Good news all around

I had an appt with my doctor in Philadelphia last month, and got great news! She said ive had "a beautiful results" from the radiation treatment. She went on to explain that the eye itself has healed well from the surgery and radiation, and that the cancer is responding well to the treatment as well. Initally they said I would have to go back in another 4 months to see the Philly doctor, but she said my cancer has responded so well that I dont need to be seen for another 6 months, and that can be with my Salt Lake doctor, then in another year ill have to go back to Philadelphia. The one not so positive news is that I already have formed a cataract, but she said its small, and I dont see it/notice it yet, and I dont need to have it removed until it becomes bothersome, probably in the next 5 years.

For the most part my vision has stayed the same. Using both eyes I really dont see a difference, but occasionally, out of curiosity, ill just use my right eye and I can tell ive had a little vision loss. My eye is dry from the radiation, and so to compensate, my eye produces more mucus, and sometimes I think the blury vision is just from that.

Ive been pleased with my cosmetic result. Obviously the cosmetic side of my cancer was the least of my concerns, but im happy with it regardless. They said I may be left with a droopy eye lid. Its certain better than it was a few months ago, but I think the slight droop and exaggerated 'under eye bag' I have now is probably what ill be left with. Most people say they dont notice it, but I think they are just being nice :) The right eye lid comes down lower than the left eye lid, and I have a slight bag under that eye all the time, and its especially noticeable when I get tired, or smile. This pictures shows it pretty well.

Im not trying to be vain, I know its not terrible. When they told me I could be left with a permanent droop, I pictured much worse, and im just trying to be greatful that its not what I had pictured.

While im sharing positive news - ill give an update on my dad. Like I said in my last post he was diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 prostate just a month after my diagnosis. Well he (finally) got some good news. His PSA had been really high, 26.4 six weeks after having his prostate removed, but his most recent check showed the treatment he is on is working and his PSA is now at .34 WHICH IS AWESOME! They really havent ever been sure of his prognosis, and they still arent sure (especially considering they found it in the lymph nodes, so they know it has spread) but the fact that the treatment is doing this well this fast is amazing. Miracles do happen people.

On a less cancer related note:

6 weeks ago we put in an offer on a little town home. Its small, not new, not fancy, but its on short sale so its a great price and could turn out to be a great investment for us in the future. Short sales notoriously take forever, but they said its a small place, and the bank they are working with is good to work with on short sales, so they said 4-6 weeks before they would respond to our offer. Well, at the 5 week mark, I just couldnt stand myself so I called our agent to see if she had any news. She said the sellers still had the offer, and had one more piece of paperwork to submit before our offer even goes to the bank. And once it goes to the bank - thats when the 4-6 week estimated waiting period will start. AGH! So hopefully in 4-6 weeks they will accept our offer and then we have a regular 30 day waiting period after that. Luckily we still live with my cousin, so we dont have any rush to move. So we will wait patiently for (another) 4-6 weeks.