New and Improved! Now even better than before!

That’s me. New and Improved.

The obvious, of course, is that experts have worked hard to remove all cancer from my body. As a result, I am now Cancer Free. And we all know that the less ingredients something contains the more it is worth. Today, however, I received an unexpected upgrade.

This afternoon I had my optometrist appointment. The first one in a little over two years. I hadn’t really remembered much from my last appointment. My main goal is always to get my contact prescription refilled and get on with my life. But that particular year, 2006, I was in the midst of breast cancer treatment. I had just finished 8 rounds of dose dense chemotherapy, had just had my first single mastectomy and was regaining my strength in anticipation of 6 months of oral chemo in concert with 6 weeks of radiation therapy. In short, I had other things on my mind than my eyes. So I was a bit nonplussed when Dr. E asked if my cataract had been bothering me.

I didn’t even remember I had a cataract. Once he said it, though, it all did sound vaguely familiar. Something about a very small developing cataract that we were going to keep an eye on…

At any rate, Dr. E settled in to begin my exam. “Let’s get a look at that fading near vision.” He says as he hands me a card with impossibly small letters on it. As he logged my results in my chart it was his turn to look a bit confused. It seems my near vision is better now than it was two years ago. I reminded him that I had been in the midst of chemo last time and under a significant amount of stress to boot. Perhaps that had effected my eyesight. He was skeptical. “Maybe… but that has never been my experience.”

Whatever, I know what stress can do. A bit of blurred vision is the least of the possibilities.

Then he moved on to “get a look at that cataract”. Only he couldn’t find it. You read it correctly. He looked and he looked. He used about three different lights and all but crawled inside my eyeball his own self. Seems I no longer have a small developing cataract.

Dr. E is such a jovial man. It was wonderful to see him all but scratch his head and smile while he said that it just must have been the chemotherapy because there certainly wasn’t any cataract now. He declared me “Too perfect. More perfect than last time.” and sent me on my way.

A little over two years ago I had Inflammatory Breast Cancer, a small cataract, fading near vision, and cough-variant asthma. Today I am cancer free, cataract free, have perfect near vision and no asthma issues to speak of. I’m a advertiser’s dream!

More importantly, I am blessed beyond measure.

Cross posted to Mothers With Cancer