Some Good News

Just about two months ago I went for my first bone scan. It was not a pretty day as I knew something was wrong when they kept scanning my chest and sent me for extra chest x-rays. The technician told me there was something in my chest...which technically she shouldn't have, but I kept asking her why the extra scans. I ended up crying in the parking lot with my mom for a while before we could leave. Today was bone scan #2. When a wonderful friend and I arrived at the clinic all those bad memories came back. I kept wondering what this scan would show...had it grown? Had it spread to any new bones? I had been told that with this localized spread being so close to by breast it could still be "gotten" with radiation and therefore I can be cured...but if things get worse this is probably not a possibility. Anyways scan number 2 lasted about 15 minutes and then I anxiously waited for the technician to come get me out of the machine. She seemed to be taking a long time and I could see her sitting in front of her computer looking at something...not a good sign in my mind. When she returned she told me that things "looked really good". After I stopped crying I asked her what she meant by this. She took me back into the the room with the computers and pulled up both my scans...the one from April and then today's. On April's scan you could see a black section on my sternum...a fairly large black mark...I might guess at least 3 inches. On the new scan there was no black, only a slightly darker gray colour...almost the same colour as the rest of my bones. She said that it still had to be looked at by the doctor but by what she could see things have shrunk tremendously. Again the tears started to flow. When I got out to the waiting room my friend was patiently waiting, took one look at my red, tear stained face and got worried. We went right outside and I shared the good news with her...what a moment. I know this is only a small step/victory. I am still waiting to get the official results from my oncologist on Tuesday and also get my CAT scan results, but at least for the next few days I think I can hold onto this little bit of good news. As least I know that the chemo is working and if it is working in my breast and sternum then there shouldn't be any bad news from the CAT scan. Since all the cancerous cells in my body are the same, no mater of the location, the chemo should be working on all of them. It will still be difficult waiting for next Tuesday to come, but at least now I know that the ache that I have been having in my chest the last few weeks is not a sign that the cancer is spreading, but from the poison doing its job!