Call Me Cancer-free!

I'm exhausted and in a lot of pain today, but I've got a huge smile on my face anyway.

Why?

The hemotologist finally returned my second message and gave me the good news that my tests look good enough to declare me cancer free without doing a bone marrow biopsy! Woohoo!

And I saw my internist today, and she agreed to start me on Plaquenil, an anti-malarial usually used to treat Lupus patients, right away although she's going to find me a new rheumatologist.

The hemotologist says I need to repeat the blood tests at a minimum in three months to be sure the immunosuppressant doesn't increase my monoclonal cells and develop into myeloma.

But Dr. Takano, my internist, says that if the Plaquenil works its magic on me, I should notice an improvement within a month or so and before I know it, I'll be back to living a relatively normal life. At least until my first flare-up.

She did warn that I was never likely to feel quite the same as I did before getting sick in June, but now I have hope that we will be able to at least decrease Ellie's time at daycare, if not get rid of it entirely.

What a huge relief this all is.

And we definitely started giving thanks for this good news, without waiting for the Thanksgiving holiday to begin!

I hope Thanksgiving is as good for the rest of you as it will be for us. :)