"Three month check up." It sounds so simple. It sounds so uneventful. It sounds so routine. For cancer patients and their families, that could not be further from the truth. Steve and I have many, many wonderful "melahomies" that understand this, yet we have so many friends and even family that do not have any idea what a "three month checkup" is to us. They do not know because they have never experienced it. It is no fault of theirs and we don't think any less of them. Many people just have not had to walk this path.
So, what are 3 month checkups in our eyes? Three month check ups are a daunting reminder of the life we now live. The "3 month" window. Steve's last scans in September showed him to be NED (no evidence of disease), so we celebrated the last few months by trying to forget about melanoma. We just acted like it didnt exist. I have poured my everything into melanoma awareness, fundraising, researching treatments, clinical trials, etc., these past 2 years and frankly I was just worn out. I felt a little guilty for taking a step back (but definitely not out!) of the melanoma world. I still read about and keep up with out melahomies, but overall, I have been absent from it all. I couldn't tell you anything about the latest trials, I couldn't tell you when the next walk is, I'm not sure when the last time I posted melanoma/tanning bed information on my Facebook page. I just really wanted to forget it all. But, here it is again. Our life stands still once again. What does tomorrow hold for us? What does next week hold for us? Do we get to breathe another 3 months? Will Steve suddenly be doing treatment again? Will a surgery be in the near future? So many unknowns that all fall in the hands of one day "3 month check up day".
Steve had his first set of scans this morning at MD Anderson. He will have another set of scans tomorrow, a dermatology appointment, and then an appointment with his oncologist for results. We are hoping for continued NED so we can "live" our lives another 3 months. We are thankful to have great friends that spent the morning with us today at MD Anderson. Between them and football today, it definitely kept our minds off things.
