Oncologist Visit

I had an appointment with my oncologist yesterday to go over my recent bloodwork. I have to get my blood drawn every two weeks or so, just to make sure everything is within the normal range. Most things were in the correct range, and things that were outside of it are correcting themselves. The only thing that was new was the presence of (excess) liver enzymes. My oncologist wasn't concerned as the level was not very far outside the normal range. He thinks it will go back to normal soon.

I'll have a PET scan something within the next month to make sure there isn't any cancer left (not a 100% guarantee since there can be small enough masses to not show up). I'll need to have them a few times a year for the next couple of years, then once a year until 5 years have passed. That's a lot of exposure to radiation!

All these dealings with cancer have left me paranoid about developing another type of cancer. The chemotherapy I got for Hodgkin's was ABVD, which isn't that bad. It's only given once every 2 weeks. Don't get me wrong, it was terrible, but I can't even imagine how horrible it must be to get chemo multiple times a week. I'm going to schedule a visit with a dermatologist soon. I want to have get a skin check for melanoma. I have some dark lines in a couple of my fingernails (that can be a sign of melanoma).

I've been tracking my fruit and vegetable consumption lately and it's alarmingly low. There are days when I don't manage to eat 5 servings a day, which is absurd! It might explain why I'm having trouble losing weight (I gained 45 pounds during chemo, and was plump to begin with). It's also important to get enough fiber to prevent colon cancer.

My garden has been sorely neglected, but I have some lovely strawberry plants and herbs. My next post will feature my tiny food garden.