Have you ever been on the corkscrew roller coaster? Well, that’s me, my emotions; not just easy twists and turns but jerky-whiplash-causing sudden turns. I know I used the roller coaster analogy already, but this time I’m not talking just about the extreme up and down, I’m talking about the uncontrollable twists and turns…the corkscrew. I do love a good roller coaster. I finally had my follow up ultrasound this week to check if any of the cancer cells found on my PET scan last June had developed into visible tumors in my neck. After the radiation techs did the initial test, they left to call the physician in. As I laid there I thought about every possible case scenario (of course the worst is what I thought of first). I thought of things like, what if there is tumor, a fourth surgery is extremely risky, radiation is out of the question, who do I call first, what should I tell my new boss, what if I cry in front of my doctor (which I hate doing), what if I’m not strong enough to hear the results?…I had to stop myself, my thoughts alone were making me cry. I took a deep breath and tried to empty my mind. When the doctor came in, he said ‘hello’ and said he’s always happy and sad to see me. He said he loves seeing me because I’m a good patient, but he’s always sad because most of the time he’s the one that tells me there’s tumors in my neck again. Anyhow, he looked at my results and said, there’s nothing there, NOTHING! For a moment I felt blank, not happy, not sad, but blank. I think I didn’t believe him so I asked what he meant and he just said, there are no tumors and hopefully we won’t need to meet again for awhile. WOW, big sharp turn. I left there not completely believing it, it was and still is that hesitant joy that cancer patients feel. My endocrinologist called me shortly afterward and said “Congratulations,” followed by…”We’re still going to watch closely, let’s wait 4 months until the next scan.” OK, so I buy another 4 months…I’ll take it.
I have to say, what is so awesome about this journey is the outpouring of support. Now with the book, this blog, and my book’s fan page on Facebook, I not only get support from friends and family, but I receive encouraging words from complete strangers. It overwhelms me that in our supposedly uncaring, selfish society there are so many rays of light! I have made my journey public, but think about those who suffer in private. We all want love and support. Think about the people God has placed around you every single day and the power of an encouraging word. I went through the McDonald’s drive thru and the girl’s voice was so pleasant that when I pulled up, I told her she had one of the nicest voices in a drive-thru I ever heard and that she was doing a great job. I drove off with her beaming. Thank you to all those who reached out to me but also consider those around you. One word of encouragement can change a person’s face, demeanor, day, and even outlook. For me, I will try to be more consistent about it because I know I need it and everyone has something going on. Give it a shot and of course, wear that red lipstick!
My lipstick for this week is Kat Von D Lipstick in Hellbent, a rich red with a more blue base. I chose it for the name because I am hellbent on kicking cancer!
Anna's Lipstick Journey 
Thanks for the update! What great news.