Scanxiety with a side of good news!

Today is a big day for a couple reasons. One it is February 24 (see previous post) and two I got my newest scan results and had a doctor visit. Leading up to this appointment I have felt very good and have been just waiting to see if side effects are going to hit me from these new meds (Zelboraf and Cotellic). It has been a waiting game for sure, but so far there hasn't really been anything worth noting.
I had an MRI and a CT scan yesterday, as you know they are not my favorite. I generally don't like them because they make me sick but now there is the scanxiety associated with scans and so they just aren't my favorite. I shouldn't have been as nervous for these scans since I can visually and physically see that the medicine is working wonders but that doesn't mean my mind doesn't wander. I still have the freshness of losing my dear friend to this same disease and it just makes me nervous. Also, they say that if one tumor has a BRaf mutation then all of them do (that's what the meds inhibit is the growth of this mutation) but what if a new one popped up and happened to not have the mutation, then what?! The what ifs tend to rule your mind before you know it. I was able to calm them to a degree, but the thoughts still lingered.
I got to my appointment and went to go get labs done. I am a terrible poke and today was no exception. After 4 failed pokes we finally got a vein to give us enough blood for 2 vials and I was on my way, just a bit bandaged and bruised. In the hallway I ran into my surgical oncologist (I am no longer seeing him since being off the trial and not having any surgery related things) and he gave me a giant hug and said how incredible my scans were. I hadn't gotten the official report at this time so I was so happy to hear and he just said they looked great.
Once my general oncologist came in he was beaming with content and said that my scans should go up in a hall of fame for "most improved" and a sort of show and tell. They pulled them up and it was pretty great to see. We did a side by side comparison of the scans from 12/22/15 and yesterdays 2/23/16 and it is really and truly amazing.

Left side of screen: 12/22/15
Right side of screen: 2/23/16
We are looking at the GIANT tumor (left pic neck) and then the small remnants that remain (right pic neck)

For once in the past year I was receiving good and improving results from my scans. There is no new disease and just remnants of tumor in comparison to the previous scans. Brain, lungs, all other organs clear. It was crazy to look at the size of the tumors in the scan and how large they truly got, and how small they are now in comparison. 

We (obviously) are staying on this course of treatment and will reevaluate in one month. There is still chance of adverse side effects as there is with all drugs, and for now we will just keep up with the tumor shrinking hopefully. I know this isn't an end game as far as treatment, but for now it is nice to have the positive scan results and head into the next month of this treatment. I don't have another doctor appointment for a month and I am feeling good and actually feel good enough to start making some plans for things in my life, something I haven't been able to readily do for literally over a year. One step at a time! 

Yay for a good scan day!