Thoughts After Another MIBG Scan

This past Tuesday, I went back to CHOP for Part 1 of my usual MIBG scan. These scans occur every 8 weeks as check-ups to ensure that my cancer is not growing, and to see if my chemo is having an even better response by getting rid of the little bit of cancer I still have. For about a year now, they've been coming back "great", to use the exact word of my doctor. They actually come back "negative", meaning they do not see active tumors anymore. This is definitely great news! But it does not mean I am in remission. I do still have tiny spots of cancer throughout my body; my doctor always calls this "smut" - I don't think that's a technical term. ;) However, these spots are not showing up as active, or malignant. Of course, there's always the possibility that they could become malignant, which is why I'm still pursuing so many different treatment options. We want to make sure that I'm still fighting against it, instead of laying low and inviting it to come back and invade harder than before.

If I have to still have cancer, this is not a bad scenario. I can keep fighting but also heal a bit and continue to get stronger. Taking trial chemos means that there's always the possibility that something will work really well and completely get rid of everything; but even if that doesn't happen, which is still unlikely, I have a good chance of keeping things stable for a while. This is how it's been for over a year now, and it keeps getting better. I'm happy with that.

I got the results back for this most recent scan on Wednesday, and once again, they're "great" and coming back "negative". My doctor made sure I was doing well with this current chemo, made me another appointment for the same kind of scan in another 8 weeks, and sent me on my way. This is pretty much the way of things now. For a cancer patient, I have surprisingly little interaction with the hospital right now - and as much as I dearly love the people there, I'm terribly happy about it. Sure, it would be even nicer if I didn't have to make that appointment in 8 weeks, but it's so far away from how I started this cancer journey. Every step away is a good, strong step. And one day, the scan is going to come back even better than great, and I will take my last step out of that hospital.