Thursday, August 16, 2007

Ding Dong, Priscilla's DEAD

I think the title says it all. I'll let you read it a couple of times until the news sinks in a little.

The PET scan showed no living tumor - yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! I'm cancer free! I'm cancer free! My hair will grow back! My next step is to come back in three months for another CT scan to make sure Priscilla isn't trying to sneak back. I have a lot of questions for the doctors that I didn't get a chance to ask so I will call them tomorrow. My first question is, "Can I eat salad now?"

I had some minor bad news to go with this awesome news - one of the tests showed something on the two left nodes of my lungs. It's related to the virus and cough that I've had all week. I met with the Infectious Disease team this afternoon and was thoroughly interviewed and inspected. They think it's some sort of viral pneumonia and took a few tests just to be sure. They gave me some antibiotics and told me to call tomorrow if I'm still having fevers. I had a temperature of 102 this morning, but was completely normal at 2pm. I really want to kick this thing before we go on our vacation to the Outer Banks. The doctors said I should still go and have fun because I'm not deathly ill today, which I would be if it was something really serious.

It still hasn't hit me yet that I'm cancer free because I'm whirling from the viral pneumonia news. I'm trying to be excited, but this other thing kind of put a small black mark on my celebration. Maybe in a couple of hours I'll be jumping up and down with excitement. I called Gina and she was super excited so that definitely helped pump me up some more. I'm certain that once we get to Okacroke, NC on Saturday, I'll be really excited.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's AWESOME news!

Unknown said...

That is such INCREDIBLE NEWS, I am so happy for you and Mike!!!

I am also so in awe of your combined strength, fortitude and ... I can't think of other words cuz I'm just so HAPPY for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Now go have a well-deserved vacation!!!

-Jennifer and Rob Ray

Anonymous said...

That is wonderful news! CONGRATULATIONS!

I hope that you guys have a wonderful vacation. Lord knows you have more than earned it!

Katie, Pete, Michael and Madison

Anonymous said...

Woohoo! CONGRATS!!! This is terrific!!
- SK & Andy

Anonymous said...

I knew you could do it!!! Congrats!

Anonymous said...

YES!!!!!!

Julie B.
(doing the dance of joy)

Anonymous said...

YAY, Angela!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! This is the best news of the day!

Have fun on your vacation. I can't wait to see you when I go back to work!

Olivia

Anonymous said...

WOOHOOO!! I am soooo happy for you. Be gone Priscilla!

Can't wait to see you.

WashingtonGardener said...

That is TREMENDOUS! And just the good news I needed to hear as I was getting pretty grumpy about this cancer thing and the unfairness of it all - time to PARTAY this weekend - you deserve it!

Anonymous said...

WAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

Am thrilled and doing a little victory dance at my desk here. :)

Go you, and have a great vacation.

As for the pneumonia--I suspect that, in anyone else, it would be a cold but since your body is weaker, the germs took the opportunity to go wild. Again--have the juice, have the soup and get some rest.

BTW--here is how you and your cancer have inspired (read: shamed) me to actually do something about things I don't like in my life:
1) Started Weight Watchers-am down about 3.5 kg so far.
2) Signed up for the 5 day, nearly 500 KM Alyn Hospital Wheels of Love Ride (www.alynride.org). I won't hit you up to sponsor me until you are actually working again. :)
3) Started working with a career/life coach to work on my time/stress/people management skills
4) Came to an agreement with my boss that my work week is capped at 50-55 hours (trust me, for me, this is work-life balance). And I am sticking to it.

Basically got to the point where I simply could not bear another night of lying awake in bed, thinking over your daily emails and saying to myself "Gila, G-d did not save you from a bombing and cancer so you could spend all of your time at the office".

I know you plan to make sure that something good comes out of this nasty experience--just wanted you to know that your friends are taking something good out of it as well.

Gila

Luke said...

i can't say i'll miss her!

congrats to you! i heard it from Steve and Sue the day before we left! it was great news!

hope all is well currently, i'm gonna read & catch up on the goings on here. talk at you soon.