Tim is in REMISSION, the sweetest word we've been waiting to use for so long now it seems. Well, we are considering it to be remission anyways. The doctors are hesitant to use that word but Dr. Edenfield specifically said that "there are no evident signs of cancer remaining in Tim's body at this point in time."
We are all so ecstatic that he was lucky enough to have all of the right doctors who made the right decisions enabling them to find this early enough to get to it and get it out so we can now start to move on with our lives.
We still have a ways to go, there will be more tests, procedures and appointments in the weeks, months and years to come but we are finally in the place where we don't have to base our calendars upon treatment schedules and can start to live a "normal" life. Although everyone who knows us knows that there really is no such thing as normal with us.
We never would've gotten through all of this without the support of everyone that has surrounded us. There really are no words to express our gratitude for the many meals, all of the prayers and the kind words. We are so especially grateful for all of the strength you all gave us whether it was to come by the hospital or the house for a visit, making yourself available for anything we needed, even if just to vent, or for covering for us while we took time away from work. All of these things have meant so much to Tim, myself and our families.
We've always known that we have some incredible friends and family but we've been absolutely blown away by how much kindness everyone has expressed over these past 6 months, even from people we've never met. We consider ourselves to be so blessed and know we never would've made it this far without you all.
We know we can never repay everyone for everything they've done, we just hope that someday, somehow we can help others who are just as much in need. Please make sure to keep in touch. We will update this periodically as everything wraps up and as Tim goes through his first year cancer free. Please make sure that if you're ever up our way to stop by for a visit!
Thank you all again from all of us!!
Tim and Jenny Bright
The Bright Family
The Clanton Family
In January of 2010 Tim was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer. After 6 months of chemo he was declared to be in remission until November 2010 when we found it had moved to his lungs categorizing him as Stage 4. He has been fighting ever since.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Chemo Round #12
Well last Friday will go down as one of the best days that I have ever had. Dr. Edenfield called me around 5:30 and told me that he had the results of my PET Scan. Let me rewind before I get to the rest of the story.
Two Fridays ago we got a call that I was to have a PET Scan the coming Tuesday. This was a shock to me because neither Jenny or I had any clue that I was going to have this so it freaked us out just a little bit. I called Dr. Edenfield and he told me that he was just really busy that day and hadn't had the time to tell me that he had scheduled me for a test. The reasoning for the test is that my CEA results were rising, although not drastically, but it was something he wanted to see why it was happening.
So, I go Tuesday to the Radiology office and I get hooked up with my IV and I drink the terrible drink that they make you drink, and the they dim the lights and you sit there for 45 minutes. They came and got me and I went back for the scan. It lasted about 28 minutes and it was back to work.
After that I thought that I would have to wait until the following
Wednesday to get the results and you have no idea what it is like to have to wait for results like that. So I tried not to think about it and just stayed at work as long as I could.
Now back to Friday evening. Dr. Edenfield called and said that he had the results of my test. He said "we still need to monitor you closely but I couldn't find anything on the PET Scan it came back clean". He said that this was positive and he was very excited about the results. As soon as I heard those words my heart dropped out of my chest and it felt like a huge load was lifted off my my shoulders. I know that there is still a ways to go but this is a great start. I really feel that all of the prayers and thoughts that have been directed towards me are the main reason we got these results.
So, I want to thank everyone for all those prayers and thoughts. I will give another update after this final round of Chemo this week and my visit with Dr. Edenfield.
Two Fridays ago we got a call that I was to have a PET Scan the coming Tuesday. This was a shock to me because neither Jenny or I had any clue that I was going to have this so it freaked us out just a little bit. I called Dr. Edenfield and he told me that he was just really busy that day and hadn't had the time to tell me that he had scheduled me for a test. The reasoning for the test is that my CEA results were rising, although not drastically, but it was something he wanted to see why it was happening.
So, I go Tuesday to the Radiology office and I get hooked up with my IV and I drink the terrible drink that they make you drink, and the they dim the lights and you sit there for 45 minutes. They came and got me and I went back for the scan. It lasted about 28 minutes and it was back to work.
After that I thought that I would have to wait until the following
Wednesday to get the results and you have no idea what it is like to have to wait for results like that. So I tried not to think about it and just stayed at work as long as I could.
Now back to Friday evening. Dr. Edenfield called and said that he had the results of my test. He said "we still need to monitor you closely but I couldn't find anything on the PET Scan it came back clean". He said that this was positive and he was very excited about the results. As soon as I heard those words my heart dropped out of my chest and it felt like a huge load was lifted off my my shoulders. I know that there is still a ways to go but this is a great start. I really feel that all of the prayers and thoughts that have been directed towards me are the main reason we got these results.
So, I want to thank everyone for all those prayers and thoughts. I will give another update after this final round of Chemo this week and my visit with Dr. Edenfield.