[2022-04-27] Radiation oncology check-in #7
I was so excited to tell you about my podcast episode (Meanderings with Trudy) that I decided to wait until today to provide an update on yesterday's appointment with my radiation oncologist.
My follow-up with Dr. Jin was originally scheduled to be by phone, but I requested that it be in person because I wanted her to take a look at the area in question. She did and concluded that everything looks good externally—I've healed well on the outside—and that there's no evidence of recurrence of perianal skin cancer.
Both Dr. Jin and her resident did an internal exam, which was...well...uncomfortable. Dr. Jin noted that I may have scar tissue caused by the radiation, which would account for my discomfort during bowel movements. This may go away in time.
On the plus side, this is the last side effect I am experiencing from the radiation treatment; everything else feels back to normal.
I share this because there's value in knowing just how long a process it can be to undergo and recover from radiation treatment. From my surgery on November 15, to radiation between January 5 and February 8, to recovery that will no doubt stretch into May, it's been a long haul.
Nevertheless, I look back on the past six months with a measure of gratitude, knowing that I did what I needed to do to take care of my second cancer.
I took advantage of my being at the Irving Greenberg Family Cancer Centre for my meeting with Dr. Jin to get my monthly blood work done as a follow-up to ovarian cancer.
I'm thrilled that my CA125 remains at 8. It's now been 17 months that the level of cancer antigen in my blood has been within the normal range (below 35).
My other blood results are also positive. My white blood cells and neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) are at their highest levels in 19 months. My white blood cells are at 4.1 (normal range 3.5 to 10.5) and my neutrophils are at 3.1 (normal range 2.0 to 7.5). This is the first time since September 2020 that they've been above 4 and 3, respectively.
My follow-ups with Dr. Jin regarding my perianal skin cancer will now stretch to every 3-4 months, similar to the schedule for my follow-ups for ovarian cancer. Having had cancer—twice, in fact—it's never really gone from my mind, but, as each month goes by, it occupies a smaller and smaller portion of my consciousness.
