Below Normal!!

Usually when someone tells me that my test results are below normal I am very disappointed.  However this afternoon I met with Dr. P and he informed that my carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level was BELOW the threshold of normal and I am thrilled!  The CEA is a marker of cancer activity.  The normal level for CEA is 3.5 or below.  Yesterday my test result was a mere 3.1!!!!  

That does not mean that I’m cured or cancer free, but it is a strong indicator the chemo is working. Since I was off chemo for a month, I anticipated that my CEA number would be a bit elevated on this test. So it was a very happy surprise.  Dr. P told me that this indicates that the chemo has significantly damaged the tumors and, even though there was a pause in treatment, the cancer hasn’t recovered yet from the damage inflicted.  Kind of like when Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny “The Bear”  Liston, he wasn’t dead….but he wasn’t movin for a while.  Likewise, my chemo is kickin’ the crap out of the cancer, but the fight ain’t over.  I’ll have six more weeks of the current treatment, then a CT scan and then decide the next step.  But for now I’m living the good life and lovin’ it!

 

Last night we celebrated with the wine taster’s holiday Champagne tasting., toasting today’s news!

 
 

This morning’s sunrise greeted me a beautful sign of good fortune.