Made It

 I made it through Christmas.  I was expecting that I would get through it OK because I had successfully hidden from the holiday up until that point.  I wasn't prepared to receive a holly jolly type of Merry Christmas text from a relative.  Seriously, she knew it was my first widowed Christmas.  Is a bit of sensitivity too much to ask for?  Anyway, it's behind me now. I am glad for that. 

So This Is Christmas

 I thought I had a pretty good grip on this Holly Jolly Merry Christmas issue. Apparently, I do not.  

In Case You Were Wondering

 I just realized that I hadn't updated anything since the PET scan.  Yes, it did turn out to be cancer.  I'm generally not what I would call a lucky person BUT everything to do with this cancer was really a stroke of luck.

1. It was discovered early, less than 2 centimeters.
2. If it wasn't for getting hit in the eye with a pickleball, it might not have been discovered for many years.
3. The CT of my brain showed the cancer hadn't metastasized to my brain.
4. The lymph nodes were clear.
5. The surgeon got clean margins.
6. It turned out that a lobectomy wasn't required; the cancer was easily removed with a lung resection.
7. It was a rare, slow-growing cancer. 
8. The cancer was a neuroendocrine cancer, specifically a typical carcinoid tumor.
9. The surgery is considered curative, although I was referred to an oncologist to basically put his stamp of approval on the fact that no other treatment is required.
10. My sister was able to come and stay for 3 weeks to help me with post-surgery recovery and care of my dogs.

Yes, I had cancer,  and I was very lucky. I doubt those 2 words have rarely appeared in the same sentence.