(and sorry for the delay) is that my CT scans showed no marked changes, and I'm off the hook for another four months. It's nice to know that my insides are as pretty as they can be,considering the circumstances, because my outside isn't doing quite so well. A well meaning lab tech tried to draw blood from the inside veins of both wrists (ouch)...no blood,but some really swell bruises. Why get stuck once (and draw blood from the hep lock) when you can get poked five times?? It's enough to make a girl miss her port--well if I had one of those nifty new power ports that can handle IV contrast. If they can transplant a face, I can only imagine that veins are next--I'll take a few of my husbands. They're unscarred, visible from the surface, and practically jump at the needle.

Saturday before the appointment, my sweet CBS ladies prayed over me at a luncheon and I can say that once I actually got through the hassle of choking down the barium suspension and getting on the road to the hospital, a beautiful sense of peace had taken over. I even enjoyed visiting and giving books to some of my favorite staff members. Still, I was glad when I could meet my sisters for lunch and give them the all clear sign.

It wasn't just me who was feeling the strain of this last visit. My hubby, my father-in-law, my sister all were rattled. DH and I were discussing it...why worry now? We can only think that as we get closer and closer to "normal" (and you know how I feel about that term) and farther from the actually treatment, the more we're aware that life can turn on a dime. Things were perfectly "normal" when all of this started, and goodness knows a that many, many more shoes have fallen since.

Speaking of life turning on a dime, instead of going out to celebrate with my dh, I ended up picking him up near his commute route, not too far from where he wrapped his car around a guardrail while avoiding a collision with another car. Praise God for airbags. It's a powerful reminder, once again, that we aren't the ones in control here.