I've had metastatic breast cancer for three years now.

Today, I asked my oncologist if my upcoming PET/CT on April 17th would cover me for colon cancer. Since my mother died of it, I started having colonoscopies every three years about ten years ago, and I'm due.

He said yes, it'd detect cancer, but not the polyps that precede the cancer, so I should go ahead and schedule another colonoscopy. I said, well...but how much longer can I realistically expect to live (i.e., is it worth the pain in the ass). He lifted his eyebrows, smiled, and said, basically, that I appear to be a chemo responder, and that that fact, in addition to the many new treatments in development, made it look as if I might live a while.

So I guess I'm not going to give up the ghost yet. :-)

With love and squalor (remember J. D. Salinger?),
May