I had my six-week post-radiation check-up with my GYN oncologist last week. He greeted me with, “There’s my SUPERSTAR!” Not sure that he doesn’t say that to all his patients, but I’ll take it!

Had already met with the radiation oncologist a couple weeks before, and both agree that I responded well to the radiation. So now, I’m in 90-day monitoring mode for the next year, meaning I’ll see the doctor every three months in Year One.

So what do they actually monitor, you may ask?

In addition to me watching out for symptoms like spotting, abdominal discomfort and bloating, the GYN oncologist will do a physical exam for masses and will do a CA125 (Cancer Antigen 125) blood test. While this test, technically, is a way to monitor ovarian cancer cells, it can also be an indicator of uterine cancer cells.

They have been monitoring my CA125 since January. My first reading was 21 (anything under 35 is good, and I’ve dropped as low as 9, which my doctor described as “pristine” at the time).

Last week’s reading was 6.6, so I’m feeling pretty good about myself.

I will go in this week for another CT scan, my fifth this year. On the positive side, I won’t need to take any clothes off for this one…I don’t know if this is just a post-radiation test, or something they will do every three months. Time will tell.

In other news, I met up with one of my old Nextel buddies, Tara, for lunch in Charlotte yesterday. It was GREAT to see her and catch up on her life since the last time we got to together five years ago.

Had my first haircut last week. Erica doesn’t have much to work with now, but she did manage to give it some shape and reduce the “Mohawk” effect.

And in exactly 27 days, I’ll be landing in Florence, Italy. So, life is looking pretty good these days. I expect I will transition this blog from cancer-centric to a travel journal documenting our time in Tuscany. So if you are bored of hearing about my cancer stuff, I can now bore you with travel stories. LOL.

Hope everyone is well and enjoying these first days of fall. Although fall in South Carolina is pretty much the same as summer in South Carolina…at least so far. Maybe we’ll get down to the low 80s in the next week?

Love and hugs to all.