Complete Remission

The magic phrase I've been waiting for for the last 2 years.

After getting "perfect" blood test results 3 days ago, I was quietly hopeful my upcoming scan would be good. Blood analysis can reveal indications of the body fighting cancer or things starting to go askew. Perfect results were therefore a good start.

Cancer patients who undergo regular scanning as part of their treatment or their regular checkups refer to the natural anxiety before a scan as "scanxiety". I can't say I suffered much of it, but I'd be lying by saying there wasn't any. I never lost any sleep over it, and managed to feel calm and mostly resigned to whatever the results would be. Yet I was eagerly waiting for the scan and more importantly its results.

Finally, yesterday was scan day. It was a much easier and faster test than the full Petscans I've had over the months. Petscans carry high risks of false positives now that I am under observation, so checkups are done with simple scans instead.

I waited a couple hours for the results to be interpreted and passed to my Doctor before meeting with her.

Patching Di in on a video call, we listened to the Doc read and explain the results. She was all smiles, positive words and happiness explaining how good the results were, and she had no hesitation in declaring me to be in complete remission.

You will understand the joy and relief Di and I felt, after 2 difficult years and progressively harsher and harsher treatments.

It is a huge achievement that took a whole team to reach. I am so grateful to all who helped in one way or another, from the hugely dedicated medical team, to those who helped directly, and everyone who simply kept me in their thoughts and sent words of encouragement.

I am not fully out of the woods yet. My statistical risks of relapsing remain around 40%, a non negligible amount. Still, you can't walk a mile without walking the first step and complete remission is a strong and important first step.

Today is the first day of my new cancer free life!

After celebrating with a friend here, I will be heading back to Enfin in a few days to celebrate in style with Di and give plenty of hugs to Princess.