February is for Hearts
I saw the cardiologist this past week. Sorry for the late update. Between the Snowcrete and the Snowicane, life has been busy! And although I’ve learned to slow down and appreciate each day and live in the present, busy is good. It means I’m caught up in LIFE and living.
Well, the good news is that I haven’t had any heart attacks. The cardiologist said it was a computer-generated report. My heart is working great, just fast, like it has been since they started tracking it when I was diagnosed with cancer in 2015. So, they’re running lots of tests now to find out why I have sinus tachycardia.
The doctor probably thought my visit after seeing something in my report about having had heart attacks in the past was laughable and a waste of his time, especially on a Saturday. But to me, the visit was a huge reassurance to me that everything was OK, that there was no chemo damage or longterm effects from chemo and immuno. My organs were not damaged, and everything was working fine. It means I can go back to just living. It may seem like I am being paranoid about every little thing I see in my reports or that I’m trying to interpret the results myself, but I’m thinking it’s me being proactive about the things I see in my reports. I have learned that you have to advocate for yourself, for your health, from having cancer. It is not always easy for me to do. But it is so important because your health is all you have. I remember when I was first diagnosed with cancer, my husband wanted me to transfer to a new doctor in D.C. since we were transferring to D.C. from South Carolina, but my doctor said it was too dangerous for me to transfer care because my first treatment had failed, and my cancer was aggressive. I needed to continue with my care plan in South Carolina. My doctor told me, “This is YOUR life.” It felt selfish at the time to think like that and didn’t seem fair to my husband or that we were making a joint decision, but it made me realize that I did have to do what was important for me, for my life, because it was all I really had. Me. My health. My life. So, I decided to go back and forth for treatment between DC and Maryland for 15 weeks. And my husband drove me and completely supported me, like he has since Day One of this journey.
The cardiologist also wants me to have another CT scan to make sure I don’t have anymore blood clots in my lungs. I have had a scan since my pulmonary embolisms, but it will be good to have another CT scan, another reassurance since my metastasis was to my lung. That scan will be on March 13th. I’ll definitely be checking my portal for the results, but I’ll try not to read too much into anything until I talk to my doctor this time! And I’ll try to remember the results could be computer-read. (Ugh.)
I do have a lump on the back of my head I am watching. I am hoping it’s a cyst because it does hurt sometimes. It’s round, hard and doesn’t move like the lump I found in my breast, though. Trying not to be paranoid after this cardiology appointment! But I will make an appointment if I notice any changes over the next couple of weeks. I’ll keep ya posted! Stay safe and healthy, everyone!