It's October 2012!!!! Or Welcome to Normal!!! Or No - That Cough Does NOT Mean You're Going to Die!

I've been waiting for this day for THREE WHOLE YEARS! What's special about it? It's October! October 2012 to be precise. Which is three years from that ick, awful diagnosis. And the time that I get to turn off the paranoia.

In a nutshell, my odds of the cancer returning (at which point it would be "largely untreatable") (I repeated that when the doc said it, and he said, "You caught that huh?") I think they hope things will just slip past you. And mostly they do. But I'm digressing. I do that. Anyway, those horrible don't-think-about-it odds were 80%.

80%

I haven't talked about that number. Didn't want to dwell on it. Didn't want my loved ones to know. But it was always there. In my brain.

80%

The last time I saw my oncologist he said it was now safe to tell me that when they opened me up and saw the extent of the cancer they said, "Oh crap" and then called an emergency meeting to see if they couldn't figure out a way to give me some hope of survival. I'm glad he didn't tell me that sooner. He also said that every time he comes to see me he flips through my chart and forms an image of what I should look like when he comes in the door, and he's always surprised with what I see. And with the fact that I don't have any symptoms of recurrence.

Of course, those cute little munchkins in the picture weren't even born three years ago. So there was no way I was going anywhere!

I know that the last time I blogged I was having a scare, but it turned out okay. And from here on out that's how it's going to be. My chances of cancer returning are NOW more like 20%, which I think are pretty much anybody's odds of getting cancer. Sorry if that worries you. To me it sounds great.

So here's the best part. When I cough? It's just a cough. When my back hurts? It's just sore muscles. A pain in my thigh? A pain in my thigh. I think you get the idea. You have no idea what a relief that is.

And now I can plan my 50th and even 80th birthday with no worries.

That's in December by the way. The 50th. And no, I'm not sad or embarrassed or anything. I'm turning 50!!! Woop! Woop! Woop!

So to celebrate this big October thing, my lovely girls formed a team to march in the "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" run coming up in a couple weeks. I'd love to have you join me in my victory lap, or just support a good cause.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=47444&pg=team&team_id=1258043


Birthdays, family, and friends. That's what it's all about.