A week later, we learned that Corinne’s lung test results were pretty good. Her lungs may have lost about 15% of their ability to collect oxygen, and that may have been caused by the chemotherapy. If a healthy person walked into the doctor and learned she had lost 15% of a lung function, she would probably be horrified. Isn’t it interesting how having late-stage cancer changes your perspective?

Our only serious concern is that the cancer is going away, not coming back. In my experience with these two cancer cases, we have gone through lots of extensive medical tests to check out unusual symptoms that pop up during (and between) treatments. Radiation and chemotherapy and surgery all can cause serious side effects. For instance, Linda once went to the emergency room because she was confused and had problems speaking; the symptom was caused by a blood clot that had gone to her brain. A side effect of her treatments. They resolved it medically without further surgery. More than half the time the tests tell us to relax… everything is okay. I’ve learned to respect the doctors’ caution about these things.

During the visit with her favorite doc, they also decided that, if Corinne got good results in the PET scans to be taken after radiation therapy was over, she would have the Groshong Catheter removed. She began dreaming of going swimming in the spring.