I spent this week in Houston being poked, prodded, scanned and filled with Barium. The good news is that “there are no signs of metastatic disease”  i.e. no cancer.  I didn’t think there would be any cancer but it’s always nice to hear.

We Have Fun But It’s Not Fun

Many of you have seen the fun pictures Barb and I post on Facebook and Instagram. We do have fun there. It’s a conscious choice we make to make the most of the trip. What I don’t post is pictures of having blood taken, iv’s in my arms, the 2 hours of drinking barium, the barium enema, the upset stomach that goes along with that and the desire to curl up in bed until my thoughts are clear again.  It’s not fun. It’s horrible. Throughout this journey I haven’t focused on the ugly side of cancer. I’ve just done what I’ve had to do to get through it.

Shenanigans

I choose to not let the cancer win. I would rather walk into MD Anderson with confidence so cancer knows it’s not going to get the best of me. We joke around. Yes, we do headstands in their lobby, we might have moved the cleaning person’s cart from the hall into the bathroom. Yes, we sang and rode the Southwest baggage belt while checking in for our flight. We did do all of that but in doing that and many other things, we laughed. Laughing has helped me fight this horrible disease and win. We hope that we have made others smile along the way. I think we have. We hope to brighten other’s lives trying to fight their battle, whatever that battle might be. Maybe others laughed at us and that’s ok.

cancer Patients Worry It Will Come Back, That’s “Normal”

In my last blog entry I wrote about worrying that it will come back. I wasn’t worried that it would be back this trip. I wasn’t nervous to go and get scanned. It’s a different feeling of concern. It’s something I think about, as I am sure every other survivor does. I think cancer will be in my future. Having said that, it’s not something that consumes me or that I truly “worry” about, but it’s in my thoughts.

Many people told me my last blog entry was sad. It was truthful. Cancer is something that will always be part of my life. That isn’t necessarily sad, So many good things have come out of this.  ME STRONG being one. I am excited to say that the second annual ME STRONG, Linda’s Run for the Dream 5k will take place on February 2, 2013. Get moving now so you are ready!  More information about registering can be found on our website www.mestrong.net.