I'm dying here....

I get a call from the cancer center.... "Hello, this is Shannon, Dr. Sumerall wanted me to call you and tell you that your CEA numbers are "normal""

I chuckled and said, "yeah, mine were "normal" when I HAD cancer, what are the actual numbers??"

She was a bit taken aback... then saw the numbers.... I was at a 1.0 when I had the cancerous tumor IN me....8 after 6 months and now .6 as of today (yesterday)... so "normal" is relative... I've always been normal - Which I hear a few of you guys rolling your eyes from here as you KNOW I have NEVER been "normal"... but this case, I'm the abnormal cancer patient with "normal" readings at all times.

Anything under a 5 is considered "normal"... so I guess if my numbers spiked to a whopping 2, we would start looking at me hard, eh? Ha!

Pottery day #3

I don’t know if I’m getting better at this or simply less picky about how things turn out ;)

I saved five pieces on Tuesday. I FINALLY got the hang of cylinders!! I think I made three cylinders or more. There is one I’m not sure will make it through firing as I cut the bottom super high and thus made the bottom really THIN. So we will try it either way.

And so today we wrapped them in plastic to allow us to properly trim it next week.

I have to say I am very much loving this class!

12 month CTs

Monday was my 12 month CTs. I understand from most on my sites that there is a lot of “scanziety” AKA anxiety over scans.

Apparently I’m not normal. I just don’t worry too very much. I really never have.

What good would it do?

I could worry however it’s not going to change anything. And so that is the approach I take.


So I started out.... and really it wasn’t horrible this time. Last time I was in the midst of a horrible attack from my gallbladder. I was in so much pain and miserable as well as nauseated. So... this time it was quite easy to chug-a-lug it.


And done. All in record time. Well appropriate timeline.

So two hours later and I’m ready to get scanned. All this fuss and hoopla for a 10 minute scan. So frustrating to sit and wait while that stuff costs your insides.

I also had the joy of getting and IV as well. I guess it’s time to pull the port as most local folks don’t want to use it and it’s seen as more of a trouble as they have to have special nurses to flush it after use. I had already thought had all my scans come back clean that I would have it pulled regardless... and I really think they will all come back clean.

So CTs done. I’ll have the answers to them on Monday as to what the results are. I then have my meeting with the colon rectal specialist next month. It was to happen the day after my CTs....but they rescheduled. Sigh.

Now I have to wait until the 13th to meet with the doc then get my colonoscopy after. Nothing like hurry up and wait, hu? Oh well.

OR I could go to Mayo...no waiting and no fuss. But I don’t want to have to do a prep in a hotel again. So...I wait patiently and hope I don’t get rescheduled again. Then I would find a new doc.

Sooooo that’s what happened Monday. CTs done.