Back to work

I’ve been back at work for two weeks now, and it’s going really well! My abdomen is all healed up; I’m not having pain any more. I’m really glad I was able to take three whole months off work to recuperate; I needed it. To illustrate, in early December when my family was dressing the Christmas tree I wasn’t able to comfortably bend down to take ornaments out of the storage box, but by the end of December when we were putting everything away, it wasn’t an issue at all.

Everyone at work has been very kind, and I’ve received comments from many people who were thinking of me while I was out on medical leave. Even though this terrible cancer business is often on my mind, I’ve been trying to focus on being grateful for all the wonderful people, and silver linings, in my life. I have always thought of myself as a generally cheerful, upbeat, and positive person, and I’m glad I can still find that place within myself.

At work I’m still catching up on everything after being gone so long, but it’s manageable and I have some projects to look forward to this year that I’m really excited about. There have also been some recent staffing and organizational changes at my work, all for the better. I’m happy in my career and place of employment!

I’m getting better at knowing between when I’m having a hot flash and when I’m having a flushing from the cancer. For me, hot flashes are really just a feeling of unexpected warmness that lasts 10-15 minutes. Removing a layer or two cools me down and does the trick. A flushing also makes me warm, but it’s more intense, makes my whole skin get pink and throb a little, and lasts just a few minutes. I’ve been having hot flashes a few times a week, and a flushing once or twice a day. I think I’ve also been seeing a connection between a flushing and an angry gut afterwards. (My darn IBS makes that hard to pin down, however.)

Good news: my Cromogranin A number was down a little this month! Last month it was a slightly elevated, which made me understandably nervous. Bad news: one of the Facebook support groups I belong to recently discussed the question, “Has anyone been diagnosed with an NET but had a normal CgA and 5-HIAA test?”. Unfortunately it turns out a lot of people have, which makes me wonder about my own situation. I have an appointment with my oncologist next month, and we’ll see what she says about my progress so far.

I’m still wearing the silicone tape most of the time, and I think my scar is flatter and paler because of it. I recommend it to anyone who has a healing scar!