CT Scans, X-Rays and The 3rd Day of Treatment

After today's CT scan and x-ray, the doctor explained that the cancer is now at IIIC stage but that the staging is just words and he couldn't make any predictions good or bad as cancer has such a strange personality. Some stage 0 (pre-cancerous) women suddenly get really worse and some stage IV women have their cancer just stop and live for 20 years with the cancer in their bones. I asked him what the radiation therapy will really accomplish and he looked me in the eyes while listening and explaining (not a Japanese custom) and told me that the radiation treatment is expected to shrink the lymph nodes so I won't be able to see or feel them, but continued careful observation is very important.

He agreed that instead of just waiting and watching for the cancer to reappear, we should go ahead with chemotherapy, and I'll probably start in January. I'll ask more about what drugs will be used next Tuesday when I visit his office after my daily dose of high powered x-rays. Now I have to look for hats and maybe a wig.