on the other side + keep up the good thoughts for patty and burton

damn it feels good to be on the other side of the scans.

the results of my scans were that my lungs were clear, and the lymph nodes that we are watching in my chest changed dimensions again but still not to dimensions that cause concern. lymph nodes in your chest area can change size and so the fact that they have changed in itself does not cause concern. as long as they don't change to a size considered abnormal, which would trigger us to have discussions regarding treatment, they can change any which way they want from my perspective.

one new area to watch is my left ovary (kind of can't believe i am writing about my ovary here but you all know the big details so you might as well know this one too in case it becomes relevant) which appeared thickened and a little large and got called out in the scan. if melanoma comes back (which it won't), it wouldn't likely come back in my ovary - lungs would most likely be the location. so the ovary may be an indication that there is another problem (like a secondary cancer for me coming on like ovarian cancer) but due to the size, we aren't going to worry at this time. if it is larger when i go in for scans in january, then we will do an ultrasound and do follows up to determine what is going on.

all of my bloodwork is looking good, and the marker that indicates tumor growth actually went down from my last scans. i like the direction it is heading, down is good, up is bad.

we took this selfie right after we walked out of the doctor's appointment, the joy was palpable.

thank you all again for all of the support, we all really appreciate it immensely. there had been a lot of tears leading up and including yesterday morning, and so it felt so good to finally cry some tears full of joy.

when we went to lunch yesterday to celebrate, i picked out my fortune cookie. my next scans will be in three months, probably to the day. so when i opened up the fortune, it just seemed like it was meant for me and left me hopeful for the scans in january.

as i always do, i quietly thank the fates for the good results, and then i move on with living my life. i don't throw parties or have parades or light up fireworks in the sky. i quietly say my thanks because i always know that at the same time i am getting good results someone somewhere is getting bad results, and in that moment, i am one of the lucky ones (and i never forget that). while i was getting my news yesterday, patty's family was getting the news that patty's tumor has grown and due to some complications she will be moving to a skilled nursing facility for a couple of weeks. the goal is to get her stabilized and blood counts in good shape so they can begin another round of chemo. so please keep all of your good mojo, prayers, and vibes going to my friend kerry and her entire family as they move through these next couple of weeks.

also, please keep your candles lit and love going for baby burton and his mom and dad. baby burton is still here with his mom and dad, surrounded by love and family. thank you for continuing to send them love as the move further into his final days.

today is my mom's birthday. i have a lot of fun planned for the day, and then tonight we will celebrate with a birthday party while we also enjoy trick or treating and watching all of the kids come to our door. a fun day for sure. so glad that we can all enjoy the day and be together.

my plan for yesterday also came true with a night of pumpkin carving. malena wanted to have a horse and rider on her pumpkin, which she drew herself (she never ceases to amaze me) and barrett carved it out for her. very fun. my dad helped me with mine and it was just like when i was a kid and we did them together. loved that.

i hope that you all have a great halloween and get way more treats than tricks. xoxo