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.