Let’s start by taking a collective sigh of relief: my PET scan results finally came in, and it’s good news. My oncologist’s nurse called me the morning of my husband’s birthday to say the scan shows “significant improvement”. Happy birthday, baby - the chemo is working 🎉

While I didn’t get more specific details from her, I did get access to the actual radiology report. I’m no expert at reading those, but I was able to glean a few things:

I was hopeful and optimistic for good results, but the anxiety certainly made itself a home. After two weeks of worry: relief. An immediate release of tension and a deep breath. Not only is it a relief from the scanxiety of the past 2 weeks, it’s a relief of the anxiety from getting the diagnosis in the first place. It’s the proof that things are improving and that I’m no longer in the scary place that I was 3 months ago.

To know that the treatment is working makes it easier to get through the second half of it. I’m fighting for something, and it’s working - I just have to keep fighting. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s hard to know how long I’ve had cancer, but I can suppose it’s been some time. I started this journey with a stage IV diagnosis and symptoms that were getting severe. I’ve been unhealthy for so long and didn’t realize the impact it was having on my body. Now, even though I’m going through something difficult like chemo, I’m actively working towards a healthier body than I’ve had in awhile.

All the excitement I have for future plans both big and small feels more real and close now.

In practice of gratitude and positivity, here are a few things that made me happy this week: