Lumps and bumps

Fourth cycle begins next week, and as usual, bloodwork and appointments were scheduled for this week in preparation.

There is nothing wrong with my blood this week (thanks Neulasta, you are worth every one of those 300,000 pennies), but my oncologist came in with some unexpected news.  He suspects I may need further surgery to remove the "lumps and bumps" (his words) that were not resolved by chemo.

This was a shock.  My impression was that this type of cancer is fully resolved by chemo.  Not to mention that I already have an 8 inch vertical scar on my abdomen, I am not relishing the prospect of further surgery unless it is revision plastic surgery to get rid of this ugly ass scar.

There are a few outcomes that I guess I should be ready for:

1) The CT scan shows that everything is gone.  My organs are clean and glistening like they were just wiped down with a Mr. Clean eraser.  This is the best case scenario, and one that I truly hope for.  Certainly not impossible.

2) The CT scan shows that the cancer is gone but some "lumps and bumps" around the peritoneum remain.  My oncologist will then decide if further surgery is warranted.

3) The cancer is not fully resolved.  My oncologist will have to decide whether he wants to proceed with further chemo, radiation therapy, surgery, or a combination of these. 

Yesterday's meeting drove home the fact that there is no magic cure in cancer, much less a rare cancer.  No one really knows how the body will respond to any given therapy and there are no guarantees.  Everything is out of my control and it is very, very unnerving.

Woe is me

I was at a party this weekend where a friend graciously informed me that my blog is a little woe-is-me.  He has a point.  In his honour, today's post comes to you from sunny Borneo.

Almost exactly a year ago, I took a trip to Borneo for a nice dose of Vitamin D.

Island life.

View through the trees.

Borneo is the largest island in the world.  The island is divided between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, with the bulk of the territory held by Indonesia.  I visited the Malaysian side, the State of Sarawak.

Sarawak is blessed with beautiful beaches warmed by the South China Sea.  Apparently not all things made in China are questionable.

We hired a guide to take us around Bako National Park in his speedboat.  Life jackets were passed around and off we went.  The sea was especially calm that day.

The tops of fishing structures called a kelong sticking out of the water.

The Cobra, a rock formation in the middle of the sea. 

We landed on a small, abandoned island a long way off shore.

Panorama function, bishes!

The Walmart greeter at the entrance.

Blue fiddler crabs doing their thing.

The Skulls, a rock formation named for the cranium-like protrusions.

Cross a bridge.

Meet a spider.

Like a boss.

More photos in future posts for those who tire easily of cancer.