Color me happy today. Yesterday I had my one-year — actually thirteen-month — check with my surgeon and everything looks good. I was especially happy to hear the results of the bone density scan I had on Monday that I had not yet seen. Any change from the previous scan two years ago is insignificant and I’m still comfortably above the osteoporosis level.

That’s especially welcome news since I had to stop my Zometa bone-building infusions in December so I could have the dental surgery necessary for a tooth implant. I was encouraged to hear last month that the bone graft that filled in the hole left by the extraction had healed beautifully in the allotted four months, another indication of bone health. Wednesday Dr. Litizetti planted the post that will support a crown four months from now. I think of this stage metaphorically as pouring concrete around the base of a column and allowing plenty of time for the cement to cure before putting any stress on it. Anyway, in a couple of months, I can resume my infusions and in four months I’ll be ready for a crown. I’ll be delighted to have this process done and dusted.

Perhaps the concrete metaphor jumped to mind because I’ve been spending lots of time watching a swarm of construction workers build forms and pour walls for the parking garage under the Longhorn Village apartment we plan to move into late next year. I’m utterly fascinated by the huge crane assembly that feeds concrete into twelve-foot-high wall forms. The webcam is centered on the space immediately below our unit, making it even more fun to watch.

Back to medical matters — the only ripple in this currently smooth pond is the cumbersome scheduling process for the CT and bone scans I’m supposed to have next month. Calling to schedule anything at ARA (Austin Radiological Associates, who have a near-monopoly on imaging services in this region) involves holding an average of an hour, so I waited to schedule in person last Monday when I went in for the bone density scan I’d scheduled in person in May after my mammogram. To my dismay, the woman at the front desk apologized profusely as she told me that nuclear procedures are complicated to book and she hasn’t been trained to do that. “I don’t want to mess that up for you. You can call this number to schedule,” she said as she handed me a sticky note. I thanked her. She’s new. My mood plummeted as I contemplated that long wait.

I’ll spare you the details of my server-melting email exchange with ARA’s Customer Satisfaction person in response to the survey ARA asked me to fill out. After more than a year of boiler plate "Thank you for your patience and understanding" replies, my patience and understanding are shot! Suffice it to say that I waited only eleven minutes when I called to schedule the scans at St. David’s Hospital imaging center. The downside there is arriving in the city center at 7:30 AM. Hopefully, traffic won’t be too awful. The upside is that they require no fasting before the isotope infusion.

In conclusion, several of you have mentioned that you haven’t seen updates for some time. Thank you for your caring concern. I have not been posting because I want to keep this blog focused on cancer and there’s been nothing new to say about that. So for future purposes, please understand that should anything change, I’ll let you know. I may post good news updates once in a while but don’t hold your breath. No news is good news on this front.