When Boring is Excellent: The Ups and Downs of Cancer Follow-Up Appointments

Waiting to hear if one’s blood is showing any signs of the monster’s return has never been easy.

BY MIKE VERANO

PUBLISHED AUGUST 28, 2018

Mike Verano is a licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist and thymic cancer survivor with over 30 years experience in the mental health field. Mike has had articles published in national and international magazines and is the author of The Zen of Cancer: A Mindful Journey From Illness to Wellness. In addition, he maintains the blog, Confessions of a Pacifist in the War on Cancer. He and his wife, Kathy, live in Lanexa, Virginia.

“Your blood work looks boring.” Many people would be stunned to hear this report from their doctor. For a cancer survivor of eight years and a frequent flyer in the oncology office, it was a welcome relief.

Waiting to hear if one’s blood is showing any signs of the monster’s return has never been easy. The relief that came from hearing that, in the oncology world, “boring” means “excellent,” was, however, short lived as I left the appointment with yet another follow-up appointment and another PET scan on the books.

Early in recovery, the appointments for blood work and scans seemed to make perfect sense. However, I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t hoping to hear at the end of every follow-up visit, “No need to come back, our work here is done.”

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