation for a a little more than a week now and it's going well. The spot on my spine will be done on Friday, then just 6 more weeks for the chest area. I go every day, but on Mondays I get to see the doctor. So yesterday I thought I would ask him about my liver since we've got this phase of treatment off and running. When I asked him, first he said, "Well I don't think those little spheres are going to work for you" meaning the one option with the radioactive beads and so I asked him why. He said he showed my scan to the liver cancer specialist (although it's not technically liver cancer, it's breast cancer in my liver) and he said there was really nothing to treat. What? Slam on the brakes here a minute mister....NOTHING TO TREAT????? My look of astonishment prompted him to go on and he said when the liver guy looked at it, there really wasn't anything to see. I gathered my composure enough to say "But the oncologist said there was really very little change to my liver, and then he amended that and said two spots were gone but there was still a little pocket of weirdness in there but no actual structures." (Okay so my doctor didn't call it a pocket of weirdness but that's how I like to think of it). The radiation guy said no, there's been change and the liver guy says we just need to watch it and if it comes back, we'll treat it then. They'll scan me again near or at the end of radiation and see if anything is going on and if there is, they'll address it then but for right now, there is nothing to treat in my liver. Now I suspect that doesn't mean there's nothing in my liver. I don't think they can say that, but there is nothing of enough significance or substance to treat at this time.
As awesome as this sounds, I am having a hard time believing and embracing this news. This is the same scan I had done pre-surgery, back in early May. On May 10th, the oncologist made it sound like the liver hadn't improved, and there might not be anything we can do but "manage" it the best we can to keep it at bay for as long as we can. That was a downer meeting for sure. On May 11 is when I dived further into alternatives and began mediating, taking supplements, tweaking my diet even more by cutting out sugar, alcohol, and white bread/flour, and really working on my attitude, thinking, and faith. Then, on May 20, same oncologist, same scan....there were suddenly changes and options. Actually, two spots were gone and the last spot wasn't a structure anymore but still some sort of activity but we could zap it right out. This was a happy meeting. Then last week with the radiation guy there wasn't just one option for treatment for my liver but three! Yay! And now the liver guy (who I haven't actually met) says there's nothing to treat. CRAZY...it's all the same freakin' scan from May 7th! So it reminds me of a variation on the classic joke....How many doctors does it take to change a lightbulb? In my case four, except by the 4th doc the bulb doesn't need changing anymore!
I see my oncologist again next week on the 21st, and I am thinking about meeting with the liver guy face-to-face and see what he has to say directly. Or, I can just enjoy the news, wait for my new scan later this summer, and then make the rounds of specialists if needed.
I think this gives strong credence to the belief that God works in mysterious ways!
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