Remission times two

Almost four years ago (May 2013) I saw my doctor with the concern that I may have cancer. The summer that followed that visit was filled with a whirlwind of emotions as I started on the journey to save my life. It didn’t help that the local specialists were either booked or on vacation and the cancer was visibly growing. My husband went through my journey with me in such a supportive way that he would often say “We have cancer.” Little did we know at the time, that he too had cancer. It was just a mist showing up on a CT scan from 2011, but no one knew what it was, and his doctor at the time didn’t pursue a diagnosis. His cancer was diagnosed as a much slower growing variety, and he did not need chemotherapy until this January (2017). Now is the time that I can be there for my husband so that “We have cancer” is a saying that is repeated in our home. At the same time as his cancer was becoming a hard mass that needed immediate attention, I was feeling an alarming pain in my arm. I was concerned that cancer had further spread in my bones. On my last bone scan, I received a diagnosis of stage four cancer when a spot was found on my spine. My cancer doctor had not ordered a bone scan on my last checkup as he said he was afraid of what he would find. He was concerned that more chemotherapy could take away my quality of life. Then came the arm pain.

Persistent pain brings another bone scan

I am grateful that I have a new general physician who is also caring and concerned. He ordered a bone scan so we could know whether cancer has spread beyond my spine. In the meantime, my husband has received his fourth out of six treatments of chemotherapy. His specialist warned him that his mass had been so large that it may not go completely into remission. Richard has a follow-up CT scan scheduled. However, his doctor is very confident the CT scan will show as good a response as he has experienced in the external mass has shown. Richard’s doctor can find no sign of cancer in any of his lymph nodes. It appears that he is in full remission.  We are joyful for God’s goodness!

My results

I got my results back from my bone scan, and I was surprised. I would have been joyful if the cancer had not progressed and especially so if my arm was not involved in the spread of cancer. However, the results showed no sign of cancer at all, not even in the original spot where it was found! We are now both in remission and grateful to God for His goodness!

My path

Four years ago cancer was threatening to end my life. I still had so much I wanted to accomplish for the Lord Jesus, yet I did not know whether I would live to see another spring. In that difficult time, I learned how to live with uncertainty and how to be grateful for every day that I had on this earth. Later I also learned how to live with cancer and to once again plan for the future. Now I need to learn how to live without cancer while still knowing that life can be uncertain at the best of time. Cancer is still a chronic disease that can come back.

My arm is doing much better, and it appears to be strained muscles and possibly a pinched nerve in my neck. It isn’t cancer.

Richard and I have remission times two. I want to give thanks to the Lord Jesus for doing above and beyond what I expected and for giving us life times two. I am joyful to announce, “We have remission!”