Three and a half years on

In other news, it's been about three and a half years since I finished treatment and there has been no sign of any relapse, for which I praise God! I saw my oncologist a few days ago and am now only going to have appointments every six months, which will cease if I make it to five years.

Jessica and I were reflecting again with some Australian friends who visited recently that coming to Scotland was a very effective way of "moving on" from my period with cancer. We arrived to a situation in which I was no longer being asked about my health every day and where people didn't look at me and immediately think of cancer, loved ones they'd lost, their anxieties for those still ill, and their own mortality. Although these connotations often opened up some deep conversations, it also closed down other ones. It has been nice to no longer be a walking reminder of our mortality and to be a mere mortal again.

(Now people look at me and think of birth instead of death!)

One more CT scan

Next Tuesday I am booked in to have one final CT scan before we head off to Scotland for the next three years. This will be my sixth CT scan. It is a little strange to be having this scan after just having had a clear PET scan last week (my 3rd), since I don't quite know what this could show that the PET would miss.

In the last week, I've met up with two old friends (whom I rediscovered through Facebook) who hadn't heard about my cancer. It's a little surreal to go back to the initial reactions all over again (but sped up since they hear the whole journey in a few minutes).