A long, overdue update

I’ve been meaning to update this blog for a long time now. I’m not sure why I haven’t exactly. I probably just never think of doing it at a time where I can actually write. So here is my long overdue, catch-up blog entry.
 
First things first – I’m cancer free! I had a PET scan in early December which came back clear. I also recently had my three month follow-up, a CT scan of my neck and chest, which also came back clear.
 
I am scheduled for two more CT scans this year, one in June and another in October. My oncologist said that the first year or two is when Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is most likely to come back. So I’ll have scans every 3 months or so during the first year and then they will start to spread out a bit more in the 2nd year and beyond.
 
I still get nervous on occasion about the possibility of the cancer coming back or of a different cancer appearing, but overall, I seem to be managing that pretty well. I’m sure around the time of each scan and waiting for the results will be the hardest. I do think about cancer every day though in some form. It is something that has affected my life forever and I’m not sure there will ever come a day where I don’t think about cancer somehow. All I can do is hope the scan results keep coming back clear and work on getting myself healthier in other ways so that the chances of cancer developing are minimal.
 
Since I last posted at the end of October, my life has slowly become as normal as it can be. While I was a nervous in November, waiting for my scan in December and the results, Maria and I were able to visit family for a week in Houston over Thanksgiving. In December, I was offered a job that started in January. It was the same job that I was offered back in August that was unable to work around my remaining treatments and doctor appointments. I got to enjoy the holiday season cancer-free, while anticipating starting a new job.
 
Just after the new year, Maria and I took a much needed mini-vacation to Las Vegas. Since we didn’t know if or when I would get time off for a vacation at my new job this year, we decided to take a trip before I started working again. We had a great time in Las Vegas. We stayed at Mandalay Bay and upgraded to a penthouse suite, which was amazing. We saw the Lion King broadway musical and went to the Hoover Dam. It was so nice to start the year off with something fun and relaxing after such a terrible 2009.
 
The following week I started my new job, which is going well so far. Everybody at work is very friendly and seems to enjoy working here. Plus, the company has never laid off a single employee from what I’m told, so that’s comforting. If things go well, I could see myself working here for a very long time.
 
I guess that’s about all I can think of for now. I’ll still post from time to time, most likely around scan times or regarding my fundraising efforts for the Light The Night Walk for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Remember, I’m very open to answering questions from my family and friends, so feel free to check in with me other ways. Until next time…