Aaaah, back to reality. It feels strange to be back in Phoenix. The weather right now is absolutely perfect, but ever since I got back from New Zealand I have been thinking of where I want to travel next. I really have the travel bug now.
I have sort of a busy month coming up with two of my sisters visiting and my best friend coming for a short period of time in between. I am also going to Mexico for a little while as well. I want to start planning for another big trip, but I think I need to wait until I get my next PET scan and see the results before I do any sort of planning. If the PET scan shows progression then they will probably put me back on chemotherapy. If that’s the case then I will need to wait to see how my body reacts, especially if they are taking me off the taxotere and starting something new. Hopefully this won’t be the case and I can just stick with the Erbitux for maintenance.
I have a feeling that if I can stay off of the chemotherapy for another month or so then I will be feeling pretty good, except for the slight back pain. The chemotherapy side effects are slowly wearing off. I feel stronger and the mornings that I feel nauseous are becoming less and less. Only time will tell.
I was thinking about the trip today and chuckled to myself because whenever I asked someone at the airport for assistance with my bags they always asked me suspiciously who the help was for. When I would reiterate that I was the one needing help because I have lung cancer they immediately looked at me with sympathetic and confused eyes. I actually get a kick out of people’s reactions when I tell them I have cancer. Usually the first thing they ask is if I smoke followed by some sort of question of how I got cancer and how long I’ve had it. It’s really annoying when people ask ignorant questions like that. It just goes to show that there is not enough education regarding this horrific disease. I joke with people saying that if they knew how we got cancer, there probably would be a cure.
Sometimes when I start telling people about the types of things that I’ve gone through over the past year and a half, their eyes glaze over. I have to remember that most people don’t understand the verbiage and lingo related to cancer. It’s also hard for others sometimes to comprehend what I’ve gone through. I guess thats why lately I have been feeling an urge to get my story and face out there. There are so many stereotypes to cancer and I am the last person that someone would expect getting it.
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Add a Comment2 Comments
Melissa,
Go easy on us out here! Most of us have never met someone who is as young and vibrant and seemingly healthy as you are who is busy fighting a horribly aggressive lung cancer. You are an amazing ambassador for just what Pat said -- helping realize that people live with cancer every day. I have read your posts almost since you started writing them and yet I'm still amazed at you. I can understand how someone who meets you and your warrior spirit in person wouldn't believe you were ill!!!
April 5, 2010 - 10:05amThis Comment
Welcome back, Melissa, it's good to have you home! I so enjoyed your stories about your trip to New Zealand, and could feel your joy in sharing them with us.
I can relate to your comments about they way people react to those of us with cancer. There's a lot of ignorance out there, and the more that people like you are willing to go public and share your story - with all of the elements including the bad ones - the better it will be for all of us. Today there are more people living with cancer than dying from it, and with the aging of the population it's highly likely that most people who live a long life will have some kind of cancer at some point in their life. If more people understood that they would likely become more curious and want to be more educated instead of doing the glazed eyes and get away from me routine. So, keep on sharing your story with us, we're all ears and waiting for your next post!
April 1, 2010 - 5:15pmGlad you're back, Pat
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