Well, I kept putting off this post, because I kept waiting for each test to come back “unremarkable.” Routine cancer monitoring blood work, chest CT, abdomen CT, pelvis CT, Signatera/ctDNA bloodwork, and mammogram all came back as unremarkable. Praise the Lord! There was one minor issue in that I am anemic, so my oncologist is ordering an iron infusion to combat that. Otherwise, I’m in the clear. Until my next bloodwork which will be in November and then scans again in February.
The test I was waiting to have done, so that I could share with 100% confidence that I am completely unremarkable is my colonoscopy. Currently there is some debate about whether or not I need one this year. All I know is that if I do have one, we’ve gotta make some adjustments to the prep, because I REALLY don’t want to be hunched over vomiting in the shower for the 3rd colonoscopy prep in a row. I need to follow up to either get the scheduling done or know for sure we aren’t doing one this year, but it’s kind of an easy thing to put off.
A test that has been added to the mix is called Signatera. I had originally asked for it when I was diagnosed.
“Signatera™ is custom-built to your unique set of tumor mutations to predict colorectal cancer recurrence. Because it is highly sensitive it can detect very small traces of tumor in your body so you can know earlier if cancer is present and make more informed decisions regarding your treatment.”
The caveat for this test is that there is a risk of false positives. Some oncologists recommend against having this test, because it doesn’t change the protocol of bloodwork every 3 months and scans every 6 months, which is the gold standard protocol. If I were to get a positive, they would order scans and redo the Signatera test, so there is potential for it to cause undue anxiety. This is why my oncologists originally told me not to get it done. However, a friend of mine who was diagnosed with Stage 2 colon cancer did have this test done, and it ended up being the only indicator that her cancer had returned. She had to escalate to a PET Scan to determine that her previously Stage 2 cancer had metastasized and become Stage 4 cancer. Without Signatera, it’s possible that she could have gone much longer without knowing the havoc that was going on inside her body. That was all the convincing I needed to advocate a bit more strongly for myself to order that test. I did, however, tell my oncologist not to tell me the results unless there was reason to worry and change any sort of protocol. Well, I think she forgot, because she told me it was negative, which is obviously good. But now if she doesn’t tell me the results, I’m going to be anxious until she confirms next steps. I am thankful that we did the test though, and I’ll just have to do a lot of deep breathing and hopeful thinking if the result ever changes.
One year post-chemo with no signs of recurrence is a good milestone, but it is one that scares me to celebrate. As a person who is always waiting for the other shoe to drop, I have a hard time breathing a sigh of relief. My thoughts like to swirl to tell me that if I do find comfort, things are going to get quite messy. It’s a constant battle to tell that asshole voice to shut up and let me enjoy things for a moment.
Here’s to hoping that I continue to be unremarkable!