Scanxiety - The anxious feeling one gets while waiting for their cancer detecting scans.
December 2, 2015 - Colonoscopy. Chad and I will be traveling to Paris, Tennessee for Dr. Williams to complete his colonoscopy. The hope is that, of course, everything is clear in there but also to determine if there is scar tissue or twisting causing Chad the intense cramping discomfort.
December 3, 2015 - CT Scan (With and Without Contract). We will be headed to Marion, Illinois for the scan, followed by an appointment with Chad's oncologist, Dr. V. The hope is that his scans come back 100% clear without any evidence of disease. In the cancer world, that's referred to as NED.
Aside from a sinus/head cold Chad can't shake (again) he is getting by. He can't take medications to treat the cold because they make him dizzy and nauseous. He had to come home early one day this week because he was so sick.
We also have some additional stress dealing with large medical bills that the VA is declining but we're still working on those, so we'll take them one day at a time.
For now, I am thankful for another day and as always - we appreciate your love, prayers and support :)
The appointment turned out to be what we expected - rather uneventful. I haven't yet decided if I like Dr. Williams or not. He didn't have much to say, just asked a lot of questions.
He thinks Chads weight gain could just be a calorie thing but not sure. He also thinks some of the bloating could be a result of IBS and/or pain killers. He didn't provide any clues or explanation to the cramping and pain aside from possible IBS.
What he DID do is schedule Chad for a CT Scan and a Colonoscopy. (which Chad needed anyways) He already has a 6-Month check-up scan scheduled for December so our hope is;
1. They move the CT Scan (with and without contrast) up a couple weeks
2. They allow us to go to Paris, TN to have it done instead of Marion, IL.
Since the CT Scan and Colonoscopy have to be done on different days, it would save us two-two hour trips, whereas Paris, TN is only 30 minutes away.
We will know more once we hear back from the doctors. I will keep everyone posted!
Much love for all your prayers and positive thoughts!
I get so caught up in my head sometimes - it stresses me out. Chad is in a lot of pain today. The VA has severely messed up sending out his prescriptions and he's ran out of everything. Since then, his pain has come back in folds. He's at a 5 today which is about 2 points higher than his normal amount of pain.
He is having bowel movements but his belly is bloated and the pain points that used to bother him have returned. The bloating comes and goes but it also causes a stir of fear. I am sure that the increase in pain has to do with lack of medication. You can't just pour drugs into your body and then stop cold turkey and expect to feel normal. I am hoping and praying they arrive today, otherwise a trip to Marion is in our very near future. Like tomorrow.
Not to wish my life away but I also wish the GI appointment and CT Scan would hurry up and get here. I'd feel so much better knowing a doctor has looked around thoroughly and we can resume living with the little letters NED on our plate. (For those of you who don't know what that means, it's 'No Evidence of Disease') And also, that the GI Doc can find ways to help Chad deal with this never-ending pain. For real, he's always hurting to some extent. Obviously worse when he's working. :( And it seems lately his boss is giving him the worst jobs that cause the most pain. His surgery was almost 8 months ago and he's never had one single day where he's felt 'good'. Well he did have one and he ended up in the ER a few hours later with the mini-stroke. Sigh.
If you're out there and reading this and still praying for Chad. Thank-You.
Thank-You for always thinking of us. Thank you for continuing to pray for improvement as each day passes and of course, the biggest prayer of all is that he is and remains cancer free, forever and ever - Amen.
Much Love
The Cavitt's.
Scanxiety - The anxious feeling one gets while waiting for their cancer detecting scans.
