12 Month Scans

It has been a while since my last update. Here's what happened since then...

In mid April, April 17th to be exact, I had my one year scans. Good news! I'm still showing no evidence of disease. It was a longer appointment than usual because I had a few questions to ask. I'll discuss a few of these below.

I asked about my hair or lack thereof which I am a little bothered by. My hair is normal on the sides, but never got any thicker on top. It's really noticeable when I go outside with the sun out. Baldness runs in the family so my oncologist thinks that losing my hair to chemo accelerated the balding process. My hair isn't going to get any thicker than what it is now. When it's really short it doesn't look bad, but when I let it grow in I look aged. I'll just have to keep it really short from now on; problem solved.

I also asked about where I stand now with having one year of clear scans. In my case he put me at a 70% chance to beat it when I was first diagnosed. After completing treatment I had about a 20% chance of it coming back. With every day being cancer-free the odds keep improving so he believes I have about a 15% chance of it recurring now. I don't like asking questions like this, but I needed to know.

My scans won't be every three months now. I'm now having them every four months which works out really well with my schedule. I'll have them in August before school, and then December in my winter break. I'll be on four month scheduled scans for the next two years and then its up to me if I want to switch to six months.

I finished up my first year back to school. I received a 4.0 GPA again this semester. My schedule wasn't as difficult as last semester, and the classes weren't as interesting either, but it was how it had to be. For my major I'm supposed to move out to University Park in the spring of my sophomore year, but this school year was more about getting back in the swing of things, and getting my strength back. I'll still be able to graduate on time so it's not a big deal. I think the next two years of school will be more challenging and I'm ready for it.

When the weather finally got nice enough to go outside; about a month ago I figured I'd give shooting hoops a try again. It was actually not too bad. I still had pain, but not enough pain that I had to quit immediately like every attempt I have made before. One adjustment I made prior to this was the amount of rest I allowed for myself. In the month before this I stopped stretching exercises, and strength rehab entirely. My homework was light in the way of writing this semester which also helped as well. My arm feels better now than it did since my last update so I think rest is what I needed most. I still have pain, but with proper rest I am able to work through it. This was a plateau that I have been stuck on for over a year now, and it is a big confidence booster knowing that when my arm is feeling its best I can actually do activities like shoot hoops in the driveway.

Looking ahead, I have an appointment with my surgeon in June. Please pray for all of the Ewing's sarcoma warriors out there. There are a few from my circle who are going through a rough time right now and they need your support.