For months, life has been a rollercoaster of ups and downs as I get information from doctors, insights from specialists, and test results. Test results are the hardest. The up or down is right in front of me in black and white. So here I am, poised at the computer to face another round of facts and figures.
It’s 9:30 a.m. The email notification stating that new test results are in the healthcare portal seems to be staring back at me. In just a few minutes, I will either feel elated or deflated. It’s all part of the rollercoaster. I’m nervous, my heart is pounding, my hands are shaking.
I log into the portal. First, I look at the cancer marker, CA 27.29. The normal range is less than 38. Mine is 63. I do a double take, 63. How can that be? I stopped treatment on December 13, and my number is decreasing. Again, how can that be? The result of my first CA 27.29 in August was 138. My number has dropped by 75, more than half from my starting point. I am more than elated; I am giddy, astounded, and speechless.
Next, I look at the results of the Comprehensive Metabolic Panel. I scroll past 15 test results until I get to the final two. They’re the two most critical, the liver enzymes. I close my eyes for a quick second, open them, and there it is. My LST is 595. It’s down from 606 last week. My ALT is 725, which is also down from 820 last week. They are both down. It’s unbelievable! I’m more than elated; I’m on cloud nine, and I am doing the happy dance.
Today’s results are very good; the numbers appear to be heading in the right direction, down. The normal range for LST is 10 – 35 and for ALT 6 -29. They are both still very high, but they are finally trending downward. They both must drop significantly before I can resume treatment. But today, I do the happy dance.
The results seem very unpredictable. Perhaps those prayers from family and friends have something to do with it. Unfortunately, the rollercoaster ride continues next week.
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