Julie

Apr 272018
 

On Monday, I went to the cancer center for my PET scan. When I got there, I had to go upstairs to get my port accessed, then back downstairs for the scan. The technician injected me with a radioactive substance, after which I sat in a small room alone for an hour waiting to become “radioactive.” Continue reading »

 Posted by at 8:34 pm
Apr 172018
 

Every time I go for my Keytruda, they do what’s known as a BMP (basic metabolic panel). It’s a group of labs that includes (among other things) my sodium and my eGFR. I also have a BMP done once a month for my nephrologist. Anyway, every time I have one done, I call within the next few days to get the sodium and eGFR results. Continue reading »

 Posted by at 5:43 pm
Nov 252017
 

Every time I see my oncologist, he says something like, “The consensus seems to be that people who are on Keytruda should stay on it for at least a year after they’re showing no signs of disease…” So this time before he could say anything more, I asked, “Am I even there yet? Continue reading »

 Posted by at 9:22 pm
Oct 262017
 

You may (or may not) be wondering why it’s taken me so long to come back with the results of my CT scan. I couldn’t get in until the 24th.

In the meantime, I got a letter from my insurance company saying my PET scan had been denied because that test isn’t the standard of care for monitoring my type of cancer. Continue reading »

 Posted by at 10:05 pm
Sep 222017
 

You may not be familiar with the word “scanxiety,” but it’s one with which most people who have cancer are well acquainted. There’s no official definition, but I’m sure the word itself gives you the gist of it. Continue reading »

 Posted by at 8:25 pm
Aug 132017
 

I wasn’t looking forward to August 3 this year. On August 3 of 2015, I was initially diagnosed with cancer. I had no idea what was in store for me, but I was terrified. Had I known the full extent of what I’d have to go through, I’m not sure I’d have had the strength to face it. In case you’re wondering, cancer’s not as bad as you think it is. Continue reading »

 Posted by at 7:25 pm