Waiting....

I am not as far as you but can't wait for that day.  I am not sure what works for me will work for you but will pass it on.  When I had to wait the initial results then staging results I was having all sorts of bad thoughts.  Then one day it occurred to me that I really had no control over anything and the tests don't really change anything.  They only show a path forward.  This thought allowed me to relegate the bad thoughts to the back, at least part of the time.

waiting is the hardest.  I'm post surgery and I only have 2 weeks of chemo/radiation but I've had lots of problems and on Friday I'm having another endosocopy and colonoscopy I had c-diff and was in the hospital all last week. Now their looking again. On the waiting I listen to music, read, go to the CSN chat room, stay busy, and talk to my my two friends who've hung with me through everything. I waned to say hang in there and that there are lots of people who are willing to listen to you talk. My thoughts are with you Amy. I hope you get your results very soon. 

Kim

Yes my pets always light up there because it's constantly under duress, inflammation, sore, angry, itchy.  I am so happy for you!!!  I am 6 1/4 years cured!

Wonderful! Those hot spots are to be expected. Both my doctors said DRE is most important because their fingers can tell if the cancer is gone better than scans do right now since you have inflammation amd scarring that show on scan but they can tell if the tumor is gone by touch. It can feel a little anticlimactic when you've been through the treatment from hell and then you just have the doctor say "tumor is gone". Or maybe not anticlimactic but unreal? And then you have to shift gears and get back to your life. It's definately a transition. I remember my husband tearing up with relief and me feeling like I wasn't that relieved because I wasn't really sure yet that it was gone. But it was! And I'm a year out!

Glad I hit the nail on the head. If anything good can come of this it's being to help others going through the same thing. I started thinking more about the feeling of being relieved. I feel relief when I get an exam or a clean scan but there is still a guarded feeling like you can't relax completely. I think the phrase "cautiously optimistic" describes it best. There's always a realization that this can come back even if it's not likely.

There was some activity on my first post-treatment PET scan, which really upset me.  However, it turned out to be inflammation.  I'm glad you got good news from your doctor and I think you have every reason to be encouraged that your cancer is gone!

Fabulous, Amy!  And good to know all this.  Thanks everyone.