Followup #1...plans postponed

This morning I had a followup appointment with doctors from both departments, Hematology and Radiology. I had been feeling great except my tongue, who has still not regained healthy taste bud for me to taste saltiness. So I was actually excited to go to hospital, because I would get to discuss about my next step. I was waiting so long to start moving, I desperately wanted to start planing my time ahead.

But of course, things don't always turn out in the way you planned. I was hoping to head back to Seattle around June for the summer quarter, or at least I hoped to have such option. It turns out that I don't have that option. To be sure that no cancerous cells are growing back, I will need to go through at least two more follow up exams. I will be taking PET scan in mid March, then another followup appointment in August, which 6 months would be elapsed since the end of radiotherapy. If there was no sign of regrowth 6 months after the treatment, then there's 90 % chance that there really is no growing cancer cells. That's what my doctor said. I could do the follow up exams back at UW, but it will be a much easier choice if I just stayed few more months at home. "You will be able to go to the States with great relief if you could do the follow up here," my doctor said. I guess there's no need to hurry. Things I planned, can be postponed. It's never delayed.

The polar bear at the zoo looked really happy...he was walking around nonstop!