I have quite a bit to catch up on so here goes.  My Avastin infusion on April 25th was a lot quicker than the last time I went in.  This time they didn't need to do any lab work first.  One of the nurses accessed my port and then they just had to take my blood pressure and temperature and then they sent to the pharmacy for my Avastin.  It took some waiting before we finally got the drug from the pharmacy, but once they started it, it was a 30 minute infusion followed by some flushing with saline solution.  Then they de-accessed my port and we were on our way home - about 2 hours total.  My dad came with me again and my mom watched MJ and Kay for me.

On Tuesday I had an appointment with my surgeon.  The nurse-practitioner did most of the exam and then the surgeon came in to visit for a few minutes before we left.  They both think that I am looking really good and everything looks and feels normal to them.  I asked the surgeon if I am considered in remission now and she said that technically, no.  To be considered in remission you need to be free from any cancer that they can detect for 2 years.  If the cancer is going to come back, the chances are greatest that it will come back in the first year or two.  She said that after that we can begin to breathe a little easier.  Then if I make it to the 5 year mark I would be considered cancer-free because the chance of it coming back after that point is very, very rare.  So now I have some goals to reach for because I am going to do anything I can to beat this cancer!  The surgeon said that the CA-125 blood marker will be a good, reliable test for me to monitor if the cancer is coming back.  (The CA-125 count from my latest lab work was 21.)  I also need to watch for any warning signs, mostly in my abdomen area - persistent pain or discomfort that doesn't go away or a bloating feeling that doesn't go away.  If the cancer does come back, it will most likely come back in the abdomen area.  She did tell us of 2 women that she just saw recently that she had treated about 4 and 5 years ago for Stage 4 ovarian cancer and both of them are still cancer free.  She said that both of them had the cancer a little more widespread than me and up into the fluid in the lungs before treatment.  It's good to hear about cases like that because success stories are hard to find...

My hair is pretty fuzzy now and I am almost to the point where I would feel okay walking around with nothing on my head.  My husband is always laughing at me because I love to run my hand over my head.  I've switched to my shorter hair wig and I'm trying to get a good feel for it.  I've already clipped the bangs a little in the front because they were hanging down in my eyes and driving me crazy.  The only problem with doing that is that that hair will not grow back so I was hesitant at first and then very cautious in how much I cut off.  I am debating cutting a little more but I will wait a few days and see if it is still bugging me.  I noticed last night that my eyelashes are almost fully grown back.  The only hair that seems hesitant to come back are my eyebrows, so I keep penciling them in for the time being.