Scan results and what's next.

Currently floating in the air. I'm so light that even gravity can't pull me down. Why? Because I just dropped off the weight of cancer!!!!

Yes. Sophia Rossi is cancer free!! Good bye Tabatha and good riddance.

After the PET scan on Monday, Dr Collins told us that the scan is negative meaning that there are no signs of active cancer cells. He showed us the results from the 3 PET scans that I have had. The first PET Scan picture had many red and orange (how the cancer appears on the scan) areas on my chest and lower neck. The second scan after 3 rounds of ABVD chemo showed a tiny speck where the largest lump had been. The third scan after 3 rounds of BEACOPP DAC escalated chemo showed no orange or red areas, a completely negative scan. This news is obviously brilliant but it didn't really settle in until after the meeting as I was told that there's a 20% chance of it returning and we then discussed the next steps in ensuring that it stayed away.

The next steps are that I am to finish my last round of chemo over the next three weeks and then 4 weeks after my last chemo session I am going to have proton therapy. Proton therapy is a special, more direct and concise type of radio therapy. I am having radiotherapy because my second PET scan was positive proving it to be a pretty feisty cancer and therefore more likely to make a second appearance. By having radiotherapy we'll really be knocking it on the head and telling it to just f*** off.

I am having proton rather than photon radiation because of the area that they will be targeting. As some of you may know, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's thanks to a giant lump on my chest (Tabatha) that looked rather like a third boob (lucky Basil). This is the area where most of the cancer situated and where the last speck of orange was on my second PET scan so therefore, it is where the radiation will be aimed. Being on my chest, there are lots of other vital organs that would be damaged by photon radiation increasing my risk of heart disease, lung cancer, lung disease and breast cancer later in life. Err NO THANK YOU. Proton therapy decreases the risk of these long term effects by 5% because the 'light'/'beam' can be directed at the active point in my lymph nodes and stop before it reaches the other organs whereas the photon beam goes straight through the rest of the body potentially harming my heart, lungs and breast tissue.

There are only 3 photon therapy machines in the world. One in Manchester, one in Berlin and the other in Miami. The Manchester one is very new and currently full up. So that leaves Berlin or Miami...

...

... I'M GOING TO MIAMI BABY!!!!!!!

mic drop.

Sophia x