The good, the bad and the ugly

Today was my meeting with the surgeon to go over my CT scan results. Miriam, Eric and I drove down to PMH for my 9:00 appointment. After waiting for three hours (the doctor's schedule had been shuffled because of a meeting, and my scan results were late getting to her office)we finally met with her to the disappointing news that surgery was not my best option. I suppose we were hoping that there would be a nasty tumor that could just be removed.

My cancer now has a name - primary peritoneal cancer. A diffuse tumor in the abdominal cavity involves blood supply to the bowel - surgery would remove a big part of the bowel, there is too much risk of complications, and they would not be able to remove it all. Because we know that it is also in the thoracic cavity, the likelihood of a cure is low, but not zero.

On the brighter side, I am responding well to my chemo, so will continue for an additional three rounds, and will then be monitored every three months. If the cancer returns before six months have passed, then my prognosis will not be good (an indication that the cancer is resistant to the drugs). If it does not return for a couple of years, that will be a good thing. I look forward to lots of feel-good days during the summer, and am relieved not to have invasive surgery and painful recovery in my future. For now, I am living each day as it comes, smelling the roses, and determined to make the most of what I have.